Not every founder is a former sales rep.

But selling is HUGELY important for your company to succeed.

You sell to:

• Customers — current & prospective
• Employees — current & prospective
• Investors — current & prospective
• Your mom — jk. she loves you (and your company) no matter what.

How do you get good at selling if you haven’t done sales before?

Learn, practice, test, iterate. Repeat!

Here’s 5 awesome books about sales — with differing focus, style, and methodology — to get you started.

Get Better At Sales: 5 Books To Read Today

1. To Sell Is Human by Daniel Pink

• Easy to read, research-based, with a multitude of strategies and frameworks.
• Great overview and primer as you find your sales style.

2. The Challenger Sale by Matthew Dixon

• Required reading at Rigor where folks in their 20s were closing 6 figure deals with Fortune 500 companies.
• It challenges (of course) the notion that sales is all about relationships.
• Gives specific sales questions, process, and activities.

3. Unselling: Sell Less To Win More by Peter Bourke

• #1 free ebook about sales on Amazon
• Peter Bourke did a sales strategy session with the Renewals team at Salesforce that was magical
• If you’re worried about having a used-car-salesperson vibe, this one’s for you!
• Specifics on how to phrase things and be consultative up front

4. How To Win Friends And Influence People by Dale Carnegie

• Alternate title: “How To Be A Good Human”
• Really, a must-read for everyone.
• Not *technically* a sales book but if you think of sales as “transference of belief” this book is filled with specific strategies that move people to your perspective while feeling good about it
• Great summary

5. Never Split The Difference by Chris Voss

• The #1 book I wish I read at age 25. When I think back to salary or customer “negotiations” I’ve done…🤪😬😂🙃
• Tons of actionable advice when it comes to any kind of negotiation.
• Use cases for pricing, contracts, salaries with specifics on phrasing

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What other books have helped you sell? Any diverse or non-traditional author recommendations (this list is admittedly lacking!)??

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