Recommendations for books about 'Sales'

[mishmosh]

There's obviously lots out there but can anyone recommend a book on 'Making Sales'. I'm a small business owner with so many things to know about I don't have time to trawl through books with lots of theoretical knowledge - I could use something which is really concise, understandable and practical - I'm really after the best book out there!! Any suggestions?

 

[InternetMarketingTrainer]

Hi Mish Mosh

The Psychology of Selling by Brian Tracey.

You will not go far wrong.

The other option is go to Amazon. Search on Sales and click the best selling button.

This will give you what other people are Buying ( Great evidence as Amazon is so huge!!)

Best Wishes

Denise
PS Make sure you Market ( ie create demand and interest first ) your service first.....thenr selling is about conversion

 

[David Chamberlain]

I will echo what Denise said - make sure you market first, the better your marketing, the easy the selling!

I have been working with local businesses recently - and I put out a killer marketing campaign.

The results..

They actually called me to book me for consultations, and sold themselves on what I offered!

Marketing will do the job for you if you do it right...

 

[mishmosh]

Thanks. I did exectly as you said with amazon (I should've tried this myself in the first place) and got advanced selling techniques by Brian Tracy. Is there a reason why you recommended the psychology of selling instead ? Thanks again.

 

[InternetMarketingTrainer]

Hi Mish Mosh

No reason I have both!! The Advanced Selling book is fantastic.

The challenge is it is a "big" read. Plus no diagrams etc etc.

The lttle red book of Sales Jeffory Gitomier ( I think that is how you spell it??) is excellent as well.

If you need Marketing advice as a small business owners have a look at anything by Seth Godin.

Plus instant income Janet Switzer ( We have used some of her ideas with great success!!)

Best Wishes

Denise
PS You should be able to get then all on Amazon

 

[OldWelshGuy]

Selling to win by Richard Denny. best sales book I ever read.

 

[ooh]

I could use something which is really concise, understandable and practical

A marketing rather than sales book in that's definitely in that vein:
Duct Tape Marketing
http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/078522100X
US Amazon for a better number of reviews: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/078522100X
PDF sample (introduction and chapter 1): http://www.ducttapemarketing.com/DuctTapeSample.pdf

 

[bizfox]

^this and Guerilla marketing is good

 

[Cornish Steve]

The lttle red book of Sales Jeffory Gitomier ( I think that is how you spell it??) is excellent as well.

It's Jeffrey Gitomer. He has also published 'The Sales Bible', which is a good read. He has a website, where you can subscribe to his weekly newsletter.

 

[eventdomain]

I purchased an excellent book 10 years ago, when studying Management.

Its recommended for the professional management series of qualifications (CMI) and is by Patrick Forsyth who owns a training consultancy, and was a regular contributor to the Institute of Management courses.

Successful Telephone Selling - from the fantastic 'in a week' series of books by Hodder & Stoughton

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Successful-...=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1277386630&sr=8-1

its easy to follow as each section is split up, so easy to digest.

There's one for Sales too:

Successful Selling in a Week

http://www.amazon.com/Successful-Selling-Week-business-week/dp/0340705388

Personally speaking as a former Telesales pro, telesales is not for everyone as its quite intrusive for the prospect, and it always made me feel slightly uncomfortable, but my background was really in face to face product sales, so its very different transfering to phone work.

Actually, you'll find people are so used to sales by email, this is the preffered method, and I rarely need to make sales calls directly by phone.

Besides, you can waste upto £350 a month easy, on phone bills! But the books are great.

 

[manchesterhypnosis]

The best book I have ever read was published in 1964. It is called "how to succeed at selling" by Alfred Tack. I bought mine second hand and if you ever find one, grab it! Its a no-nonsense classic

 

[neilhwilliams]

I would head over to Audible.co.uk and put in 'Brian Tracy'.

I've found that listening to books gives me a lot more time than sitting down and reading them.

Especially if you commute by car, this is an especially good way to get your info.

 

[captaincloser]

Hardball Sellling. Robert L. Shook . Available s/h and new on Amazon.

This is the best book I ever bought on sales (written in 1960's like the Tack book above)



Better to look under 'persuasion' on Amazon. Better books, better written.

 

[Tw Installations]

If you are looking for a straightforward easy to read Sales Book then I would highly recommend

"The one minute sales person" by Spencer Johnston

Its really easy to read, you will get a real grasp on what selling really is and it will give you a proccess to work to

Some of the other books mentioned are good too but better looked at once you have some sort of grounding.

If you are looking for a no jargon, start of book then its a really good one

Tommy

 

[GaryF@RedEvo]

Hi - my 1st ever post on UKBF...

I've read Spencer Johnston's ''The One Minute Sales Person'' and can also recommend it. I am also halfway through ''You can't teach a kid how to ride a bike at a Seminar'' - this book is derived from the Sandler Selling technqiues. So far - so good.

 

There is no simple answer - and the one book mentality is itself flawed - you will discover that each one is a jigsaw piece - and you need to keep reading!

Selling in print is a more useful skill if only because you can automate your sales process, where one on one selling is limited by your own time.

I am surprised that nobody has mentioned either the great marketers such as abraham eg "getting everything you can out of all that you have got" caples "tested advertising methods" the iconic "purple cow"or "permission marketing" Godin....etc

Or the great copywriters eg Nicholas " magic words" Copywriters handbook "sugarman" also another of the same name by Bly, Kennedy "ultimate sales letter" etc

As someone said There are also important books on psychology - and psychology of selling take "influence" by Cialdini- but for the most part the psychology is already bound up in good copy structure so let those take a back seat.

Since good copy is more or less the conversation you would have with a live prospect over a coffee committed to print, including answering all objections before raised, the essence of good selling is bound up in good print copy which you are likely to use more often depending on what you do.


Sorrry to disagree but I think Brian Treacy (IMHO) is mostly good at selling brian treacy courses and books!....he would not get into my top 20 or even top 50 for that matter...

 

[mishmosh]

Thanks for all the recommendations. I'm definitely into letting good quality products (& marketing) speak for themselves, rather than the 'hard ball' selling strategys, but even so it'll good to read through some of these to get a good idea how to do it.

 

[patientlady]

There's obviously lots out there but can anyone recommend a book on 'Making Sales'. I'm a small business owner with so many things to know about I don't have time to trawl through books with lots of theoretical knowledge - I could use something which is really concise, understandable and practical - I'm really after the best book out there!! Any suggestions?

No actual suggestions, as most of the books I have read were years ago and will have been superceded. However I read most of the books on this subject from my local library.
The one book, though not direct sales was 'How to win friends and influence people' by Dale Carnegie. Old hat now I'm sure but certainly had an influence on me (took the course too)

 

[captaincloser]

Thanks for all the recommendations. I'm definitely into letting good quality products (& marketing) speak for themselves, rather than the 'hard ball' selling strategys, but even so it'll good to read through some of these to get a good idea how to do it.

See above.

OUCH !

What a shame the OP didn't even like the idea of my favourite sales book.Which icidentally was a New York Times bestseller when first published.

I must say I have developed a fetish (!) for sales, persuasion and influence books in my career and have amassed over 100 as a hobby. As a reviewer on Amazon says of the book Hardball Selling-it's the truth of sales. The subtitle is 'How to turn up the pressure without turning off the customer' ....Its all about getting a decison even if the decision is NO.

I have this book to thank most for my success. But hey, what can you say to others ...what can you say to the closed mind crew ?

Most books on the subject of sales, particularly in recent years are ALL about manipulation, being a smart Alek and trickery. Oh yes and NLP....what did we all do befoe the wonder of NLP ? Check out the modern gurus..many are public speakers and sales writers of the cult variety.

Patient lady above has a brilliant recommendation in Dale Carnegie's book How To Win Friends Influence People. Everyone who says they are in sales should have read it. Less than .01% will have.He is the daddy on sales and most books in the last 80 years are pale immitations. Also has pride of place.

Best modern author is Gitomer, by a country mile.

If anyone does not like or understand the word Hardball in this context..best advice is go into customer sevice.The OP has a long way to travel if he baulks over a word as empowering as Hardball.

Hardball works for both client and salesman. OP is confusing this with 'bullying'...I can give you the names of several books on bullying by modern day cult sales gurus

Kindly post a repost when you have read the book and disagreed with the principles therein. Before doing so indicates a closed mind...maybe not best for a sales career.

 

[Tw Installations]

See above.

OUCH !

What a shame the OP didn't even like the idea of my favourite sales book.Which icidentally was a New York Times bestseller when first published.

I must say I have developed a fetish (!) for sales, persuasion and influence books in my career and have amassed over 100 as a hobby. As a reviewer on Amazon says of the book Hardball Selling-it's the truth of sales. The subtitle is 'How to turn up the pressure without turning off the customer' ....Its all about getting a decison even if the decision is NO.

I have this book to thank most for my success. But hey, what can you say to others ...what can you say to the closed mind crew ?

Most books on the subject of sales, particularly in recent years are ALL about manipulation, being a smart Alek and trickery. Oh yes and NLP....what did we all do befoe the wonder of NLP ? Check out the modern gurus..many are public speakers and sales writers of the cult variety.

Patient lady above has a brilliant recommendation in Dale Carnegie's book How To Win Friends Influence People. Everyone who says they are in sales should have read it. Less than .01% will have.He is the daddy on sales and most books in the last 80 years are pale immitations. Also has pride of place.

Best modern author is Gitomer, by a country mile.

If anyone does not like or understand the word Hardball in this context..best advice is go into customer sevice.The OP has a long way to travel if he baulks over a word as empowering as Hardball.

Hardball works for both client and salesman. OP is confusing this with 'bullying'...I can give you the names of several books on bullying by modern day cult sales gurus

Kindly post a repost when you have read the book and disagreed with the principles therein. Before doing so indicates a closed mind...maybe not best for a sales career.

Hi Captain,

SOLD - I will check out the book.

Whats your thoughts on N.L.P for sales?

Do you use it or rate it?

Tommy

 

[captaincloser]

Tommy.
Yes and No on NLP.

I use it because much of NLP is within us all to greater or lesser degrees all the time. NLP is a description of something (some things in fact) that has been around very much longer than the name for it !

I don't think anyone has died of NLP ...just maybe fallen asleep in confusion as some of the ' master practioneers' really hit their stride.

But you do what you feel is best for you. Don't dismiss NLP.

Don't dismiss anything that may help just because of the prejudice of others. Thats how I take this kind of thing. You have to live stuff yourself to make a decision..

Good luck

 

[ICS]

Selling to Win

&

How to win Friends and Influence People

These are the two I read at least one/twice a year fantastic!!

 

[Apex Aims]

Hopes these books work for me

 

[discountfuel]

easy answer a book called how to make friends and influence people

 

[mishmosh]

So I went to Amazon and ordered a stack of books - as suggested the marketing ones as well as the sales books. 'Permission marketing' (Seth Godin) has been excellent and I'm half way through Duct Tape Marketing which is also excellent. Thanks all for the recommendations - I can certainly see it takes more than one book to get a perspective and build up a healthy knowledge. What is surprising is how many small business owners I know wouldn't read these.

See above.

OUCH !

What a shame the OP didn't even like the idea of my favourite sales book.Which icidentally was a New York Times bestseller when first published.

I must say I have developed a fetish (!) for sales, persuasion and influence books in my career and have amassed over 100 as a hobby. As a reviewer on Amazon says of the book Hardball Selling-it's the truth of sales. The subtitle is 'How to turn up the pressure without turning off the customer' ....Its all about getting a decison even if the decision is NO.

I have this book to thank most for my success. But hey, what can you say to others ...what can you say to the closed mind crew ?

Most books on the subject of sales, particularly in recent years are ALL about manipulation, being a smart Alek and trickery. Oh yes and NLP....what did we all do befoe the wonder of NLP ? Check out the modern gurus..many are public speakers and sales writers of the cult variety.

Patient lady above has a brilliant recommendation in Dale Carnegie's book How To Win Friends Influence People. Everyone who says they are in sales should have read it. Less than .01% will have.He is the daddy on sales and most books in the last 80 years are pale immitations. Also has pride of place.

Best modern author is Gitomer, by a country mile.

If anyone does not like or understand the word Hardball in this context..best advice is go into customer sevice.The OP has a long way to travel if he baulks over a word as empowering as Hardball.

Hardball works for both client and salesman. OP is confusing this with 'bullying'...I can give you the names of several books on bullying by modern day cult sales gurus

Kindly post a repost when you have read the book and disagreed with the principles therein. Before doing so indicates a closed mind...maybe not best for a sales career.

Captaincloser - I certainly didn't mean to denigrate your suggestion. I'm in the business of making and selling musical instruments (www.mkwhistles.com). In a business where reputations take a lifetime to develop the 'bullying' tactics you speak of certainly don't work. Obviously there are books about 'hard selling' and the word 'hardball' did make me think 'Hardball Selling' was one on them. When there are clearly lots of books out there and limited time to read them then small things make you discount suggestions. I'm obviously not after a career in sales but if I do decide to concentrate more on sales I'll certainly give Hardball Selling a look.

 

[gavinbarrett]

Another really good one; "How I raised myself from failure to success in selling" by Frank Bettger.

You can pick this up for less than a fiver on Amazon. A definite must-read.

 

[truesilver]

Hi

If it helps any, here's 5 of the top sales books that I'd recommend from experience

#1 Selling to Win - Richard Denny (absolutely brilliant!)
#2 The One Minute Sales Person - Spencer Johnson & Larry Wilson
#3 Organise yourself - Ronnie Eisenburg (not strictly about selling but the biggest challenge sales people often have is being organised and motivated)
#4 The Charisma Effect - Andrew Leigh
#5 Guerilla Teleselling- by Jay Conrad Levinson, Orvel Ray Wilson, Mark S. A. Smith (great for getting leads)

Though the main tip I would give you is just go out and make friends...

Good luck

L

 

[popunder]

Another really good one; "How I raised myself from failure to success in selling" by Frank Bettger.

You can pick this up for less than a fiver on Amazon. A definite must-read.

Agreed - the author writes about his sales career from the 1920s to the 1950s, and describes a very different commercial world, but 90% relevant still today, and some valuable life lessons included!