Loading...
Answers
MenuWhat are the top 3 sales training/books you have ever consumed?
This question has no further details.
Answers
First you have to understand what STYLE of selling you're looking for. A book for one style may be great for me, but you'll think it's weak and ineffective.
Two main distinctions are the "hardcore closer" (traditional) approach versus the "consultative" (more modern) approach. One appeals to an individual while the other does not.
Many people are unaware of anything under than the fast-talking, bombastic style of selling made popular by movies and television, however; it took me 10 years in the professional world to even figure out the right question to ask ("IS there another style of selling?"). Once you understand which style of selling you want to learn or expand on, then you can choose appropriate books or courses.
There is little point in giving SPIN Selling to a Hopkins devotee. And The Challenger Sale will fall on deaf ears to those who are desperate to not be seen as "pushy."
Stephan Schiffman's Cold Calling Techniques is one of the most practical sales books I've read. He has written many others, too.
Dan Pink's To Sell is Human is excellent, too. It takes a non-traditional look at selling and helps understand some of its psychology.
Beyond that, I don't have a lot of specifics. There are many sales methodologies out there, and you should use one. It's not important which one you use -- just that you do adopt one.
Hello! I get this question a lot actually and I have formulated a decent answer for it.
Considering what a good training book depends heavily on your current stage in both personal and professional life. There are many books that aren't even closely related to sales or business yet if you're mindset is ready to appreciate discrete learning lessons you can take away a lot from even books like Ender's Shadow - which are great on their own merit. I am a digital marketing strategist for www.Unthink.me and do actually read a lot - I have personally curated a book of my top business and sales books - pick any of those and I can guarantee you that you will be learning a lot and have a real edge on competitors. https://unthink.me/books/
Great question, and one I frequently get asked. Here they are:
1. Predictable Revenue by Aaron Ross - this book will show you step-by-step how to build a modern revenue machine. A great book for those who love process.
2. The Challenger Sale by Matthew Dixon and Brent Adamson - explains differences between top-performing salespeople and how to win deals in a customer-empowered world.
3. Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill - more a success book than a sales book, but I've found key learnings in this book that have helped me grow as a sales leader. Hill interviewed the most successful people in the early 1900s and compiled interesting tidbits about what made them successful.
Related Questions
-
What should my consulting rates be as a freelance developer who can also do SEO, social media optimization and other marketing services?
Pricing for different tasks that require the same amount of time from you tells the Customer (and your subconscious) that you're working at a 5 on task x, but working at a 9 on task y simply because it costs/earns more. That seems to be a disconnect. Your time is your most precious asset, and I would charge for it whatever you're doing. If you build a site, and they are happy with your dev fee, but feel like you should charge less for SEO, simply let them find another SEO guy. That's their choice, but YOU are worth $xx.xx, no matter what you're doing. Also, in general, take whatever you're charging and add 10% to it. If you're still busy, add another 10%. Let the demand level determine how much work you do, and at what cost.Sam LawrenceSL
-
Best sales funnel to scale $47 fitness infoproduct?
Scaling with paid/cold traffic is a very different kind of beast. Depending on your paid traffic source their motivations and behavior is different than that of a house list or affiliate / JV traffic. Usually paid (cold) traffic is more difficult to convert with a $47 initial offer. I've had success warming up this type of traffic, with clients of mine, before asking for that level of sale. There are some exceptions to the rule depending on how rabid your market is to buy, but the fitness niche is usually more skeptical. You can warm them up by starting with an email opt in to a lead magnet then present them with your $47 sales offer, theres a side benefit to this as well. The other way to warm them up is to start with a survey leading them into a customized VSL to your $47 product. There's also some major benefits here if you segment your traffic right. As far as after the initial sale in regards to the backend funnel itself my typical flow looks like this: Sales page > Up Sell #1 > Down Sell #1 > Up Sell #2 > Thank you page. However some of my clients have much more than 2 up sells in place in some funnels. The trick is that your up sells should flow logically to each other. Meaning make your first up sell a product that gets your target market to their desired solution faster and easier with the up sell. For your down sell, you can keep the same product / offer but lower the price or offer a payment plan. Hope this helps, let me know if you have any questions.Bobby HewittBH
-
Startup Looking To Hire First Sales Employee - And completely lost. Any advice on compensation structure (benefits?), items that need to be in place?
Instead of repeating the wisdom of others, I'll link to it below. Here is a great blog post on hiring your first salesperson: http://tomtunguz.com/when-to-hire-a-salesperson Also, Mark Suster has written a ton of great post on his blog about startup sales. http://www.bothsidesofthetable.com/on-selling/Clay HebertCH
-
Whats the best way to find commission sales reps?
This is not my specialty, however, I have been in your position many many times -- maybe this will help. If the product is in-tangible, then look for JV partners on the Internet. Try to find an expert that deals with these JV opportunities (like me). If the product is physical, then look for sales organizations that have networks of sales people across the country. You do the deal with the organization and the independent network of sales people sells your product. It's a sweet setup if you can negotiate a margin that works for everyone. Hope that helps - Cheers - NickNickolas PassigNP
-
How can a small offshore development company find companies/software sales people to sell their service in the US/UK?
My company does a lot of consulting with offshore firms who are looking for a way to generate new business, so I hear this question a lot. My first reaction is that you need to totally reverse your mindset when you talk about your own company. You mentioned that you have: a great software developers team, proven track record, passion, real value But, everyone says that. There a 10,000 companies that have those things, so a customer isn't going to notice it. You need to figure out what your company is best at (doesn't have to be technical) and present it as a solution to a specific problem that clients have. Maybe a speciality, or really good project management, really good communications, a special expertise or experience, a personality, experience with a certain type of client.. really anything.. But, there must be some thing that makes your company 'special' otherwise you will be lost in the mix. Don't worry about things like rates, or the fact that you have 'great' developers. Those are generic. Think about why a client would really choose you, and try to build on that! After you understand your company identity, it gets much easier to identify and engage marketing channels because you understand your target.Dave HeckerDH
the startups.com platform
Copyright © 2025 Startups.com. All rights reserved.
