What should sales reps read?

Borders, or for that matter any bookshop, is a source of wonder to me.  How come there are so many books for sale?

Now I love a good read, and I get that there is going to be an endless stream of fiction as people are very creative, but shelf after shelf on sales, personal improvement, and ‘how I got rich and you could too’ how does that work?

What I am waiting for is the book that has a title of something like ‘This is how I am going to be successful’.  Of course no one will buy it unless the person is actually successful, so the book will be on the shelf for a few years, but then it is going to really sell.

So to help the new sales rep, or the lost, here is my list of must-reads:

Many of the sales reps I have come across have really been helped by getting the foundations in their life sorted out.  Read ‘First Things First‘ by Stephen R Covey which will show you 7 Habits that will make a big difference.  Pay special attention to the section on time management, as it is a skill apparently in short supply amongst sales people and by having it you will stand out!

To get clear about the direction of your life you need to create a vision statement.  I recommend working through ‘The Path: Creating Your Mission Statement for Work and for Life‘ by Laurie Beth Jones.

Assuming that following creating your mission statement you are still in sales read ‘The Giants of Sales: What Dale Carnegie, John Patterson, Elmer Wheeler, and Joe Girard Can Teach You About Real Sales Success‘ by Tom Sant.  That covers all the basic sales methods.  You should attend a course to get specific sales skills and then get a coach to make sure that what you learnt in class actually plays out in your work – research shows that 80% of the time it won’t unless you get coached! Oh and due to the fact that good presenting is essential for sales join Toast Masters or an equivalent organisation.

There are stacks of sales books, but the good ones all say the same things and at the core of it, sales technique is simple, it is the execution that takes a lifetime to master.

I suggest rather than reading more “how to sell” books, read books that either look at a key area, or read about the art of communicating.  Here are my suggestions:

‘Getting to Yes: Negotiating Agreement Without Giving In‘ by Roger Fisher & William Ury.

‘How To Win Friends and Influence People‘ by Dale Carnegie

‘Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion‘ by Robert B Cialdini

‘NLP Made Easy, New Edition‘ by Carol Harris

Given that you are a major influence on the sale it would be wise to invest some reading time in understanding just who you are, and what is going to make you a success, or hold you back.  Try looking at these books:

‘Leadership and Self-Deception: Getting out of the Box‘ by the Arbinger Institute.

Gifts Differing: Understanding Personality Type by Isabel Briggs Myers

The Belbin Guide to Succeeding at Work by Belbin Associates

One thing that can easily be overlooked in the sale process is the client. You should be reading any relevant journals/websites/forums/wikis/blogs  for the market that you are selling in, but for more general knowledge about business try:

Competitive Strategy: Techniques for Analyzing Industries and Competitors by Michael E Porter

Co-Opetition : A Revolution Mindset That Combines Competition and Cooperation : The Game Theory Strategy That’s Changing the Game of Business by Adam M Bradenburger and Barry J Nalebuff

The Five Most Important Questions You Will Ever Ask About Your Organization by Peter Drucker

And lastly here is a book that I really enjoyed reading and got me thinking.

‘Think Out of the Box‘ by Mike Vance and Diane Deacon.