Around the world, millions of people make a living by selling - selling cars, selling software, or increasingly commonly, by selling ideas💡

This competitive and challenging world offers incredible potential for wealth and success if you play the game correctly♟

Are you wondering to yourself why you (or your team) aren't quite meeting your sales goals?

Hacking sales isn't as easy as you may think. And while we may not be able to give you exact detailed instructions for sales success, we are here to help.

This assembled reading list of sales books provides everything you need to know to become a successful salesperson, from the secrets of the old sales masters to cutting-edge sales techniques for challenging markets and contemporary workplaces.

Table Of Contents📚

  • How To Win Friends And Influence People By Dale Carnegie
  • The Ultimate Sales Machine By Chet Holmes
  • Little Red Book of Selling By Jeffrey Gitomer
  • Mindset: The New Psychology By Carol S. Dweck
  • Never Be Closing By Tim Hurson And Tim Dunne
  • Sell or Be Sold By Grant Cardone
  • The Challenger Sale By Matthew Dixon And Brent Adamson
  • Secrets Of Closing The Sale by Zig Ziglar
  • The Sales Development Playbook By Trish Bertuzzi
  • Solution Selling By Michael T. Bosworth
  • How to Master the Art Of Selling By Tom Hopkins
  • To Sell is Human By Daniel H. Pink
  • Inbound Selling: By Brian Signorelli
  • The Psychology of Selling By Brian Tracy
  • Emotional Intelligence 2.0 By Jean Graves And Travis Bradberry
  • The Science of Selling By David Hoffeld
  • The Sales Acceleration Formula By Mark Roberge
  • The Only Sales Guide You'll Ever Need By Anthony Iannarino
  • SPIN Selling By Neil Rackham
  • Fanatical Prospecting By Jeb Blount
  • Important disclosure: we're proud affiliates of some tools mentioned in this guide. If you click an affiliate link and subsequently make a purchase, we will earn a small commission at no additional cost to you (you pay nothing extra).

    Read on to discover more about the best sales books ever written and to give yourself a slight edge over the competition.

    1. How To Win Friends And Influence People By Dale Carnegie

    Buy "How To Win Friends And Influence People By Dale Carnegie" on Amazon 📖

    Dale Carnegie’s timeless self-help book is well into its 9th decade, but this book has aged well and it’s a classic for a reason.

    In How to Win Friends… Carnegie is dealing with the fundamental bases of human relationships, and although society has changed a bit since the first edition was published in the 1930s, basic human psychology has not.

    Sales is all about building interpersonal skills that let you connect with others, and Carnegie’s book is a must-read for anyone pursuing a sales career.

    2. The Ultimate Sales Machine By Chet Holmes

    Buy "The Ultimate Sales Machine" on Amazon 📖

    Who doesn’t want to become the ultimate sales machine that has mastered the sales process and can turn the most difficult conversations into a success?

    Chet Holmes breaks down the strategies for excelling in a sales environment and everyone from sales veterans to those just starting out on their sales journey will have plenty to learn from this book.

    Holmes' advice begins with one word and one core premise: focus.

    It’s too easy to chase the latest trends in sales whilst never improving at the basics. This book will help you shift your attitude and gain the foundational skills you need for a sales career.

    3. Little Red Book of Selling By Jeffrey Gitomer

    Buy "Little Red Book of Selling" on Amazon 📖

    Gitomer is an international legend and the author of countless books on sales coaching and business strategy. His Little Red Book is the place to start, as in this book the sales master reveals his secrets on how he came to dominate in sales.

    By breaking it down into 12 (and a half) principles, this book is easy to follow and absolutely packed with practical sales process advice that Gitomer perfected in the real world.

    This book will help you understand how interpersonal relationships are the foundation of the marketplace and help provide you with the long-term success that doesn’t rely on underhand psychological strategies.

    4. Mindset: The New Psychology By Carol S. Dweck

    Buy "Mindset: The New Psychology" on Amazon 📖

    Carol Dweck Ph.D. is an internationally-renowned psychologist working at Standford University and her deep, research-led insight into human behavior and psychology has fascinating implications for the ambitious modern salesperson.

    In Mindset, Dweck explores the way that conceptual shifts can lead individuals from any background towards successful outcomes, and it proves that anyone with the right attitude can up their sales game.

    5. Never Be Closing By Tim Hurson And Tim Dunne

    Buy "Never Be Closing" on Amazon 📖

    The authors rip up the sales industry rulebook with their counterintuitively titled Never Be Closing. Aren’t we taught as sales leaders to always be closing?

    “Hurson and Dunne demonstrate that whilst this attitude to selling may provide some short-term success, strong business relationships don’t emerge out of an overemphasis on the end result,” says Jo Saunders, Sales expert at Academized.

    “This book is all about building a big picture framework for success and argues that communication and understanding should be at the center of any sales strategy.”

    6. Sell or Be Sold By Grant Cardone

    Buy "Sell or Be Sold" on Amazon 📖

    Cardone’s philosophy is as applicable to life in general as it is to the business world, making this book a read if you’re looking to change any aspect of your life.

    Cordone positions all our relationships, both personal and professional, as ideological battlegrounds.

    The winner is the one who has a growth mindset and sells their worldview.

    That doesn’t mean you need to upset the status quo and turn the sales floor into a debate club. But, this framework for understanding interpersonal communication will allow you to approach every relationship in your life with new vigor.

    7. The Challenger Sale By Matthew Dixon And Brent Adamson

    Buy "The Challenger Sale" on Amazon 📖

    This cutting-edge book argues that as the sales landscape and sales process have become increasingly complex, the old rules for sales are outdated.

    They are throwing out the traditional model of relationship-building as the foundation for sales.

    In a digital age, they argue, interpersonal skills are sidelined as most sales take place in a business-to-business fashion.

    To dominate this new landscape, the authors present The Challenger, a new sales archetype for the 21st Century. The Challenger’s key characteristics of assertiveness and tension-building are what allow them to find success in the modern world.

    This book is a must-read for anyone trying to get ahead in sales as its radical ideas will soon be hitting the mainstream.

    8. Secrets Of Closing The Sale by Zig Ziglar

    Buy "Secrets Of Closing The Sale" on Amazon 📖

    Ziglar is a traditional sales master and if you want to understand how to rule the sales world, his secrets are essential reading. This book is an encyclopedia of sales tactics, and it’s brimming with Ziglar’s familiar humor.

    Three decades after it was first published, Ziglar’s masterpiece is still as relevant as ever.

    Ziglar focuses on the practical tools of sales and of closing the sales cycle, and effectively illustrates his point with anecdotes and real-world stories that are instantly applicable to anyone operating in the sales environment.

    9. The Sales Development Playbook By Trish Bertuzzi

    Buy "The Sales Development Playbook" on Amazon 📖

    Trish Bertuzzi specializes in growing businesses through sales and offers advice that will see your sales strategies catalyze explosive growth.

    Bertuzzi writes with great authority and her three decades of experience in sales is evident on every page of this fantastic book.

    This book is exceptionally readable, and Bertuzzi breaks down her sales strategies into six easily understood elements.

    As a sales executive or newbie, you’ll learn about Bertuzzi’s tips and tricks for segmenting your prospect, specializing roles within sales as well as how to react to the broader challenges in the sales world.

    10. Solution Selling By Michael T. Bosworth

    Buy "Solution Selling" on Amazon 📖

    Bosworth’s book is all about selling in difficult markets and focuses on intangible products and other goods that are especially tricky to sell.

    But in 2020, as the economic climate struggles, operating across any industry marketplace is increasingly difficult.

    This makes Bosworth’s book worth a read no matter what your niche is.

    For Bosworth, buyer psychology is the key to good sales and his book is full of deep insight into how we can better understand the buyer, find new ways to meet their needs, and ultimately make sales.

    11. How to Master the Art Of Selling By Tom Hopkins

    Buy "How to Master the Art Of Selling" on Amazon 📖

    Hopkins made his name in the world of sales as a rising star and in just three years he amassed a cool million dollars by applying his selling techniques.

    If that’s a trajectory you want to follow (which we are sure it is), Hopkins’s Art of Selling is a must-read, and this best-selling book is truly packed with sales tips, tricks, and techniques.

    One of the biggest takeaways from Hopkins’s book is the emphasis on how a first impression is made or break and his tips for the first meeting will set you up for long-term success.

    He stresses the importance of having effective sales conversations from very the get-go.

    12. To Sell is Human By Daniel H. Pink

    Buy "To Sell is Human" on Amazon 📖

    As a social scientist, Daniel Pink has spent years studying human nature, and his subtle understanding of what makes us tick is valuable information for those pursuing a sales career.

    Daniel Pink, like Grant Cardone above, argues that every interpersonal interaction entails an element of sales, as we fight to sell our ideological perspectives in each relationship we have.

    This book, grounded in qualitative scientific research, provides a fascinating background for understanding human psychology and becoming a sales master.

    13. Inbound Selling: By Brian Signorelli

    Buy "Inbound Selling" on Amazon 📖

    Signorelli acknowledges that the marketplace is changing to provide more empowerment to the buyer and reduce the role of the sales rep.

    With Inbound Selling, he demonstrates how anyone interested in sales can leverage this changing landscape to change the way they sell and better manage buyer relationships.

    This book can future-proof your sales strategy...

    And reading it gives you a competitive edge over any other sales professional.

    14. The Psychology of Selling By Brian Tracy

    Buy "The Psychology of Selling" on Amazon 📖

    “Tracy’s practical account of how to optimize your sales strategy is a valuable read for anyone no matter what stage they are at on their sales journey,” says Alfonso Picaro, tech writer at State Of Writing.

    Alfonso Picaro also says, “With an emphasis on psychology at the heart of every transaction, Tracy provides an approachable introduction to contemporary sales techniques for any business owner or salesperson.”

    After all, in order to sell effectively, we need to understand the buying decisions of the consumer.

    15. Emotional Intelligence 2.0 By Jean Graves And Travis Bradberry

    Buy "Emotional Intelligence 2.0" on Amazon 📖

    Graves and Bradberry’s Emotional Intelligence 2.0 will take you through every aspect of emotional intelligence and lead to your full potential as a communicator and salesperson.

    Now revised and updated to keep in step with current trends in the sales world.

    Self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, social proof, and relationship management are covered in-depth in this accessible and fascinating new book.

    By taking your EQ to the next level you’ll up your sales game like never before and it may just be the key to your business success.

    16. The Science of Selling By David Hoffeld

    Buy "The Science of Selling" on Amazon 📖

    Hoffeld’s scientifically proven sales methods provide a whole new toolkit for selling in this powerful and persuasive practical guide.

    As a sales trainer himself, Hoffeld is an expert communicator and his ideas come across perfectly articulated.

    His approach combines social psychology and behavioral science informed by the latest scientific research with real-world sales experience.

    This ensures that the reader is at the cutting edge of sales theory and armed with the ability to understand consumer purchase decisions throughout the entire buying process.

    17. The Sales Acceleration Formula By Mark Roberge

    Buy "The Sales Acceleration Formula" on Amazon 📖

    Mark Roberge’s Sales Acceleration Formula is a classic sales book that has been designed to be scalable to any size of business, so no matter what industry you’re in this book will give you a blueprint for sales success.

    Roberge graduated from MIT having studied engineering and applied his unique perspective to his own company, ultimately making millions and providing proof of concept for his business strategies.

    👉 Sounds like a road map that is worth following to us.

    18. The Only Sales Guide You'll Ever Need By Anthony Iannarino

    Buy "The Only Sales Guide" on Amazon 📖

    I’ve presented you with 17 of the best sales books, but if the title is right on this one, the rest might be defunct.

    Iannarino’s book might not quite trump the others, but the author has proven success in the business in the sales world

    His best-selling book is packed with actionable insights into sales and his approach to sales, which have been guided by real-world experience.

    Iannarino diagnoses the qualities a seller must have to be successful and guided by these characteristics, you can become a sales beast.

    19. SPIN Selling By Neil Rackham

    Buy "SPIN Selling" on Amazon 📖

    This book was first published in 1988, but the skills and techniques within have stood the test of time.

    SPIN stands for Situation, Problem, Implication, Need.

    This is a sequence of the type of questions all members of a sales team should ask their potential customers in order to work out how they can best help them during their sales pitch.

    This SPIN Selling technique is particularly helpful during cold calls and leads you to have effective sales conversations (almost) all the time.

    Read this sales methodology, and you are sure to become a sales guru who can navigate through difficult conversations in no time.

    20. Fanatical Prospecting By Jeb Blount

    Buy "Fanatical Prospecting" on Amazon 📖

    This book, by well-known author Jeb Blount, has been carefully curated to give you a slight edge over the other sales leaders around you.

    It covers multiple sales approaches but in particular, it stresses the importance of prospecting.

    Jeb Blount goes through his innovative approach to prospecting in a step-by-step guide and teaches his readers how to keep their sales pipeline full of qualified prospects and opportunities so that they can avoid any decrease in sales.

    👉 We as, business leaders and salespeople know that there is often a lull in activity in sales leads.

    Reading this book and implementing the practices is a sure way to impress your sales manager or your entire sales organization.

    Closing Time 📖

    Some tried and tested sales tips will never change and understanding the fundamentals of human psychology as articulated in these books is an essential platform for your sales career.

    As you can see there are a wide variety of techniques and tricks that can give you a slight edge and help you become one of those successful people who lead their industry.

    There is an art to professional selling.

    But the sales landscape is changing, and keeping up with cutting-edge developments in selling will let you get ahead.

    Whether you're buying these books for yourself or for your team as a form of sales enablement, we guarantee you won't be disappointed with the results you see.

    Your sales journey starts today. Get reading!