aleksi-halsas
August 7, 2024
In this article, we’ll explore the top 10 best B2B sales books that offer valuable insights and actionable strategies for sales leaders looking to elevate their game.
These books offer valuable lessons, proven techniques, and innovative approaches that can help sales leaders enhance their skills and drive success in their organizations.
What are the Best B2B Sales Books?
These are the best B2B sales books that you can read to expand your knowledge in the space.
If you’re a sales manager, you can suggest these to your team to read because they provide key insights that are helpful in their daily activities. Equipping your team with the right knowledge and tools can boost productivity and efficiency.
According to 2021 sales training data, companies spend an average of $2,020 per sales rep on training. Reading up on these books is a cost-efficient way of training your team.
1. Predictable Revenue by Aaron Ross and Marylou Tyler
“One-time revenue spikes that aren’t repeatable won’t help you achieve consistent year-after-year growth.”
– Aaron Ross, Predictable Revenue
Predictable Revenue: Turn Your Business Into a Sales Machine with the $100 Million Best Practices of Salesforce.com by Aaron Ross and Marylou Tyler is hailed as a groundbreaking guide in outbound sales. It showcases a unique outbound sales process called “Cold Calling 2.0.”
The book emphasizes building a self-sustaining sales system that generates qualified leads. It also emphasizes the specialization and diversification of your sales team. This book is good for sales leaders and people starting in B2B.
Reviews have stated that it provided a great primer for building a sales team. You should build self-managing teams where each team member acts as a mini-CEO. This approach can lead to a more empowered and efficient sales force.
It also focuses on customer acquisition tactics like inbound social selling and having a dedicated sales development representative team.
2. The Sales Development Playbook by Trish Bertuzzi
“The CFO asks the CEO, “What happens if we invest in developing our people and they leave us?” The CEO responds, “What happens if we don’t, and they stay?””
– Trish Bertuzzi, The Sales Development Playbook
The Sales Development Playbook by Trish Bertuzzi offers a comprehensive guide to building a successful sales development team and accelerating revenue growth through inside sales. It’s based on Bertuzzi’s three decades of practical experience in the sales industry.
The book provides actionable insights with zero fluff. It covers important topics such as sales-marketing alignment, team structure, research, and pre-call planning.
Bertuzzi also emphasizes the importance of retention. She offers advice on onboarding, career paths, and coaching.
3. The Ultimate Sales Machine by Chet Holmes
“Implementation, not ideas, is the key to real success.”
– Chet Holmes, The Ultimate Sales Machine
The Ultimate Sales Machine: Turbocharge Your Business with Relentless Focus on 12 Key Strategies by Chet Holmes is a book that talks about improving your sales performance and business efficiency.
The book emphasizes the importance of proactive management and provides practical strategies for enhancing productivity. It also emphasizes the importance of being proactive rather than reactive in managing tasks and time.
Moreover, it highlights strategic thinking as a key aspect of successful sales management. This book is great for sales managers looking to refine their craft and acumen.
4. SPIN Selling by Neil Rackham
“If you’re getting a lot of objections early in the call, it probably means that instead of asking questions, you’ve been prematurely offering solutions and capabilities.”
– Neil Rackham, SPIN Selling
SPIN Selling by Neil Rackham is a highly-rated book about the systematic approach to sales. It specifically talks about larger and more complex sales.
The book is based on extensive research and introduces a concept called SPIN. This sales methodology revolves around asking the right questions to your clients. SPIN is categorized by the following definitions:
Situation: Gather facts about the buyer’s current situation, like their existing processes, challenges, and goals.
Problem: Identify the buyer’s pain points and challenges. Ask proper questions to understand the buyer’s dilemmas.
Implication: Explore the consequences and impact of the buyer’s problems. This can help you see the importance of solving these issues.
Need-Payoff: Help the buyer envision the benefits and solutions to their problems. You should focus on how the solution can improve their situation.
5. The Challenger Sale by Matthew Dixon and Brent Adamson
“But what if customers truly don’t know what they need? What if customers’ single greatest need—ironically—is to figure out exactly what they need?”
– Matthew Dixon, The Challenger Sale
The Challenger Sale: Taking Control of the Customer Conversation by Matthew Dixon and Brent Adamson presents a new approach to sales based on extensive research into successful sales professionals. This book is for sales executives and managers looking to improve their selling techniques.
Moreover, the book identifies five types of salespeople and focuses on the “Challenger” type as the most effective. These Challengers create constructive tension by challenging the customer’s views and teaching them something new.
According to the book, the sales experience accounts for 53% of customer loyalty. Also, the book encourages that the Challenger model should equip 60% of the sales force.
6. Influence by Robert B. Cialdini
“Embarrassment is a villain to be crushed.”
– Robert B. Cialdini, Influence
Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion by Robert B. Cialdini explores the psychology behind why people say yes.
The book discusses weapons of influence that you can use to persuade people. These six concepts are the main talking points of the book.
Reciprocation: The concept revolves around the notion that people tend to feel obligated to return favors. This is often used in marketing, such as offering free samples or gifts to create a sense of indebtedness.
Commitment and Consistency: Once people commit to a decision, they’re more likely to stick with it. People want to appear consistent in their actions and beliefs.
Social Proof: People are more likely to adopt a behavior if they see others doing the same.
Liking: This principle is based on the idea that we’re more inclined to say yes to someone we know and like.
Authority: People usually follow the lead of someone who’s seen as an authority figure.
Scarcity: The scarcity principle states that people tend to place a higher value on things that are in limited supply. This creates a sense of urgency and encourages people to act quickly.
This book is for anyone interested in understanding the psychology behind persuasion and influence. It provides valuable insights into human behavior and offers practical strategies for becoming a more effective persuader.
7. The Sales Acceleration Formula by Mark Roberge
“Defining the sales methodology enables the sales training formula to be scalable and predictable. The three elements of the sales methodology are the buyer journey, the sales process, and the qualifying matrix.”
– Mark Roberge, The Sales Acceleration
The Sales Acceleration Formula: Using Data, Technology, and Inbound Selling to Go from $0 to $100 Million by Mark Roberge outlines strategies for building and managing a successful sales team. It draws from the author’s experience working for HubSpot.
Roberge talks about a sales hiring formula where you hire based on characteristics like preparation and adaptability. He also suggests keeping track of everything and using data to drive decision-making and improve sales strategies.
This book is for professionals working in the SaaS sales industry. It provides a formula for generating demand, focusing on repeatable and scalable processes.
8. Fanatical Prospecting by Jeb Blount
“There is no easy button in sales. Prospecting is hard, emotionally draining work, and it is the price you have to pay to earn a high income.”
– Jeb Blount, Fanatical Prospecting
Fanatical Prospecting by Jeb Blount is about the importance of prospecting for sales success. It states that persistence is key to winning in sales.
In the book, the author discusses that you should balance prospecting between long-term and short-term goals. Consistent prospecting is important because it maintains a full pipeline and avoids sales slumps.
Moreover, the book discusses the three laws of prospecting:
Universal Law of Need: The more you need something, the less likely you are to get it. When you’re desperate for a sale, prospects can sense it which leads to poor decision-making and emotional reactions.
30-Day Law: Prospecting efforts made in the current 30-day period will pay off in the next 90 days. Skipping even a day of prospecting can have consequences, as it can lead to a pipeline that’s not sufficiently filled with potential leads.
Law of Replacement: Replace prospects at a rate that matches or exceeds your closing ratio. For example, if a salesperson has 40 prospects and a closing ratio of 1 in 10, they replace each closed prospect with 10 new prospects to maintain a full pipeline.
9. To Sell Is Human by Daniel H. Pink
“To sell well is to convince someone else to part with resources—not to deprive that person, but to leave him better off in the end.”
– Daniel H. Pink, To Sell Is Human
To Sell Is Human: The Surprising Truth About Moving Others by Daniel H. Pink is about the nature of selling and how it influences sellers and buyers.
The author talks about the fundamentals of selling. In the book, he discusses that selling is not just about products or services, but about selling ideas and solutions in various aspects of life.
Sales professionals can benefit from reading this book because it talks about salespeople having to be adaptive by providing value and building relationships.
Lastly, the book talks about the ABC framework of selling. This framework should be applied when you’re trying to sell a product or service to
Attunement: Involves understanding and empathizing with the other person’s perspective. Requires active listening and genuine interest in the other person’s needs.
Buoyancy: This refers to maintaining a positive and resilient attitude in the face of rejection. It also involves viewing rejection as temporary and using it as motivation to improve.
Clarity: The concept requires understanding your own goals and objectives, as well as those of the other person. This helps avoid misunderstandings and ensures that both parties are on the same page.
10. New Sales. Simplified. by Mike Weinberg
“You can bring tremendous value to your business, your customers, and yourself by becoming proficient at bringing in new business.”
– Mike Weinberg, New Sales. Simplified.
New Sales. Simplified.: The Essential Handbook for Prospecting and New Business Development by Mike Weinberg is a book about bringing in new business and sales prospecting.
In the book, the discussion revolves around having a customer-centric sales story to differentiate yourself from competitors. It also talks about other sales weapons such as calls, social media, and email. Here are the sales weapons and why they’re important for your business:
Call: The book states this is the most important sales weapon. It also provides cold-calling tips and asks questions designed for specific objectives.
Social Media: Use social media to increase engagement with prospects and share valuable content.
Email: This is discussed as a sales weapon for reaching out to prospects and sharing information about products or services.
