The Best Sales Book For Starting Out
A person who won’t read has no advantage over one who can’t read- Mark Twain.
I have read hundreds of sales books over the course of my career. One book in particular stands out.
My own copy of this book is filled with underlined paragraphs and yellow sharpie highlights filling every other page. The book I am referring to is: How I Raised Myself From Failure To Success In Selling, by Frank Bettger.
This book is about as old school as it gets. It was first published in 1947 and endorsed by the great Dale Carnegie. What brings me back to this book time and time again is its simplicity and its timeless sales principle’s.
Any career in sales needs to be grounded in the fundamentals and this book is all about the fundamentals. My book recommendation was based on two simple criteria:
It had to be a book that I have read.
It had to contain selling techniques that I have applied in my own sales career that produced results.
My favorite takeaway from reading this book:
Find out what people want, and then help them get it.
The simplicity in this statement disguises its brilliance. Every sales interaction involves a buyer and a seller. Too often we are consumed by our own agenda:I need to hit my daily sales goal, I need to achieve my monthly metrics, etc. Unfortunately, this is selling for our needs and not the customers need.
The only goal on a sales call should be to find out what your customer wants, then show them how to get it. Many times, this means you may have to refer them to a competitor if your service or product is not the right fit.
This book has so many gems and actionable tactics. I highly recommend adding it to your sales tool kit.
It can be found on amazon.com for less than $10. Consider it a small investment in your sales career that will pay you back many times the cost.
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