The three most asked questions from you all?

1. “How can I 2-3x my commission a year?”

2. “What sales methodology do you follow?”

3. “What sales books should I read?”

Today is about #3.

Sales books.

Most have a red cover. Most say the same thing. Most aren’t very good, practical, or tactical.

The Tl;Dr?

Most sales books suck.

Quick Amazon search for “sales book” resulted in…

Let’s say it takes 8 hours to read a book.

100,000 books. 800,000 hours to read them all.

I can’t save you all 800,000 hours, but I can save you 799,936 hours.

Jokes aside, I’ve read 400+ books in my life. I was what my writing coach called — a non-fiction junkie.

A nonfiction junkie is someone who’s read a disproportionate amount of nonfiction versus fiction. Usually, it’s not that they don’t enjoy fiction, but it doesn’t feel useful or productive for them to read it.

Thanks, Ellen.

These 8 books are useful, productive, and will please your nonfiction junkie sweet tooth.

Onto the books.

Let's Get Real or Let's Not Play 

good Read this if you're tired of fake sales tactics and want to close deals with honesty. 

This book encourages honesty, authenticity, and building relationships on truth. It emphasizes listening to clients and delivering real value.

The authors, Mahan Khalsa and Randy Illig, teach having the guts to say what you can and can't do. It’s not about quick wins. It’s about trust and long-term success.

Stand out by being straightforward in a world full of lies.

Takeaways:

• Build genuine relationships by being honest and transparent.

• Understand and address clients' real needs.

• Foster long-term success through trust and integrity.

Good Strategy/Bad Strategy 

Read this if you want to understand what makes a strategy actually work. 

Richard Rumelt shows the difference between good and bad strategy. Good strategy is clear, focused, and solves real problems. You diagnose the issue, make a plan, and take action.

Bad strategy is vague and full of fluff.

Rumelt gives real-world examples to illustrate these concepts. He teaches you to avoid common mistakes, focus on what matters, and use your strengths. Take coordinated action.

That’s how you win.

Takeaways:

• Diagnose problems clearly and create focused strategies.

• Avoid vague and goal-oriented strategies that lack substance.

• Leverage strengths and take coordinated actions for effective results.

“Good strategy works by focusing energy and resources on one, or a very few, pivotal objectives whose accomplishment will lead to a cascade of favorable outcomes.”

You Can't Teach a Kid to Ride a Bike at a Seminar 

Read this if you believe practice is the best teacher. 

David Sandler’s book says you learn by doing. Not by listening to lectures. In sales, practice is key.

Sandler emphasizes hands-on training where you apply techniques in real scenarios, get feedback, and adapt.

It's about building skills through action. Seminars won't make you a master. Doing the work will.

Sandler’s method pushes you to practice, reflect, and improve.

Bonus here?

You learn the Sandler training methodology.

Takeaways:

• Learn through practical, hands-on experience rather than theory.

• Apply techniques in real-world scenarios and adapt based on feedback.

• Continuous practice and reflection are essential for mastering sales skills.

“People buy emotionally, and they justify their decisions intellectually.”

Difficult Conversations: How to Discuss What Matters Most 

Read this if you want to master tough talks. 

This book by Douglas Stone, Bruce Patton, and Sheila Heen is a guide for hard talks.

Understand different views. Manage your emotions. Focus on interests, not positions.

The authors offer practical steps: prepare, listen, and create a safe space for dialogue.

Turn tough conversations into constructive ones.

This book gives you tools to navigate difficult discussions. It’s about communication and conflict resolution.

In life and business, these skills are gold.

Takeaways:

• Understand and consider different perspectives in a conversation.

• Manage emotions to keep the dialogue productive.

• Focus on underlying interests rather than fixed positions.

“Difficult conversations are almost never about getting the facts right. They are about conflicting perceptions, interpretations, and values.”

The Science of Selling 

Read this if you want to sell smarter, not harder. 

David Hoffeld’s book combines science with sales. Understand buyer psychology. Use data-driven techniques.

Hoffeld introduces the six whys, which are psychological reasons people buy. Ask the right questions. Build rapport. Use social proof. It’s about selling smarter, not harder.

Hoffeld gives you a roadmap for using scientific principles to boost your sales.

Practical advice backed by research. It’s reliable. It’s actionable.

Takeaways:

• Understand the psychologica reasons behind buying decisions.

• Use data-driven techniques to improve sales effectiveness.

• Build rapport and leverage social proof to influence buyers.

“Heuristics causes people to make predictable errors.”

The Challenger Sale 

Read this if you want to revolutionize your sales approach. 

Matthew Dixon and Brent Adamson introduce the Challenger Sales Model. Challengers teach their clients. They offer new insights, tailor the pitch to the customer's needs, and drive the sales process assertively.

This disrupts the traditional relationship-building approach. Challengers challenge the customer's thinking and inspire them with fresh ideas.

The authors show you how to take control and lead your clients to better decisions. It’s a new way to sell.

Takeaways:

• Teach customers with unique insights that challenge their thinking.

• Tailor sales pitches to address specific customer needs.

• Assertively drive the sales process to lead clients to better decisions.

“What if customers truly don’t know what they need?”

The Trusted Advisor 

Read this if you want to build lasting trust with your clients. 

David H. Maister, Charles H. Green, and Robert M. Galford emphasize trust in client relationships.

Put your client's interests first. Deliver consistent value. Maintain integrity. Listen. Show empathy. Be reliable.

Become a trusted advisor, not just a vendor. Build long-term partnerships.

Trust transforms relationships. Clients rely on you.

This book teaches you to be authentic and create deeper connections.

Takeaways:

• Prioritize the client's interests and deliver consistent value.

• Build trust through integrity, reliability, and empathy.

• Transform relationships from transactional to long-term partnerships.

“From certain behaviors (attention paid, interest shown, advance work done, empathetic listening), we infer the internal state we call sincerity.”

SPIN Selling 

Read this if you want a proven method for complex sales. 

Neil Rackham’s book teaches SPIN Selling: Situation, Problem, Implication, Need-Payoff.

Use these questions to understand the client's needs, identify problems, explore implications, and highlight need-payoff to create value.

Rackham's method is based on extensive research into successful sales conversations.

This structured approach helps you close complex sales by addressing core issues. It’s proven and effective.

Takeaways:

• Use SPIN (Situation, Problem, Implication, Need-Payoff) to uncover client needs.

• Address core issues to create value and solve client problems.

• Apply a structured, research-backed approach to complex sales.

“The building of perceived value is probably the single most important selling skill in larger sales.”

And because I know someone is going to ask…

“What book would you read first?”

Here’s your curriculum.

Read in order.

Or don’t.

BUT if you were going to ask, here it is.

1. SPIN Selling

2. Difficult Conversations: How to Discuss What Matters Most

3. The Science of Selling

4. Good Strategy/Bad Strategy

5. The Challenger Sale Read

6. Let's Get Real or Let's Not Play

7. The Trusted Advisor

8. You Can't Teach a Kid to Ride a Bike at a Seminar Read

Weekly Challenge

This week, you guessed it, is start reading.

I don’t care if you’d read a book already. Re-read it. But this time with intention.

Onto the checklist:

1. Pick a book (SPIN selling if you don’t know where to start)

2. Read a chapter

3. Write a key takeaway from that chapter.

4. Write out a new way of thinking for that chapter.

5. Write out a task inspired by that chapter to advance a deal.

6. Repeat for all chapters.

7. Repeat for all books.

Pro tip. This makes your reading productive and useful.

Until next week

-Chris