Top Shelf: Best Sales Books
Little Red Book of Selling: 12.5 Principles of Sales Greatness
By Jeffrey Gitomer
Buy It Now
Review: If salespeople are worried about how to sell, Gitomer (The Sales Bible) believes they are missing out on the more important aspect of sales: why people buy. This, he says, is "all that matters," and his latest book aims to demystify buying principles for salespeople. From the red cloth cover to the small trim size to the amusing (but not cloying) cartoons on almost every page, this is an appealing and accessible book. The author is obviously enthusiastic, if not manic, about sales, and though some of his mantras verge on hokey, much of his prose is straightforward and realistic. Each chapter includes a mini table of contents, pull quotes and takeaway sound bites, examples of typical whines from salespeople (e.g., "the client said they spent their whole budget") paired with a positive response (e.g., "Decision makers make the budget. Non-decision makers spend the budget"), and plenty of advice and ideas that can be taken in and studied as a whole or referred to at random for inspiration.
Secrets of Question Based Selling: How the Most Powerful Tool in Business Can Double Your Sales Results
Thomas Freese
Buy It Now
Review: Freese has uncovered a new twist on an old adage. If you walk in your customer's shoes, you'll be better able to sell to him or her. Using that philosophy, he wields the power of questions, from introductory telephone gambits to the final presentation, inserting a query into virtually every contact with the prospect. Instead of the same old blah, blah, blah at the beginning of a conversation, he recommends a simple "credentialing"--name, company, product, service--that ends with "Did I catch you at a bad time?" The process gets better. There's a detailed description of every stage--curiosity, credibility, needs development, present solutions, and commitment. There are sample dialogues, what-ifs, and rules to remember. Most of all, his "revolutionary" approach is, as he himself will admit, based on great common sense; why not engage prospects by asking them about themselves first? — Barbara Jacobs, Copyright © American Library Association.
How to Master the Art of Selling
By Tom Hopkins
Buy It Now
Review: In 1976, Tom Hopkins founded Tom Hopkins International, Inc., and dedicated his life and his company to teaching and inspiring others through his seminars, books, audio and video training programs. Today, over 35,000 corporations and millions of professional salespeople through the world utilize his professional sales training materials.
Integrity Selling for the 21st Century
By Ron Willingham
Buy It Now
Review: Powerful, insightful, and practical. Integrity Selling for the 21st Century dispels outdated methods and techniques and replaces them with a dynamic six-step process for success… A must-read for any sales professional.
Selling Luxury: Connect with Affluent Customers, Create Unique Experiences Through Impeccable Service, and Close the Sale
By Robin Lent
Buy It Now
Review: In Selling Luxury, Robin Lent and Geneviève Tour explore every component of luxury sales and offer proven, practical strategies for connecting with customers. Rather than sales associates, the luxury market calls for "Sales Ambassadors" who represent the brand with distinction. Sales Ambassadors understand how to connect with customers by discovering their unique moti-vational desires. This requires a multitude of specialized skills: passion, perseverance, empathy, daring, and curiosity. Through personalized service each and every time, Sales Ambassadors are able to build trust, brand loyalty, and lasting customer relationships.
Selling in Tough Times: Secrets to Selling When No One Is Buying
Tom Hopkins
Buy It Now
Review: Hopkins (How to Master the Art of Selling) lobbies for a return to basics to maximize sales in an economic downturn. He starts from the very beginning, defining what a selling career entails and detailing the different types of salespeople. He encourages readers to step back and reevaluate their positions in the economy, and to make a plan for when the climate improves. The first step is to save existing business by going the extra mile, making human contact, and initiating loyalty-building campaigns. Hopkins shows how to quickly tell if a client is right for you, reduce sales resistance, woo clients from the competition, and cut costs while continuing to appear successful. Each chapter ends with a short summary to help extract and reinforce key ideas. Part self-help book, part motivational guide, this book provides valuable advice for selling professionals struggling in the current economy as well anyone hoping to emerge from the recession primed for growth.
SNAP Selling: Speed Up Sales and Win More Business with Today's Frazzled Customers
By Jill Konrath
Buy It Now
Review: In this crazy busy world of ours, Jill Konrath's strategies are just what sellers need to be successful with today's frazzled decision makers.
How To Win Friends and Influence People
By Dale Carnegie
Buy It Now
Review: This grandfather of all people-skills books was first published in 1937. It was an overnight hit, eventually selling 15 million copies. How to Win Friends and Influence People is just as useful today as it was when it was first published, because Dale Carnegie had an understanding of human nature that will never be outdated. Financial success, Carnegie believed, is due 15 percent to professional knowledge and 85 percent to "the ability to express ideas, to assume leadership, and to arouse enthusiasm among people." He teaches these skills through underlying principles of dealing with people so that they feel important and appreciated. He also emphasizes fundamental techniques for handling people without making them feel manipulated. Carnegie says you can make someone want to do what you want them to by seeing the situation from the other person's point of view and "arousing in the other person an eager want." You learn how to make people like you, win people over to your way of thinking, and change people without causing offense or arousing resentment. For instance, "let the other person feel that the idea is his or hers," and "talk about your own mistakes before criticizing the other person." Carnegie illustrates his points with anecdotes of historical figures, leaders of the business world, and everyday folks.
The Accidental Salesperson: How to Take Control of Your Sales Career and Earn the Respect and Income You Deserve
By Chris Lytle
Buy It Now
Review: It is not only a motivational shot in the arm, but a unique blueprint for selling brilliantly.
No Thanks, I'm Just Looking: Sales Techniques for Turning Shoppers into Buyers
By Harry J. Friedman
Buy It Now
Review: No matter what you sell in your store, the real key to moving your product is you, the salesperson. When customers face the same product choices in your store as they do down the street, the connection you build with them can create a powerful — and profitable — difference. Your ability to communicate with customers, get them to open up, and satisfy their needs determines your success.
This book gives you the inside scoop on how to skyrocket your selling career with a system of easy-to-learn, practical moneymaking steps. Retail guru Harry J. Friedman has compiled his personal collection of proven selling techniques and tips, along with many of the often humorous real-life stories that have made him retail's most sought-after consultant. By saving countless hours of trial-and-error experience, you'll be able to focus on the things that really work, especially in this highly competitive market where Internet savvy customers are better informed than ever before.
Selling the Invisible: A Field Guide to Modern Marketing
Harry Beckwith
Buy It Now
Review: The transformation from a manufacturing-based economy to one that's all about service has been well documented. Today it's estimated that nearly 75 percent of Americans work in the service sector. Instead of producing tangibles--automobiles, clothes, and tools--more and more of us are in the business of providing intangibles--health care, entertainment, tourism, legal services, and so on. However, according to Harry Beckwith, most of these intangibles are still being marketed like products were 20 years ago.
In Selling the Invisible, Beckwith argues that what consumers are primarily interested in today are not features, but relationships. Even companies who think that they sell only tangible products should rethink their approach to product development and marketing and sales. For example, when a customer buys a Saturn automobile, what they're really buying is not the car, but the way that Saturn does business. Beckwith provides an excellent forum for thinking differently about the nature of services and how they can be effectively marketed. If you're at all involved in marketing or sales, then Selling the Invisible is definitely worth a look.
The Greatest Salesman in the World
By Og Mandino
Buy It Now
Review: The Greatest Salesman in the World is a tiny book, and it is a treasure. First published in 1968, Og Mandino's classic remains an invaluable guide to a philosophy of salesmanship. Mandino's clear, simple writing style supports his purpose: to make the principles of sales known to a wide audience. A parable set in the time just prior to Christianity, The Greatest Salesman in the World weaves mythology with spirituality into a much needed message of inspiration in this culture of self-promotion. Mandino believes that to be a good salesperson, you must believe in yourself and the work you are doing. It is a simple but profound spiritual philosophy about how to succeed in the world's marketplace, easily understood and easy to take to heart.
Raving Fans: A Revolutionary Approach To Customer Service
By Ken Blanchard
Buy It Now
Review: Making your customers Raving Fans is the competitive edge today. This book can jump-start you in that direction.
The Psychology of Selling: Increase Your Sales Faster and Easier Than You Ever Thought Possible
By Brian Tracy
Buy It Now
Review: With his 300-odd video and audio courses (sales at one mil.), and 30 books, Tracy has built a strong motivational sales and marketing brand. This latest installment shapes pop psychological constructs to fit Tracy's existing paradigms: "Your subconscious does not think or decide. It merely obeys your mental commands." Tell that to Dr. Freud, one might retort, but the point here is not fidelity to psychology theory, but efficacy in getting readers to change the way they bring themselves to a sale. Visualization techniques, concrete sales advice and motivational pep talks make up chapters like "The Inner Game of Selling" and "The Power of Suggestion." The "Getting More Appointments" chapter recapitulates sound but Willy Lohman-esque advice like "Sidestep the Excuse" or "Don't Be Put Off"; the book as a whole feels familiar, but it's clearly organized. Even in Tracy's generic prose, the repackaged tried-and-trues will find their marks.
The Mackay MBA of Selling in The Real World
Harvey Mackay
Buy It Now
Review: Consider this a manual of must-do's for managing your business and your life. It's about managing your motivation, your employees, your customers, your business culture, and your overall success. That's not to say the book does not have specifics. For example, you will find specific practical ideas on up-to-the-minute selling with social media tools. The illustrations draw on years of personal experience — his own and those of superstars he's hired, groomed, and mentored in many walks of life.
You, Inc.: The Art of Selling Yourself
By Harry Beckwith
Buy It Now
Review: Written in a personable and homespun style, You, Inc. offers doses of humor and pithy knowledge to anyone who wants to thrive in the increasingly competitive business world.
Little Gold Book of YES! Attitude: How to Find, Build and Keep a YES! Attitude for a Lifetime of SUCCESS
By Jeffrey Gitomer
Buy It Now
Review: Every business winner has one thing in common: a YES! Attitude that's powerful enough to help them achieve the impossible! When you've got a YES! Attitude, you assume everything will start with "YES!" ...and you'll find a way to "YES!" even when the first, second, and third answer you hear is "NO!" You say you weren't born with a YES! Attitude? No problem! Jeffrey Gitomer will give you all the tools you need to build one. As the world's #1 expert in selling (and the author of the best-sellers Little Red Book of Selling and Little Red Book of Sales Answers.) Gitomer knows more about attitude than anyone. Now he's brought those lessons together in a book you can read in one sitting... a book that'll change your life! What makes this book unique? It's not just "inspiration": it's a complete, step-by-step, fully-integrated game plan for understanding and mastering your attitude. You'll learn 7.5 specific things you can do to maintain your intensity, drive, and commitment... discover 20.5 "attitude gems" that capture the value of thousands of dollars of books and courses... learn how to overcome the 10.5 most dangerous "attitude busters"... then learn how to maintain your YES! Attitude every day, for the rest of your life! Don't just read this book once: study it, live it -- and win!
Secrets of Closing the Sale
By Zig Ziglar
Buy It Now
Zig Ziglar's principles of success are easy to understand and apply, yet they have a far-reaching impact. By using his proven methods, you will be able to face your prospects with enthusiasm and confidence.
Buying Trances: A New Psychology of Sales and Marketing
By Joe Vitale
Buy It Now
For daring salespeople who want to make the sale every time, these cutting-edge techniques in persuasion offer the key to incredible success.
The Sales Bible: The Ultimate Sales Resource, New Edition
Jeffrey Gitomer
Buy It Now
Since its initial publication in 1994, Morrow's hardcover edition of Jeffrey Gitomer's THE SALES BIBLE has sold over 117,000 copies, and another 100,000 in paperback (published by Wiley). But in the 13 years since then, Gitomer has made himself into a sales powerhouse with huge success around an inventively packaged series of books, with his classic THE LITTLE RED BOOK OF SELLING at its heart. Now at last, Gitomer has taken the title that began it all, and has completely revised it. The Sales Bible is totally reworked to fit into his line of bestselling sales titles. It's sure to be THE must-have title for sales professionals worldwide who've already come to know and trust Jeffrey's inventive, irreverent sales wisdom.
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Little Red Book of Selling: 12.5 Principles of Sales Greatness
By Jeffrey Gitomer
Buy It Now
Review: If salespeople are worried about how to sell, Gitomer (The Sales Bible) believes they are missing out on the more important aspect of sales: why people buy. This, he says, is "all that matters," and his latest book aims to demystify buying principles for salespeople. From the red cloth cover to the small trim size to the amusing (but not cloying) cartoons on almost every page, this is an appealing and accessible book. The author is obviously enthusiastic, if not manic, about sales, and though some of his mantras verge on hokey, much of his prose is straightforward and realistic. Each chapter includes a mini table of contents, pull quotes and takeaway sound bites, examples of typical whines from salespeople (e.g., "the client said they spent their whole budget") paired with a positive response (e.g., "Decision makers make the budget. Non-decision makers spend the budget"), and plenty of advice and ideas that can be taken in and studied as a whole or referred to at random for inspiration.
Secrets of Question Based Selling: How the Most Powerful Tool in Business Can Double Your Sales Results
Thomas Freese
Buy It Now
Review: Freese has uncovered a new twist on an old adage. If you walk in your customer's shoes, you'll be better able to sell to him or her. Using that philosophy, he wields the power of questions, from introductory telephone gambits to the final presentation, inserting a query into virtually every contact with the prospect. Instead of the same old blah, blah, blah at the beginning of a conversation, he recommends a simple "credentialing"--name, company, product, service--that ends with "Did I catch you at a bad time?" The process gets better. There's a detailed description of every stage--curiosity, credibility, needs development, present solutions, and commitment. There are sample dialogues, what-ifs, and rules to remember. Most of all, his "revolutionary" approach is, as he himself will admit, based on great common sense; why not engage prospects by asking them about themselves first? — Barbara Jacobs, Copyright © American Library Association.
How to Master the Art of Selling
By Tom Hopkins
Buy It Now
Review: In 1976, Tom Hopkins founded Tom Hopkins International, Inc., and dedicated his life and his company to teaching and inspiring others through his seminars, books, audio and video training programs. Today, over 35,000 corporations and millions of professional salespeople through the world utilize his professional sales training materials.
Integrity Selling for the 21st Century
By Ron Willingham
Buy It Now
Review: Powerful, insightful, and practical. Integrity Selling for the 21st Century dispels outdated methods and techniques and replaces them with a dynamic six-step process for success… A must-read for any sales professional.
Selling Luxury: Connect with Affluent Customers, Create Unique Experiences Through Impeccable Service, and Close the Sale
By Robin Lent
Buy It Now
Review: In Selling Luxury, Robin Lent and Geneviève Tour explore every component of luxury sales and offer proven, practical strategies for connecting with customers. Rather than sales associates, the luxury market calls for "Sales Ambassadors" who represent the brand with distinction. Sales Ambassadors understand how to connect with customers by discovering their unique moti-vational desires. This requires a multitude of specialized skills: passion, perseverance, empathy, daring, and curiosity. Through personalized service each and every time, Sales Ambassadors are able to build trust, brand loyalty, and lasting customer relationships.
Selling in Tough Times: Secrets to Selling When No One Is Buying
Tom Hopkins
Buy It Now
Review: Hopkins (How to Master the Art of Selling) lobbies for a return to basics to maximize sales in an economic downturn. He starts from the very beginning, defining what a selling career entails and detailing the different types of salespeople. He encourages readers to step back and reevaluate their positions in the economy, and to make a plan for when the climate improves. The first step is to save existing business by going the extra mile, making human contact, and initiating loyalty-building campaigns. Hopkins shows how to quickly tell if a client is right for you, reduce sales resistance, woo clients from the competition, and cut costs while continuing to appear successful. Each chapter ends with a short summary to help extract and reinforce key ideas. Part self-help book, part motivational guide, this book provides valuable advice for selling professionals struggling in the current economy as well anyone hoping to emerge from the recession primed for growth.
SNAP Selling: Speed Up Sales and Win More Business with Today's Frazzled Customers
By Jill Konrath
Buy It Now
Review: In this crazy busy world of ours, Jill Konrath's strategies are just what sellers need to be successful with today's frazzled decision makers.
How To Win Friends and Influence People
By Dale Carnegie
Buy It Now
Review: This grandfather of all people-skills books was first published in 1937. It was an overnight hit, eventually selling 15 million copies. How to Win Friends and Influence People is just as useful today as it was when it was first published, because Dale Carnegie had an understanding of human nature that will never be outdated. Financial success, Carnegie believed, is due 15 percent to professional knowledge and 85 percent to "the ability to express ideas, to assume leadership, and to arouse enthusiasm among people." He teaches these skills through underlying principles of dealing with people so that they feel important and appreciated. He also emphasizes fundamental techniques for handling people without making them feel manipulated. Carnegie says you can make someone want to do what you want them to by seeing the situation from the other person's point of view and "arousing in the other person an eager want." You learn how to make people like you, win people over to your way of thinking, and change people without causing offense or arousing resentment. For instance, "let the other person feel that the idea is his or hers," and "talk about your own mistakes before criticizing the other person." Carnegie illustrates his points with anecdotes of historical figures, leaders of the business world, and everyday folks.
The Accidental Salesperson: How to Take Control of Your Sales Career and Earn the Respect and Income You Deserve
By Chris Lytle
Buy It Now
Review: It is not only a motivational shot in the arm, but a unique blueprint for selling brilliantly.
No Thanks, I'm Just Looking: Sales Techniques for Turning Shoppers into Buyers
By Harry J. Friedman
Buy It Now
Review: No matter what you sell in your store, the real key to moving your product is you, the salesperson. When customers face the same product choices in your store as they do down the street, the connection you build with them can create a powerful — and profitable — difference. Your ability to communicate with customers, get them to open up, and satisfy their needs determines your success.
This book gives you the inside scoop on how to skyrocket your selling career with a system of easy-to-learn, practical moneymaking steps. Retail guru Harry J. Friedman has compiled his personal collection of proven selling techniques and tips, along with many of the often humorous real-life stories that have made him retail's most sought-after consultant. By saving countless hours of trial-and-error experience, you'll be able to focus on the things that really work, especially in this highly competitive market where Internet savvy customers are better informed than ever before.
Selling the Invisible: A Field Guide to Modern Marketing
Harry Beckwith
Buy It Now
Review: The transformation from a manufacturing-based economy to one that's all about service has been well documented. Today it's estimated that nearly 75 percent of Americans work in the service sector. Instead of producing tangibles--automobiles, clothes, and tools--more and more of us are in the business of providing intangibles--health care, entertainment, tourism, legal services, and so on. However, according to Harry Beckwith, most of these intangibles are still being marketed like products were 20 years ago.
In Selling the Invisible, Beckwith argues that what consumers are primarily interested in today are not features, but relationships. Even companies who think that they sell only tangible products should rethink their approach to product development and marketing and sales. For example, when a customer buys a Saturn automobile, what they're really buying is not the car, but the way that Saturn does business. Beckwith provides an excellent forum for thinking differently about the nature of services and how they can be effectively marketed. If you're at all involved in marketing or sales, then Selling the Invisible is definitely worth a look.
The Greatest Salesman in the World
By Og Mandino
Buy It Now
Review: The Greatest Salesman in the World is a tiny book, and it is a treasure. First published in 1968, Og Mandino's classic remains an invaluable guide to a philosophy of salesmanship. Mandino's clear, simple writing style supports his purpose: to make the principles of sales known to a wide audience. A parable set in the time just prior to Christianity, The Greatest Salesman in the World weaves mythology with spirituality into a much needed message of inspiration in this culture of self-promotion. Mandino believes that to be a good salesperson, you must believe in yourself and the work you are doing. It is a simple but profound spiritual philosophy about how to succeed in the world's marketplace, easily understood and easy to take to heart.
Raving Fans: A Revolutionary Approach To Customer Service
By Ken Blanchard
Buy It Now
Review: Making your customers Raving Fans is the competitive edge today. This book can jump-start you in that direction.
The Psychology of Selling: Increase Your Sales Faster and Easier Than You Ever Thought Possible
By Brian Tracy
Buy It Now
Review: With his 300-odd video and audio courses (sales at one mil.), and 30 books, Tracy has built a strong motivational sales and marketing brand. This latest installment shapes pop psychological constructs to fit Tracy's existing paradigms: "Your subconscious does not think or decide. It merely obeys your mental commands." Tell that to Dr. Freud, one might retort, but the point here is not fidelity to psychology theory, but efficacy in getting readers to change the way they bring themselves to a sale. Visualization techniques, concrete sales advice and motivational pep talks make up chapters like "The Inner Game of Selling" and "The Power of Suggestion." The "Getting More Appointments" chapter recapitulates sound but Willy Lohman-esque advice like "Sidestep the Excuse" or "Don't Be Put Off"; the book as a whole feels familiar, but it's clearly organized. Even in Tracy's generic prose, the repackaged tried-and-trues will find their marks.
The Mackay MBA of Selling in The Real World
Harvey Mackay
Buy It Now
Review: Consider this a manual of must-do's for managing your business and your life. It's about managing your motivation, your employees, your customers, your business culture, and your overall success. That's not to say the book does not have specifics. For example, you will find specific practical ideas on up-to-the-minute selling with social media tools. The illustrations draw on years of personal experience — his own and those of superstars he's hired, groomed, and mentored in many walks of life.
You, Inc.: The Art of Selling Yourself
By Harry Beckwith
Buy It Now
Review: Written in a personable and homespun style, You, Inc. offers doses of humor and pithy knowledge to anyone who wants to thrive in the increasingly competitive business world.
Little Gold Book of YES! Attitude: How to Find, Build and Keep a YES! Attitude for a Lifetime of SUCCESS
By Jeffrey Gitomer
Buy It Now
Review: Every business winner has one thing in common: a YES! Attitude that's powerful enough to help them achieve the impossible! When you've got a YES! Attitude, you assume everything will start with "YES!" ...and you'll find a way to "YES!" even when the first, second, and third answer you hear is "NO!" You say you weren't born with a YES! Attitude? No problem! Jeffrey Gitomer will give you all the tools you need to build one. As the world's #1 expert in selling (and the author of the best-sellers Little Red Book of Selling and Little Red Book of Sales Answers.) Gitomer knows more about attitude than anyone. Now he's brought those lessons together in a book you can read in one sitting... a book that'll change your life! What makes this book unique? It's not just "inspiration": it's a complete, step-by-step, fully-integrated game plan for understanding and mastering your attitude. You'll learn 7.5 specific things you can do to maintain your intensity, drive, and commitment... discover 20.5 "attitude gems" that capture the value of thousands of dollars of books and courses... learn how to overcome the 10.5 most dangerous "attitude busters"... then learn how to maintain your YES! Attitude every day, for the rest of your life! Don't just read this book once: study it, live it -- and win!
Secrets of Closing the Sale
By Zig Ziglar
Buy It Now
Zig Ziglar's principles of success are easy to understand and apply, yet they have a far-reaching impact. By using his proven methods, you will be able to face your prospects with enthusiasm and confidence.
Buying Trances: A New Psychology of Sales and Marketing
By Joe Vitale
Buy It Now
For daring salespeople who want to make the sale every time, these cutting-edge techniques in persuasion offer the key to incredible success.
The Sales Bible: The Ultimate Sales Resource, New Edition
Jeffrey Gitomer
Buy It Now
Since its initial publication in 1994, Morrow's hardcover edition of Jeffrey Gitomer's THE SALES BIBLE has sold over 117,000 copies, and another 100,000 in paperback (published by Wiley). But in the 13 years since then, Gitomer has made himself into a sales powerhouse with huge success around an inventively packaged series of books, with his classic THE LITTLE RED BOOK OF SELLING at its heart. Now at last, Gitomer has taken the title that began it all, and has completely revised it. The Sales Bible is totally reworked to fit into his line of bestselling sales titles. It's sure to be THE must-have title for sales professionals worldwide who've already come to know and trust Jeffrey's inventive, irreverent sales wisdom.
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