1. The Perfect Close: The Secret To Closing Sales - The Best Selling Practices & Techniques For Closing The Deal by James M Muir
If you think about an Olympic polevaulter, you couldn't just turn up and pole vault. We all can guess there is probably a large amount of preparation required even before the athlete turns up at the event. Here we have a sales book is isn't just "another" book about process, but focuses on the close. Of course, nobody turns up and closes a deal there is preparation required. James takes you through the steps, what you need to do during a sale to prepare and then how you can use different techniques to get agreement. What is also nice is that James peppers the book with examples from his extensive sales career. If you need to tighten your closing skills, and who doesn't, this is worth a read.
2. More Sales, Less Time: Surprisingly Simple Strategies for Today's Crazy-Busy Sellers by Jill Konrath
While there are plenty of "Time Management" books written in the past, this is written for the modern age. We've all done it, been in the middle of writing an important proposal and we get distracted by Facebook, LinkedIn etc. Jill was that very person and she offers a process (and some tools) to get that time we lose during the day and therefore make more sales.
3. Rebirth of the Salesman: The World of Sales is Evolving . Are you? by Cian McLoughlin
Cian sent me a copy of his book as part of my #TimTalks series on YouTube . Cian set up a company to get "win loss" analysis from B2B companies. Using what he learnt from this, he has constructed a book that offers to educate today's seller on how to interact with the modern buyer. The book provides a great story narrative, case study interviews as well as suggestions for further reading. Well worth a read.
4. Artificial Intelligence Marketing and Predicting Consumer Choice: An Overview of Tools and Techniques by Dr Steven Struhl
Steven’s book “Artificial Intelligence Marketing and Predicting Consumer Choice” explains how as consumer marketers can use customer questionnaires and then use artificial intelligence in which to analyse them.
While this may sound scary, Steven writes in a way that was easy to read (for me anyway), never met the guy but he seems to have a great sense of humour too or at least his writing style gives that impression.
It would be easy (for him) to lecture about statistics, but in fact the book flows with great tips on best practice, what works, what doesn't work as well as “interesting” case studies and antidotes. While I didn’t try the simulators in the bonus material, if they work they look pretty cool. Please be aware I share publisher with Steven, but that has not impacted on the review above.
5. The Future of the Sales Profession: How to survive the big cull and become one of your industry's most sought after B2B sales professionals by Mr Graham Hawkins
Graham writes in an easy to read style. The book is well research and backup by both industry research and case studies. The reader is taken through a journey, the history of selling, why sales has and will continue to evolve and then in the third section Graham explains how you can make a change to meet the needs of the modern buyer. For me this third section gave me a step by step process of what I need to do to sell in the modern world. From my social media profile to the way I present myself to the modern buyer. If you are in sales and see a change is needed then this is worth a read.
6. High-Profit Prospecting: Powerful Strategies to Find the Best Leads and Drive Breakthrough Sales Results by Hunter
Mark, is "old school" and I don't mean that in a negative way in fact I know he would be flattered to be called that. To be successful in sales requires hard work, leads and deals don't just arrive, they have to be found and fought for. Mark makes the argument that the salesperson to be continually prospecting and this book "updates" that process in the modern world. Something that seems to have been forgotten with all this "martech". Mark also makes the case that a prospecting culture is critical in a "top performing" company. Certainly sharpens the prospecting "axe".
Related: Why Your Sales Methodology No Longer Cuts It
7. A Practitioner's Guide to Account-Based Marketing : Accelerating Growth in Strategic Accounts by Bev Burgess , Dave Munn
I've read a number of books on Account Based Marketing (ABM) and this for me is the best. Other books seemed to be more focused on product (how ABM works with Salesforce). This gets to grips with the concepts, the "why" as well as the "how". Bev and Dave also provide case studies, so you have a good balance between theory and practice. I'll be honest this isn't a romcom and probably not beach reading but I felt I knew what ABM was and how to implement an ABM program after reading this. I need to declare an interest that I got this book as we share publishers, just so you know, I'm not just saying this is a good book on ABM as we share publishers, it really is.
8. Hyper-Connected Selling: Winning More Business by Leveraging Digital Influence and Creating Human Connection by David J.P. Fisher
In the book "D Fish" as he likes to be called, talks about his sales journey and how he came to realise that with the introduction of the internet, the world has changed. And very much so, the way people buy has changed. Sales people now need their "black book" online and can connect and build relationships with buyers. None of us like to be sold to, in fact all of us want to be in control of what we purchase, which is why D Fish introduces the term "Sales Sherpa", the days of "hard sell" have gone, it's time to help, guide and empower, buyers to buy.
9. If you're interested in a blueprint to help you in your move to digital and social then I recommend my book. “Social Selling - Techniques to Influence Buyers and Changemakers” .
Written in a workbook style, it's designed to help you implement a Social Selling strategy across Sales and Marketing. Would love to hear what you are reading at the moment and what books have inspired you!