Top 10 Books Every Salesperson Must Read
In the world of sales, there’s no room for mediocrity. You want to be at the top? You want to close deals that others can only dream of? Then understand this: your mind is your most powerful weapon, and you better be damn sure it’s battle-ready every single day.
I don’t care if you’re a seasoned pro or just stepping into the game. The greats never stop learning. They never stop refining their craft.
Sales is a battlefield, and knowledge is your ammunition. So what are you doing to fortify your mind? You should be devouring sales books like your next commission depends on it – because it does. Audiobooks? Yeah, they’re not just for road trips. They’re your mobile university. Turn your commute into a masterclass.
That’s why I put this list of my Top 10 favorite sales books together. Each one delivers the mental fuel to amplify your inner beast and obliterate sales quotas. These authors get in your face and challenge you to want it more than the next rep. They’ll inject you with an insane confidence and competitiveness to dominate your territory.
Here’s a clickable summary:
10. SELL LIKE CRAZY BY SABRI SUBY
9. BUSINESS SECRETS FROM THE BIBLE BY RABBI DANIEL LAPIN
8. NEVER SPLIT THE DIFFERENCE BY CHRISTOPHER VOSS
7. LITTLE RED BOOK OF SELLING BY JEFFREY GITOMER
6. INBOUND SELLING BY BRIAN SIGNORELLI
5. THE PSYCHOLOGY OF SELLING BY BRIAN TRACY
4. TO SELL IS HUMAN BY DANIEL PINK
3. 100 MILLION LEADS BY ALEX HORMOZI
2. FANATICAL PROSPECTING BY JEB BLOUNT
1. IT’S NOT THE LEADS IT’S YOU BY PAUL ARGUETA
10. Sell Like Crazy by Sabri Suby
“Sell Like Crazy: How To Get As Many Clients, Customers and Sales As You Can Possibly Handle” starts off by introducing “Preeminence,” the key to being seen as the absolute best in your field. It’s not a one-time thing; it’s about constantly studying your market, knowing their concerns better than they do. Suby believes in delighting the customer and exceeding their expectations.
The meat of the book is the “Secret Selling System.” It’s not some hocus-pocus; it’s a psychological journey every prospect goes through. Attention, interest, desire, action – the phases of a proven marketing and sales system. It’s about grabbing their attention with a bold promise, keeping their interest with a killer “Godfather Offer,” and making them take action.
Sabri dives into the core of sales psychology. Forget logic; people buy based on emotions. We’re not just selling products; we’re selling solutions to their pain points. Become their trusted advisor – that’s the goal. And don’t forget the “Dream 100.” Build relationships with influencers, bloggers, or companies who can give your business a boost. It doesn’t stop there. Suby unpacks the sales funnel, turning it into a science. Test, measure, optimize – that’s the mantra. It’s not just about closing deals; it’s about opening relationships.
9. Business Secrets from the Bible by Rabbi Daniel Lapin
“Business Secrets from the Bible: Spiritual Success Strategies for Financial Abundance” isn’t your run-of-the-mill business advice. Rabbi Lapin delves into ancient wisdom, pulling out strategies that have stood the test of time. It’s not just about dollars and cents; it’s about a mindset, a mentality that separates the greats from the good. He connects the spiritual dots to financial abundance. It’s about aligning your purpose with your profits, tapping into something beyond the balance sheet. Trust me, this isn’t just about making money; it’s about making an impact.
This book isn’t just for the suits and ties crowd. Lapin breaks down these timeless principles in a way that speaks to anyone hustling in the business arena. Wait until you get to the part about the power of giving. This isn’t some charity lecture. It’s a strategic move. Giving isn’t just about kindness; it’s an investment in your own success.
My favorite chapter is the one where he shares that the best way to get your child to love their family more is by giving them more work, including chores & labor, and pressing their commitment and responsibility to your family name and reputation. In an era where everyone gets participation trophies, and setting unrealistic expectations of their children is frowned upon, it is a refreshing reminder that the more you invest into something, the more you love it and protect it. Get the children to invest more into their family and watch the wonders it does.
8. Never Split the Difference by Christopher Voss
Negotiation is not just about talking, it’s an art, a battlefield where strategies can make or break the deal. “Never Split the Difference: Negotiating As If Your Life Depended On It” by Chris Voss hammers home the point that negotiation starts with one thing: listening. It’s about understanding the other side, validating their emotions, and creating an environment where real conversations can unfold. This isn’t a monologue; it’s a dialogue, and your ears are your most potent weapon.
Voss, a former FBI hostage negotiator, spills the secrets of his battle-tested strategies. He’s been in the trenches, facing situations where one wrong move could be a game-changer. He’s distilled those experiences into a guide that’s not just about splitting the difference; it’s about owning the entire negotiation. You’ll learn about mirroring, tactical empathy, and labeling. All of these tools encourage empathy, will allow you to keep the conversation flowing, and buy you precious time to recalibrate when things go awry.
Remember this: “No” is not a roadblock; it’s an opportunity. Voss turns every rejection into a chance to clarify desires, for both sides. It’s about stripping away what you don’t want to reveal what you truly seek.
7. Little Red Book of Selling by Jeffrey Gitomer
“Little Red Book of Selling: 12.5 Principles of Sales Greatness, How to Make Sales FOREVER” delivers the type of simple yet savage mindset shifts you need to start DOMINATING your sales territory immediately! Gitomer challenges you to rediscover your love of the hunt. If you view prospecting as a necessary evil, you will always get outworked by reps obsessed with tracking down the next lead and turning scarcity into abundance. Maintain an intoxicating level of enthusiasm and persistence so overwhelming that customers have no choice but to buy from you!
“Little Red Book of Selling” also keeps it real, acknowledging failure and rejection as standard operating procedure – power through the word “no” with nonlinear determination. Stalk accounts across channels until they surrender and agree your solution perfectly aligns with their needs. Be an empathetic advisor not a transaction pusher. Provide so much upfront value that prospects chase you down to become buyers!
The author cements the direct correlation between extreme self-confidence and sales success. Why should anyone buy from you when you don’t sincerely believe in your own product or abilities? Master the 12.5 principles and watch your sales production go through the roof!
6. Inbound Selling by Brian Signorelli
As Director of HubSpot’s Sales Partner Program, Brian Signorelli oversees an army of cutting edge reps leveraging inbound methodology to DOMINATE. We talking 10X growth, limitless leads, and sales cycles slashed to hours not months. Signorelli demands his squad evolve into content generating machines providing endless value at every touchpoint. He preaches SEO, blogging, social media, and email nurture drips that pull customers versus old school interruption marketing.
“Inbound Selling: How to Change the Way You Sell to Match How People Buy” delivers the exact practical guidance you need to dominate this new age of selling. Let’s get one fact clear – the old school playbook is dead! Buyers run the show now and they don’t need or want reps throwing up desperate Hail Mary’s to close deals.
That’s precisely why you need to evolve into consultative advisor hybrids, using digital content to attract and nurture prospects way before you pick up the phone. Signorelli lays out the step-by-step process for mastering modern “Inbound Selling,” integrating marketing’s lead gen tactics with sales’ closing prowess. This guy demands you become relentless educators, using blogs, email drips, and social media to establish credibility. Only once you provide insane value without asking for anything in return will targets raise their hand for a sales chat. Then you swoop in as a subject matter expert they crave not a transaction pusher they loathe!
The book delivers priceless insight directly from Signorelli’s all-star team at HubSpot detailing how sales, marketing, and operations can seamlessly work together in the name of growth. You get to spy on their internal meetings, objection handling, and experiment results. This type of real talk access separates game changers from left behind laggards clinging to obsolete methods.
Truth is the robots are coming kids. Signorelli confirms artificial intelligence eliminates sales roles in the next 20 years as buying becomes automated. That leaves a tiny window for rainmakers willing to adapt faster than competitors. Dominate before machines terminate!
5. The Psychology of Selling by Brian Tracy
Brian Tracy’s “The Psychology of Selling: Increase Your Sales Faster and Easier Than You Ever Thought Possible” needs to become your sales bible immediately. Truth is, becoming a rainmaker starts between your ears long before you step on the sales floor. Tracy gets that. He pushes readers to harness the power of their subconscious to drive motivation, resilience, creativity and peak performance.
This guy also offers old school wisdom on surrounding yourself with passionate teachers and mentors. Keep hunger levels high by perpetually learning, especially from those farther ahead in the game than you. Absorb the wisdom of winners and allow their energy to rub off on you. You kids have access to a limitless pool of knowledge nowadays but you let negative bozos corrupt your thinking and wonder why you underperform!
Above all, Tracy nails the importance of asking targeted questions and intently listening to uncover clients’ true needs and motivations. Too many lazy reps today speed pitch generic product features that target companies not people. But sales mastery demands connecting with humans on an individual emotional level first. Set your ego aside, open those ears, ask follow-up questions, and align your solution with their personal goals.
4. To Sell is Human by Daniel Pink
Selling ain’t just for sales reps anymore. We’re all in the influence business these days kids. As leaders, parents, professionals, peers – our success hinges on convincing other people to buy into our vision and ideas daily. Persuasion is the ultimate competitive advantage across every arena!
That’s why “To sell is Human: The Surprising Truth About Moving Others” needs to become your manual for domination. Pink provides a practical playbook packed with new school tactics to attune yourself to prospects, craft compelling narratives, and push people toward desired actions. This guy gives refreshingly frank advice on interrogative self-talk, motivational interviewing, rhyming pitches, and other left field methods even the most old school rainmakers need to add to their repertoire.
The game done changed people. Customers run this market now with limitless information at their fingertips. Reps can’t rely on polished presentation tricks and clever closes anymore. You need deep empathy, insane flexibility, bulletproof resilience when facing rejection, and clarity around what truly drives human behavior. Pink brings the heat with ABC philosophy prioritizing attunement, buoyancy, and clarity as non-negotiable sales skills in the modern era.
I’ll warn you – “To Sell Is Human” calls out complacent reps happy with status quo results. Pink demands you raise expectations of yourself and strive for greatness in an age where mediocrity still earns a paycheck. You expecting radical growth for your business? Then soak up this book’s blueprint for extreme human performance when influence determines income. Now who’s ready to step up their persuasion prowess? Let’s go!!
3. 100 Million Leads by Alex Hormozi
“100 Million Leads” shows you exactly how to integrate digital promotion, affiliates, and word-of-mouth to drive unprecedented qualified lead growth. Hormozi gets in your face from page one, demanding you embrace personal brand marketing as a core sales skill not some flashy accessory. He requires you commit 100% to mastering the hunt for new business across multiple platforms. No more whining or excuses from reps who think they can coast on past clients and expect leads to fall in their lap. You need to bring absolute intensity to building awareness, generating referrals, and pulling ideal prospects into your funnel.
Hormozi brings much needed specificity to leveraging YouTube, podcast interviews, email outreach, and other avenues to establish yourself as a thought leader. Where most marketing books deal in vague theory, “100 Million Leads” gives clear frameworks with actionable steps that easily transfer for immediate implementation.
What I respect the most about Hormozi is that he put his money where his mouth is by using the exact strategies in this book to drive over 500,000 registrations for his book launch webinar! He pulled out all the stops with a competitive affiliate program, social media advertising, and an insane email outreach initiative. His execution was absolutely dominant. But it’s more than just eating what you kill. By providing this content for free, Hormozi reminds you that true closers invest in their community. They challenge others to raise their games because the rising tide lifts all ships.
2. Fanatical Prospecting by Jeb Blount
At Number 2, we have “Fanatical Prospecting: The Ultimate Guide to Opening Sales Conversations and Filling the Pipeline by Leveraging Social Selling, Telephone, Email, Text, and Cold Calling” by Jeb Blount. “Fanatical Prospecting” pulls zero punches showing you how to crush prospecting with relentless action. Blount gets in your face from page one, demanding you embrace prospecting as a hardcore skillset not a second-class sales activity. He requires you to commit 100% to mastering the hunt. No more whining or excuses from veteran reps who think they can coast on past clients. You need to bring the full intensity on every outreach while leveraging multiple channels simultaneously.
Blount provides killer guidance on integrating phone, email, social media, and text touchpoints to stalk qualified prospects. This guy gives tough love, pushing you to be the aggressor in pursuing new leads before the competition smells blood. Fanatical Prospecting keeps it real on why most reps fail to hit their quota. Hint – it’s fear and lack of persistence. But we aren’t scared little weaklings are we? We desire greatness. We crave domination over our territory. Use the motivation and tactics in this book as fuel to boost prospecting productivity and execute perfect game days where nobody can touch your hustle!
The blueprints and expert wisdom Blount packs into this relatively short book are invaluable. He shows you how to identify pain points and challenges ideal prospects actually face. With that insight, your outreach and messaging gain much needed relevance. Blount provides email templates, question sequences, and ideas for compelling content to pull qualified prospects into a value-driven sales conversation. Where most prospecting guidance lacks specifics, Fanatical Prospecting gives you clear examples and explanations that easily transfer for immediate implementation.
1. It’s Not The Leads It’s You by Paul Argueta
And finally, the Number 1 book on my list is “It’s Not The Leads It’s You: How Top Salespeople Go From Prospecting To Prosperity” by well…me. What would it say about myself if I didn’t think that my book was the number 1 sales book on the market and promote it?
My book outlines the exact daily prospecting framework that transforms complacent underachievers into relentless quota-crushing machines. I take you minute-by-minute from the moment you wake up to the second you pass out exhausting your territory. We integrate phone and digital outreach for maximum reach and touchpoints. “It’s Not The Leads” pushes you to become thought leaders by self-promoting across multiple platforms. You’ll learn to leverage video, community interviews, and other content to pull ideal prospects into value-driven sales conversations.
Prospecting mastery lives or dies within your mindset. Lead gen tools and tactics are useless if you lack the hunger, persistence, and resilience of a champion. To generate more leads than ever before, you need to become obsessed with self improvement. You need to challenge yourself every single day and never settle for “good enough.”
I also explore cutting-edge lead gen avenues like AI and virtual assistants to free up a rep’s time for high payoff activities. Most old school guides shy away from future-forward tech that overwhelms technophobes. But real players like you will embrace AI and automation to enhance productivity. The guidance on delegating tedious tasks allows closers to focus energy on core competencies like working qualified opps and expanding influence. The future of selling is here – are you adapting or getting left behind by the competition?
Sales is Hard
I’m gonna be straight with you – a sales career is damn hard work. To survive the grind and mental warfare in this profession takes an impenetrable mindset day in and day out. You can try to tough it out relying on sheer grit and hustle alone, but at some point the doubt demons and fatigue will drag even the hardest workers down.
This is precisely why reading sales books or listening to audio books is so crucial to sustain peak performance. The accumulated wisdom and perspectives from world-class authors who speak from experience give you a mental edge over the competition. Their stories and frameworks inoculate your psyche against inevitable failures and adversity. Most importantly, great sales authors remind you why staying hungry, curious and fanatical even as you achieve success is what separates the good from legends.
I encourage you to read or listen to every book on this list. Be sure that you take action and implement the strategies that are taught on those pages. And don’t stop there. Once you have a mastery of these skills, it is then your turn to teach others. I can’t wait to hear about your success. Connect with me on social media and share all your wins!
It’s Not the Leads It’s You: How Top Salespeople Go From Prospecting To Prosperity
