Ask HN: Best books or videos to get better at sales? - zabramow
======
thinkdevcode
The one piece of advice I was given years ago:

There is no such thing as "sales", and you aren't a "salesman". You provide a
solution to a problem. Listen, understand, and then offer a solution.

I forgot who told me that but it's fantastic advice. As far as understanding
people, the de facto book to read is "How to Win Friends and Influence People"
by Dale Carnegie. I'd highly recommend that.

~~~
ohitsdom
> You provide a solution to a problem. Listen, understand, and then offer a
> solution.

This becomes clear in the classic "sell me this pen" exercise. First find out
about the client, what they do, how they would use the pen. Once you know
where their focus is, discussing your solution becomes easy and natural.

~~~
ITGleek
Best ... line ... ever

------
dkyc
Y Combinator Sales Summer School:
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t-K2DHi99oI&list=PLb1c0oEEXW...](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t-K2DHi99oI&list=PLb1c0oEEXWIZiWzdtUOUhlirJr2fXfbxX)

This is basically Sales 101. Lecture by Steli Efti, YC founder of the close.io
CRM. Insanely valuable.

\---

Y Combinator "How To Start A Startup" Sales:
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SHAh6WKBgiE](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SHAh6WKBgiE)

This is held by one of the founder of YC startup Clever, with an emphasis on
the earliest stages of sales in a startup.

\---

Tons of specific sales advice on [http://blog.close.io](http://blog.close.io)
, you can find the best by googling "site:blog.close.io" and follow through
the links. There is _a ton_ of things I learned from Steli Efti (the guy
behind www.close.io CRM and the Sales Summer School), be sure to attend their
webinars as well if you're curious.

~~~
curiousjorge
Steli is great, love all of his podcasts but I have to admit it's a little
lacking in depth, the sort you would find when discussing larger sales
requiring multiple stakeholders and decision makers.

What I'd love is if close.io took another direction and dove deeper instead of
the cliche 'hustle hard'.

~~~
raminassemi
:) I'm working with Steli on the content. Just sent you an email - would super
appreciate if you find the time to answer. It's the critical feedback like
yours that helps us improve and create more valuable content.

------
misiti3780
I would recommend the following

Thinking Fast and Slow
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thinking,_Fast_and_Slow](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thinking,_Fast_and_Slow)

Predictably Irrational:
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Predictably_Irrational](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Predictably_Irrational)

Influence:
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Cialdini#Theory_of_infl...](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Cialdini#Theory_of_influence)

------
dragon88
Books

[http://www.amazon.ca/To-Sell-Is-Human-
Surprising/dp/15946319...](http://www.amazon.ca/To-Sell-Is-Human-
Surprising/dp/1594631905)

Best insight: The biggest misconception is that extraverts are better salesmen
cause they're slick talkers. Actually, it's the exact opposite. It's better to
let your prospect to most the talking while you listen. Ask them open-ended
questions. The more you learn about your prospect, the more effectively you
can explain your product solves their specific problems.

Articles

[http://nlp-mentor.com/nlp-techniques/](http://nlp-mentor.com/nlp-techniques/)

Neurolinguistic programming techniques - can be manipulative if used the wrong
way but in sales, they really help you gain an advantage or maintain control.
Includes how to build rapport quickly, how to maintain your frame regardless
of how the other person acts, etc.

[http://www.artofemails.com/sales-follow-up](http://www.artofemails.com/sales-
follow-up)

Money is the follow-up - creative ways to keep the convo alive without
annoying your prospects

------
JSeymourATL
There have been several worthy recommendations in this string. Keep in mind,
the more you read-- the more data you compile and master the subject. Here are
a couple not already mentioned--

The best book I've read in ages on prospecting and business development, New
Sales, Simplified by Mike Weinberg. If you read nothing else, Chapter 14:
Planning & Executing the Attack is pure protein!
[http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15863998-new-sales-
simpli...](http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15863998-new-sales-simplified)

Here's a video presentation by Matt Dixon on The Challenger Sale. It's a bit
long, just over an hour. But give it 15 minutes-- you'll see it's solid
material. Good insights on how marketing supports & equips sales. Read the
book!

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bSfE8zZUoMc](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bSfE8zZUoMc)

------
mbesto
These are great books for starting off with the why and how of sales:

Daniel Pink - To Sell Is Human: The Surprising Truth About Moving Others
[http://www.amazon.com/Sell-Human-Surprising-Moving-
Others/dp...](http://www.amazon.com/Sell-Human-Surprising-Moving-
Others/dp/1594631905/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8)

Dale Carnegie - How to Win Friends & Influence People
[http://www.amazon.com/How-Win-Friends-Influence-
People/dp/06...](http://www.amazon.com/How-Win-Friends-Influence-
People/dp/0671027034/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1442499882&sr=1-1)

As you understand the macro details of sales, the more micro things (tactics,
strategies, best practices) are probably best served by specific industry or
specific aspects of sales. For example:

[http://www.amazon.com/Behind-Cloud-Salesforce-com-Billion-
Do...](http://www.amazon.com/Behind-Cloud-Salesforce-com-Billion-Dollar-
Company-/dp/0470521163/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1442500049&sr=8-1)

[http://www.amazon.com/Sales-Acceleration-Formula-
Technology-...](http://www.amazon.com/Sales-Acceleration-Formula-Technology-
Inbound/dp/1119047072/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1442500089&sr=8-2)

[http://www.amazon.com/Predictable-Revenue-Business-
Practices...](http://www.amazon.com/Predictable-Revenue-Business-Practices-
Salesforce-
com/dp/0984380213/ref=pd_sim_14_1?ie=UTF8&refRID=08BC3RAFN4RSZDNWQJ9Q&dpID=51mYrIgNB6L&dpSrc=sims&preST=_AC_UL160_SR104%2C160_)

I also really like Jason Lemkin and his SaaStr blog:
[http://www.saastr.com/](http://www.saastr.com/) Loads of SaaS sales practices
on there.

------
austenallred
"Sales" is very broad.

My favorite book about the act of selling (i.e. pitching) is "Pitch Anything"
\- [http://www.amazon.com/Pitch-Anything-Innovative-
Presenting-P...](http://www.amazon.com/Pitch-Anything-Innovative-Presenting-
Persuading/dp/0071752854/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1442499872&sr=8-1&keywords=pitch+anything)

If you're looking for an overall sales primer/bible, your best bet is probably
The Sales Acceleration Formula [http://www.amazon.com/Sales-Acceleration-
Formula-Technology-...](http://www.amazon.com/Sales-Acceleration-Formula-
Technology-
Inbound/dp/1119047072/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1442499928&sr=1-1&keywords=sales+acceleration+formula)

------
MangoDiesel
"Sales" is a very broad topic. What aspect of sales are you looking to get
better at? The initial prospecting and sourcing of qualified leads? Turning
leads into opportunities and proposals? Closing opportunities? Or something
else such as preventing churn?

~~~
aslakhellesoy
I picked up many great tips from Nathan Powell's "The Creative Professional's
Guide to Better Proposals". Highly recommended.

[http://www.amazon.co.uk/Creative-Professionals-Guide-
Better-...](http://www.amazon.co.uk/Creative-Professionals-Guide-Better-
Proposals-ebook/dp/B013ESTNDY)

------
vezycash
Hope you see this.

I'm not going to recommend a book. Pick any book recommended here.(They all
give similar advice). And go a step further.

Learn how to use Anki.

Use Anki while reading the book and I guarantee you this - you'll master sales
at least 10x faster because..

Because you'll remember to use them instead of jumping from book to book and
from course to course.

Hope you heed this advice - you'll be glad you did.

~~~
mindcrime
I did not know what Anki was, so I googled it. For anybody else who is
wondering: [http://ankisrs.net/](http://ankisrs.net/)

------
ccockerhamkc
I can't recommend "The Little Red Book Of Selling" by Jeffrey Gitomer enough.
I have a copy in my desk right now.

[http://www.amazon.com/Little-Red-Book-Selling-
Principles/dp/...](http://www.amazon.com/Little-Red-Book-Selling-
Principles/dp/1885167601)

------
ingen0s
Check out anything by Zig Ziglar -> Napoleon Hill -> Andrew Carnegie and Tony
Robbins.

People miss that sales is not just technique or what you say but state of
mind, belief and confidence.

Stay away from sales only focus books.

If you really want to learn something check "Mastery" by Robert Greene.

~~~
davemel37
Just to add to this list, amything by W. Clement Stone - specifically The
Success System That Never Fails.

------
vchamakkala
Definitely check out the Enterprise Sales Guide created by Mickey at Work-
Bench. A ton of insight into the art of enterprise selling.

[http://www.enterprisesales.nyc/](http://www.enterprisesales.nyc/)

------
selleck
I just finished New Sales Simplified:

[http://www.amazon.com/New-Sales-Simplified-Prospecting-
Devel...](http://www.amazon.com/New-Sales-Simplified-Prospecting-
Development/dp/0814431771/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1442501569&sr=8-1&keywords=new+sales+simplified)

If you are responsible for getting new business, it is probably the best sales
book I have read. Walks through defining your target customers, creating
appropriate messaging to reach out to those customers and how to structure
discovery and presentation calls.

------
makaed
Allow me to recommend you a piece of advice rarely followed by others -
practice the act of selling every day. _That_ helps enormously to get good at
sales (and better than any book).

------
dave_sullivan
There are 3 books you should read: SPIN Selling. The Challenger Sale. The
Charisma Myth. In that order. You will learn so many jedi mind tricks.

Yes, there is such a thing as sales. But do yourself a favor and don't sell
shitty products. There's a wide range of incomes among people selling the best
products, and the difference is stuff you can at least read about in those
books.

~~~
steveeq1
Do you really think it's ethical to give "the jedi mind trick" on someone to
make a sale. Really?

I agree with "thinkdevcode" a few messages up. The better solution is find the
best solution to the underlying problem. View yourself as a problem solver,
rather than a salesman.

~~~
dave_sullivan
I think the phrase "jedi mind tricks" might mean something different to you
than me. To me it's basically a sarcastic way of saying "sales training",
which is actually not about trickery but does have a bit to do with
psychology. To you, it means lying I think?

Read the books and tell me that what they teach is pure trickery. But if you
take some of the lessons to heart, magically people might start buying more
(maybe a lot more) of what you're selling. It's not because you're being
unethical though, you just "know how to sell" aka "know how to structure the
delivery of information in a way that increases the odds of an interaction
resulting in a monetary transaction".

Sure, think of yourself as a "problem solver" vs a "salesperson" if you prefer
("sales" does have a negative old-timey connotation at this point, which is
why it's now often called business development). But that's semantics and it
doesn't help the OP get any better at his job if it is indeed in sales (or biz
dev, or problem solving, or whatever they're calling trying to generate
revenue for a company these days).

~~~
steveeq1
"Jedi Mind Trick" strongly implies trickery.

------
davemel37
Winning Through Intimidation by Robert Ringer is by far the best sales book I
ever read.

His basic premise is that the outcome of any negotiation(especially sales) is
inversely proportionate to how intimidated you are by the other person.

His solution is to invest in creating a strong image before selling and using
takeaway selling, which is basically taking away the opportunity to do
business with you so that they stop thinking about whether they want to buy
and start thinking about how to get you to sell to them.

On a side note, Dan Kennedy says,"if you lose a sale because of price, you
lose that sale long beforehand." your job is to differentiate yourself and
craft a powerful image so they can never even start to compare you to others.

[http://www.amazon.com/Winning-Through-Intimidation-Robert-
Ri...](http://www.amazon.com/Winning-Through-Intimidation-Robert-
Ringer/dp/0449207862)

~~~
davemel37
My runner up sales books are:

Be My Guest by Conrad Hilton The Success System That Never Fails by W. clement
stone The Ultimate Sales Letter by Dan Kennedy The Autobiography of Benjamin
Franklin

Watch all of Brene Browns TED talks about vulnerability. Sales requires trust
and trust is built on connection and connection is built by being vulnerable.

------
maxims
I'm surprised that Jordan Belfort hasn't appeared here already. You might know
him more appropriately as The Wolf of Wall Street, and its doesn't matter what
your opinion of the guy is - he has a natural talent for sales.

As you will note from his material, that there are 3 types of people, those
that don't want the product, those that are unsure if they want it, and those
that want the product. Sales is about converting those "unsures'" to sure
wants.

I would recommend giving the book "The Wolf of Wall Street" a read. His course
"Straight Line System" is pretty pricey, but if you have the money or the
means, I would recommend this course over any other:
[http://jordanbelfort.com/sales-order/](http://jordanbelfort.com/sales-order/)

------
mindcrime
I'm a fan of _The Challenger Sale_ , _The New Solution Selling_ and all three
books by Jeff Thull: _Mastering The Complex Sale_ , _Exceptional Selling_ and
_The Prime Solution_. I really like Thull's approach, especially his "always
be leaving" mindset, as opposed to the old "always be closing" idea. Thull's
thinking is much more focused on providing an authentic and honest experience,
and genuinely trying to help the customer - as opposed to stuff about how to
"trick" the customer into saying yes.

I also like a lot of what I've read from Jeffrey Gittomer and Grant Cardone.

Oh, and _The Ultimate Sales Machine_ by Chet Holmes as well. He (Chet H.) did
a series of videos with Anthony Robbins that is really good. I really
recommend watching those.

------
rdl
For books: realize there are multiple kinds of selling.

1) There's things like used cars. Single, moderate sized transactions, one-
time. You want to extract the last dollar, force the close, and generally be
like...a used car dealer. I know nothing about this.

2) There's consumer products -- worry about the "funnel", advertising, etc.

3) There's the stuff I like -- high dollar, high-complexity, repeated/ongoing
transaction. The best books, hands down, are Neal Rackham's SPIN Selling
series: [http://www.amazon.com/Neil-
Rackham/e/B000APLFJK](http://www.amazon.com/Neil-Rackham/e/B000APLFJK)

------
tsattersten
Our selections from The 100 Best Business Books of All Time were:

-Selling The Invisible by Harry Beckwith (great look at selling services) -Secrets of Closing The Sale by Zig Ziglar (gets you prepared for objections) -How to Become A Rainmaker by Jeffrey Fox (shortcuts to better sales techniques) -The Little Red Book of Selling by Jeffrey Gitomer (best first book for first time salespeople)

As mentioned in other posts, I would also add SPIN Selling, Mastering the
Complex Sale and The Referral Engine.

"Smart" books in the sales space include Influence, Made To Stick, To Sell Is
Human.

For motivation, read more Zig, Tony Robbins, and Dale Carnegie.

------
Mz
You might find books on social psychology helpful.

At one point in his career, my ex was a military recruiter. They get world
class sales training. He borrowed my textbook from the social psych class I
had taken and I didn't see it again until his tour of duty as a recruiter was
over.

I will also recommend "Getting to yes" which is research based and a quick
read and "The mind and heart of the negotiator", which is also research based
but meatier. I believe there is a free version of the latter available online.
These were both required texts for my class on conflict management and
negotiation.

------
revorad
Read and listen to everything Steli Efti says -

[https://twitter.com/steli](https://twitter.com/steli)

His book -
[http://www.startupsalesguide.com/](http://www.startupsalesguide.com/)

“The Predictable Revenue Guide To Tripling Your Sales” by Aaron Ross and Jason
M. Lemkin - [http://www.saastr.com/the-predictable-revenue-guide-to-
tripl...](http://www.saastr.com/the-predictable-revenue-guide-to-tripling-
your-sales-by-aaron-ross-and-jason-m-lemkin-download-part-1-now/)

~~~
mindcrime
+1 on _Predictable Revenue_. My only concern is that so much of the focus
there seems to be on his one "cold emailing 2.0" technique, which is already
starting to become more common, and will probably eventually lose its
effectiveness due to over-exposure.

------
_Codemonkeyism
1\. The best book I've read on sales is:

"How I Raised Myself from Failure to Success in Selling"(1952) by Frank
Bettger

2\. Everything at Heavybit is excellent,

their sales videos are very nice:

[http://www.heavybit.com/library/developer-
sales](http://www.heavybit.com/library/developer-sales)

And an must see video for me was:

[http://www.heavybit.com/library/video/2015-05-12-jason-
lemki...](http://www.heavybit.com/library/video/2015-05-12-jason-lemkin)

~~~
curiousjorge
holy crap that website is like a gift from the gods

~~~
_Codemonkeyism
I thought the same when I've stumbled on it.

------
elorant
A couple ones I've read and found quite useful:

Make your contacts count

[http://www.amazon.com/Make-Your-Contacts-Count-
Networking/dp...](http://www.amazon.com/Make-Your-Contacts-Count-
Networking/dp/0814474020/)

The science of influence

[http://www.amazon.com/Science-Influence-Anyone-Minutes-
Less-...](http://www.amazon.com/Science-Influence-Anyone-Minutes-Less-
ebook/dp/B000VIIE9A/)

------
rishi
Grant Cardone's The Closer's Survival Guide.

Get it on Audible: [http://www.amazon.com/Closers-Survival-Guide-
Third/dp/B00K1O...](http://www.amazon.com/Closers-Survival-Guide-
Third/dp/B00K1O4TPW/)

I've read a ton of sales books and this is by far the best one. Actionable
stuff - no fluff. Great for founders who have trouble getting the deal closed
and the cash in the bank.

------
miikka
This podcast isn't active anymore, but I rate it as one of the absolute best
resources on B2B sales:
[http://www.salesroundup.com](http://www.salesroundup.com)

Start listening the archives from the beginning or pick your episodes, either
way it's one killer virtual coaching program on B2B complex sales, applying
many of the mentioned books to practice on strategic and operational level.

------
erikstarck
Pitch Anything goes in to detail on the psychology of the pitch. It talks
about the concept of framing and how you must control the frame to close the
deal. Highly recommended. Just read it (well, listened to it) and I feel like
reading it again just to catch up on any missing details.

Book homepage is [http://pitchanything.com](http://pitchanything.com)

------
nivals
Big fan of the [http://www.salescoach.com/](http://www.salescoach.com/)
methodology. I’ve done their in-person trainings and online materials.

After reading lots of sales books this is the technique that works best for
me. Companies should do themselves a favor and pay for their teams to level up
with better sales skills.

------
jaboutboul
Secrets of Questions Based Selling: [http://www.amazon.com/Secrets-Question-
Based-Selling-Powerfu...](http://www.amazon.com/Secrets-Question-Based-
Selling-Powerful-Business/dp/1402287526/)

Great book that helped me learn the psychology behind sales.

------
gregorymichael
I found a lot of value in taking a class on the Sandler system. Some of the
concepts are packaged up here:

[http://www.amazon.com/Cant-Teach-Ride-Bike-
Seminar/dp/096717...](http://www.amazon.com/Cant-Teach-Ride-Bike-
Seminar/dp/0967179904)

------
Fundlab
Ymmv but I got a good grip on gimmicks from The Hidden Persuaders by Vance
Packard

Also I can't emphasize this enough

INSIDE SECRETS OF SELLING (FIND A NEED AND FILL IT)

[https://archive.org/details/insidesecretsofs00ward](https://archive.org/details/insidesecretsofs00ward)

------
sachitgupta
Zero Resistance Selling: [http://www.amazon.com/Zero-Resistance-Selling-
Maxwell-Maltz/...](http://www.amazon.com/Zero-Resistance-Selling-Maxwell-
Maltz/dp/0735200394)

on the mindset of sales.

------
dedalus
One of the best reads on this : [http://www.amazon.com/How-Sell-Lobster-Bill-
Bishop/dp/097310...](http://www.amazon.com/How-Sell-Lobster-Bill-
Bishop/dp/0973107316)

------
ardemchenkov
"Glengarry Glen Ross"
[http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0104348/](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0104348/)

------
wunderlust
"To Sell is Human" by Dan Pink. It doesn't so much teach you how to sell as to
take the perspective of people whom you may want/need to convince or persuade.

------
funwithjustin
Here is the book you want:

[http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/006124189X](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/006124189X)

------
edoceo
Mike Bosworth - Solution Selling - it talks all about consultative selling,
listening and walking prospects through a 9 steps process from introduction to
close

------
erikcw
The Ultimate Sales Machine by Chet Holmes is fantastic.

------
fierycatnet
I think anything by Zig Ziglar is really good.

------
codehotter
"Let's get real or let's not play" by Mahan Khalsa and Randy Illig

------
hajrice
Sandler sales - its the book I give to all my new sales reps. Highly
recommend!

------
bliti
Im partial to spin selling.

------
verkter
Zig Ziglar

------
ashwn
watch "wolf of wall street" and call it a day

------
curiousjorge
I've read SPIN selling and now reading Challenger Sales.

SPIN is much easier to read, know and understand while I found Challenger
Sales a lot difficult to follow and put into practice.

Challenger Sale's major premise is the assumption that SPIN selling doesn't
work anymore for some reason because of the 2008 recession. I'm not sure how
true this assumption is but I'll leave this up for the real sales people.

I'm interested in hacking enterprise sales. ANother HN user's blog on the
subject here is excellent as well:
[http://doanhdo.blogspot.ca/](http://doanhdo.blogspot.ca/)

~~~
rdl
SPIN is still great. I've heard about Challenger Sales, I'll read it and
should have an opinion in a few weeks.

~~~
curiousjorge
would love ot hear what you think drop me a line at my email if yo ufinish it.

------
blumkvist
Free books and videos[1]. He looks like a guru... and in a sense he is. The
difference is that he doesn't sling cheesy ebooks and mastermind sessions. He
doesn't even have a mailing list. The only product that he sells is custom
made corporate programs.

[http://www.sellingergroup.com/free-books--
videos.html](http://www.sellingergroup.com/free-books--videos.html)

------
rasz_pl
Check out this playlist:
[https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLkVbIsAWN2lvMDgewjAld...](https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLkVbIsAWN2lvMDgewjAldPf3svd-
cdEnL)

Louis Rossmann knows his shit

------
nickswan
As a side note - I've started a side project called 3 Good Books - a few
people have recommended good sales books on there...

[http://www.3goodbooks.com](http://www.3goodbooks.com)

