Best Sales Books: 25 Best Books On Selling Of All Time (2020)

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Looking for the best sales books ever written? You’re in the right place!

Whether you’re new to the world of sales, you’re an experienced sales rep or you’re in sales management, you’ll find everything you need on this list to fine-tune your sales process, build successful sales teams and join the ranks of the world’s top sales leaders.

Not sure where to start? My advice is to not overthink it. More important than getting the right title is just getting started. So browse the list of top sales books below, pick the first of these awesome must-read titles that excite you and dive in!

Note: This list ranks the top sales focussed books of all time. Not the top books every salesperson would benefit from reading. For a broader curriculum (including gems like How To Win Friends And Influence People by Dale Carnegie), click here to explore all TAoL‘s book recommendations (especially these best communication books, these best books on emotional intelligence and this list of the best books on mindset).

The 25 Best Sales Books Ever Written

Why these books and not others? The best sales books below are the top picks from my master database, ranked by a combination of Goodreads rating, the number of Goodreads reviews and first publication date. The goal is to give a good balance of what’s most loved, what’s most popular and what’s delivered timelessly relevant advice.

Think something’s missing? Leave a comment or email me and I’ll add it to the next round of updates. I honestly love hearing from you so please, do get in touch!

1. How I Raised Myself From Failure to Success in Selling (1947), Frank Bettger (Summary)
   192 pages. Rated 4.3 over 14,100 reviews on Goodreads.
2. The Greatest Salesman in the World (1968), Og Mandino (Summary)
   128 pages. Rated 4.2 over 51,400 reviews on Goodreads.
3. Influence (1984), Robert B. Cialdini (Summary)
   The Psychology of Persuasion
   320 pages. Rated 4.2 over 96,000 reviews on Goodreads.
4. Zig Ziglar’s Secrets of Closing the Sale (1984), Zig Ziglar
   410 pages. Rated 4.2 over 8,500 reviews on Goodreads.
5. The Psychology of Selling (1988), Brian Tracy (FREE Summary)
   Increase Your Sales Faster and Easier Than You Ever Thought Possible
   A powerful, motivational and practical guide to becoming one of the most successful (and highest-paid) salespeople in your company, industry and the world – by self-help legend and sales guru, Brian Tracy.
   240 pages. Rated 4.2 over 4,600 reviews on Goodreads.
6. Getting to Yes (1981), Roger Fisher (Summary)
   Negotiating Agreement Without Giving In
   224 pages. Rated 3.9 over 58,800 reviews on Goodreads.
7. How to Master the Art of Selling (1981), Tom Hopkins
   416 pages. Rated 4.1 over 1,400 reviews on Goodreads.
8. SPIN Selling (1988), Neil Rackham (Summary)
   Situation Problem Implication Need-payoff
   197 pages. Rated 4.0 over 9,000 reviews on Goodreads.
9. Go for No! (2007), Richard Fenton
   Yes is the Destination, No is How You Get There
   80 pages. Rated 4.2 over 5,100 reviews on Goodreads.
10. Sell or Be Sold (2008), Grant Cardone
    How to Get Your Way in Business and in Life
    256 pages. Rated 4.2 over 3,700 reviews on Goodreads.
11. The Ultimate Sales Letter (1994), Dan S. Kennedy
    Attract New Customers. Boost Your Sales
    240 pages. Rated 4.2 over 1,200 reviews on Goodreads.
12. The Sales Bible (1994), Jeffrey Gitomer (Summary)
    The Ultimate Sales Resource
    336 pages. Rated 4.0 over 3,300 reviews on Goodreads.
13. Selling the Invisible (1997), Harry Beckwith (Summary)
    A Field Guide to Modern Marketing
    252 pages. Rated 4.0 over 8,800 reviews on Goodreads.
14. Go-Givers Sell More (2010), Bob Burg
    208 pages. Rated 4.3 over 2,300 reviews on Goodreads.
15. Never Split the Difference (2016), Chris Voss (Summary)
    Negotiating As If Your Life Depended On It
    274 pages. Rated 4.4 over 51,000 reviews on Goodreads.
16. New Sales. Simplified. (2012), Mike Weinberg
    The Essential Handbook for Prospecting and New Business Development
    240 pages. Rated 4.4 over 1,400 reviews on Goodreads.
17. Little Red Book of Selling (2004), Jeffrey Gitomer
    12.5 Principles of Sales Greatness
    220 pages. Rated 4.0 over 8,100 reviews on Goodreads.
18. Pitch Anything (2011), Oren Klaff (Summary)
    An Innovative Method for Presenting, Persuading, and Winning the Deal
    225 pages. Rated 4.1 over 8,000 reviews on Goodreads.
19. If You’re Not First, You’re Last (2010), Grant Cardone
    Sales Strategies to Dominate Your Market and Beat Your Competition
    256 pages. Rated 4.2 over 1,200 reviews on Goodreads.
20. Ultimate Sales Machine (2007), Chet Holmes (Summary)
    272 pages. Rated 4.0 over 7,300 reviews on Goodreads.
21. Advanced Selling Strategies (1995), Brian Tracey
    The Proven System of Sales Ideas, Methods, and Techniques Used by Top Salespeople
    432 pages. Rated 4.1 over 400 reviews on Goodreads.
22. Secrets of Question-Based Selling (1999), Thomas A. Freese
    270 pages. Rated 4.1 over 400 reviews on Goodreads.
23. Selling 101 (2003), Zig Ziglar
    What Every Successful Sales Professional Needs to Know
    112 pages. Rated 4.1 over 1,000 reviews on Goodreads.
24. Fanatical Prospecting (2015), Leveraging Social Selling, Telephone, Email, Text, and Cold Calling by Jeb Blount (Summary)
    The Ultimate Guide to Opening Sales Conversations and Filling the Pipeline
    304 pages. Rated 4.3 over 2,500 reviews on Goodreads.
25. Book Yourself Solid (2006), Michael Port
    The Fastest, Easiest, and Most Reliable System for Getting More Clients Than You Can Handle Even If You Hate Marketing and Selling
    258 pages. Rated 3.9 over 6,500 reviews on Goodreads.

Enjoyed these best sales books of all time? You might also like…

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These are the best nonfiction books to read (by topic).

IV. Best Fiction Books (A-Z)

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Arthur Worsley

Arthur is a thinker and writer who helps people who want more from their lives learn to be more productive, find more balance and live life more meaningfully. Want to know more? Take this 2-minute quiz to discover your Productivity Quotient (PQ) and learn how to get BIG things done. Take the Quiz →