10 Best Sales Books

If you’re in sales or marketing then you’ll greatly benefit from reading sales secrets from legendary sellers such as Zig Ziglar, Brian Tracy, and Jim Rohn, but there are many other great books out there from equally good salespeople – people that you can learn from to become an even better seller. The best sales books will turn even a novice salesperson into a star seller.

What to Look For

When you’re considering a sales book to learn new sales techniques the main consideration you’ll have to keep in mind is how effective this new technique really is. There are a few key elements that make these books stand out above the rest:

  • Big Name Author. If an author really knows how to sell, then their name will be a big brand and very well known.
  • Bestseller. It goes without saying that the best sales books will be those on best sellers lists … after all, it’s not the best authors list!
  • Proven Sales Results. The best salespeople know that testimonials and results speak louder than any sales jumbo they can spin in their books. The first few pages should be filled with high remarks and impressive sales figures.

Top 10 Sales Books Comparison Table

Picture Name Topics Covered Price Rating (1-5)
1. New Sales. Simplified.: The Essential Handbook Strategy, sales stories, build rapport, structure sales calls $$$
  • 4.9/5
2. Go for No! Yes is the Destination Overcome self-limiting beliefs and fear of failure, celebrate failure $$
  • 4.8/5
3. Secrets of Closing the Sale by Zig Ziglar Sales techniques from one of the best salesmen of all time $$
  • 4.6/5
4. The Psychology of Selling by Brian Tracy Ideas, methods and tactics to get more sales fast $$
  • 4.6/5
5. Sell or Be Sold by Grant Cardone Handle rejection, shorten sales cycles, overcome call reluctance, stay positive $$$$
  • 4.6/5
6. Secrets of a Master Closer Eight-step sales formula and other sales techniques to close deals fast $$$
  • 4.5/5
7. Selling 101 Selling basics to win more long-term clients $
  • 4.4/5
8. Little Red Book of Selling Short to-the-point sales techniques to close deals quickly $$
  • 4.4/5
9. To Sell Is Human Selling psychology and social science techniques to maximize sales $$
  • 4.4/5
10. The Challenger Sale Learn to tailor your message to customers specific needs and speak their language $$$$
  • 4.4/5

Buying Information

Buying the best sales books is something that you should do regularly. The sales arena is changing constantly every day, and there are always new avenues to explore and strategies to tweak. Age-old sales systems never change and the art of closing a deal stays the same, but there are new ways of attracting attention and holding it that you’ll need to stay up-to-date with. Here’re a few things that have changed in recent years:

  • Social Media.This is the new ‘billboard’ media that all the top sellers are using. Billboards were incredibly successful because of the sheer number of eyes that saw your message every day. And with millions of monthly users Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn are where you need to be getting your message seen.
  • Email. Quickly replacing paper communication methods and the original sales letter, email is a great way to build an engaged and highly targeted audience for your brand.
  • Landing Pages. An online equivalent of a traditional sales letter, the landing page has the potential for high conversion with minimal effort. Just as before, wording, phrase and positioning play a vital role to your sales success.
  • Face to Face. Almost forgotten in a world driven by electronic devices and online platforms, in-person interactions are still the highest converting sales system known to man, and boy do all the best salespeople know it!

Top 5 Best Sales Books Reviews

1. New Sales. Simplified.

New Sales. Simplified.

Mike Weinberg really hit the nail on the head with his latest sales book that is featured in HubSpot’s top 20 best sales books of all time. An impressive feat that is well-matched is amazing sales content.

Even if you are a high selling salesperson, there are more than a few things to learn from Mike’s book. Heck, you’ll likely double or triple your sales after reading it! There’s something in here for every level of sales too from sales junior to manager.

One of the most powerful sections of the book we found was the crafting of a sales story for your ideal customer. Not only does a well-laid-out story help you define your customer clearly and understand what motivates them, but it also connects deeply with them and makes selling to them even easier.

2. Go for No!

Go for No!

As salespeople, the most avoided word and the dreaded moment we can think of is ‘No’. It comes in many forms … “I’m not interested”, “Just taking a look thanks” and “Go away.” We’re sure there are many more rejections you can think of, but the essence of all of them is the word – NO.

Yet all the best salespeople know that no is just the beginning and that there will be many more ‘no’s to come before the customer finally says yes to a deal. Walking away after the first no is one of the silliest things you could do, and it’s why so many new salespeople fail at selling their product – they give up way too soon.

This book will teach you to love hearing the word ‘no’ and to go for rejection instead of approval. Working through all your clients ‘no’s is a surefire way of getting them to say yes.

3. Secrets of Closing the Sale

Secrets of Closing the Sale

Written by the grandmaster of sales, Zig Ziglar, this book presents powerful ways to close even the toughest of deals. Zig is one of the biggest names in sales and everyone who is anyone in the field has read at least one of his books and follows his sales techniques.

There is so much to Zigs character that made him an incredible salesperson – light years ahead of his time and much more convincing than anyone else of his time. This book teaches how to exude warmth, enthusiasm, and integrity. With these qualities, you’ll be one killer sales machine.

4. The Psychology of Selling

The Psychology of Selling

Brian is one of Zig Ziglar’s students and learned from the master for many years, teachings that are strongly reflected in his sales performance and career. Brian further developed Zigs sales techniques and made them his own, and created even more powerful selling systems.

The psychology of selling is Brians life work in an easy to read and highly inspiring book. Not only will having read this book make you a far more effective salesperson, but you’ll be able to close deals with more confidence and charisma, and sales will become easier and more natural than you ever thought possible.

5. Sell or Be Sold

Sell or Be Sold

It’s life or death out there. The essential struggle through life involves a constant battle between being the seller and being sold to. Learning how to navigate this treacherous world of hard sales tactics and never-ending marketing funnels is a must for survival and prosperity.

This book will help you overcome not just the sales environment but also call reluctance. You’ll be able to finally fill your sales pipeline with new business and have an attitude of positivity despite any rejections you may face.

And so it is true of all the books in our list, attitude and mental thoughts are 90% of your success as a salesperson.