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Ask HN: What are some good books/resources about sales?

• mindcrime 7y ago
  https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19878274 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19878274 My recommendations are the same as they were then: ~~~~ Mastering The Complex Sale -- Jeff Thull Exceptional Selling -- Jeff Thull The Prime Solution -- Jeff Thull The Challenger Sale -- Matthew Dixon, Brent Adamson Selling The Wheel: Choosing The Best Way To Sell For You Your Company Your Customers -- Jeff Cox, Howard Stevens And while it's not exactly about "sales" alone, I'd recommend The Four Steps to the Epiphany by Steve Blank as well. It touches on aspects of selling in an enterprise setting, especially for new products. The Salesman Podcast: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCL5m7amy0FXEAe9WxhXTI_A https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCL5m7amy0FXEAe9WxhXTI_A ~~~~~ But I'd now also add: The Ultimate Sales Machine - Chet Holmes Customercentric Selling, 2nd Edition - Michael T. Bosworth, John R. Hollandd, Frank Visgatis
  • some1else 7y ago
    Awesome list by the looks of it. Thanks for linking the previous thread, I should have used the search. Let's hope we still get some new entries in this one. Here's a video lecture by Nate Gilmore I found: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=42cOaRjRw8E https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=42cOaRjRw8E
• ajcarpy2005 7y ago
  Sell or be Sold 10X Both by Grant Cardone
  • mindcrime 7y ago
    I second this recommendation. I'm a big fan of Grant's material. Some of it blurs the line between actual, technical "sales advice" and a more generic sort of almost "self help" kind of thing, but I have found it valuable in either case. In addition to Sell or Be Sold and The 10x Rule, I'd also suggest Be Obsessed or Be Average.
  • clay_the_ripper 7y ago
    I third that recommendation. Grant Cardones stuff is great for sales mindset. Less about the nuts and bolts and more about addressing underlying beliefs that are holding you back from selling.
• verdverm 7y ago
  In addition to the great recommendations before these... To Sell is Human The little red book of selling Challenger Customer (now that they know about the Challenger sale) Fanatical Prospecting Something like "major account sales"
  • verdverm 7y ago
    Also found this last night, not exactly sales, but helpful none the less https://brianbalfour.com/essays/hubspot-growth-framework-100m https://brianbalfour.com/essays/hubspot-growth-framework-100...
• exolymph 7y ago
  This has been discussed about 2932874923874 times on this exact website. Google the past threads. The fundamentals of sales have not changed.
• t34543 7y ago
  Unorthodox advice if your someone like me: take improv classes and study comedy. The saying goes if you can make someone laugh (more accurately: associate you with positive emotions) you can make them do anything. Including buying whatever your selling.
  • wil421 7y ago
    Someone once told me to make any sales process as bland and unemotional as possible. The more emotion or perceived “friendliness” I had with the sales person would tip the scale in their favor.
    • t34543 7y ago
      Sounds reasonable. I think a lot of it has to do with the industry and whether it’s b2b or direct to consumer.
      • wil421 7y ago
        It’s especially the case with direct to consumer, car salesman come to mind.
• Terretta 7y ago
  Selling Microsoft: https://www.amazon.com/Selling-Microsoft-Secrets-Successful-Company/dp/155850821X https://www.amazon.com/Selling-Microsoft-Secrets-Successful-... Quoting an Amazon reviewer: > As opposed to most "hot new" sales approaches which focus on changing your personal style, this book does a great job of providing a strategic step-by-step plan from A-Z. It's void of fluff and gets right to the point of outlining the nuts and bolts of the process including pre-sales planning, performance tracking, maintaining growth, and time management. It's worth reading in general and especially for those migrating into tech sales.
• QueensGambit 7y ago
  The Ultimate Sales Machine by Chet Holmes, which talks about "dream 100" - who your 100 dream clients are. You can find 3 more books recommended by Eric Siu here: https://www.collectoral.com/collection/101397753425638859326/com_283155/essential-sales-books-for-beginners-1562574803233.html https://www.collectoral.com/collection/101397753425638859326...
• me_bx 7y ago
  Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion by Robert B. Cialdini https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28815.Influence https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28815.Influence. Check also the "Solution selling" methodology developped by Xerox: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solution_selling https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solution_selling