10 Best Sales Books for Entrepreneurs

If you would like to master the art of selling, here are the best business books for you to read (listed in no particular order): 

Also Recommended: Check out our list of the best startup books.

In "Secrets of Closing the Sale," wildly successful salesman-turned-author and motivational speaker Zig Ziglar discusses proven strategies for completing the all-important, final sales process step: closing the deal. Along with plenty of actionable tips, this book also contains lots of entertaining anecdotes that make it as enjoyable to read as it is informative. 

Closing sales is all about the art of effective persuasion. If that's an art that you would like to master, then "Secrets of Closing the Sale" is well worth checking out.

Short, sweet, and to the point, "Little Red Book of Selling" is chock-full of actionable tips that salespeople can use to improve their results. Another unique feature of this book is the fact that it focuses more on why customers choose to buy rather than how salespeople sell. 

When you fully understand a customer's buying process and their motivations, selling to them becomes much easier. This unique perspective, along with the book's easy-to-digest format, makes "Little Red Book of Selling" a great tool in any salesperson's arsenal.

In many ways, selling to other companies is a completely different animal than selling to individual consumers. If you are creating a B2B startup, the ability to sell your product or services to other companies is an essential skill to learn. 

In "Selling to Big Companies," Jill Konrath covers the skills and knowledge that B2B salespeople need to master. If you would like to learn how to position your products and services as a valuable resource that other companies won't be able to ignore, be sure to give this book a read. 

Another great book on B2B selling, "How to Say It" covers the top strategies that B2B salespeople need to know. By teaching salespeople how to effectively communicate with decision-makers at other businesses, this book helps B2B salespeople reduce their sales cycle and form valuable sales partnerships. 

With short chapters packed full of helpful tips and strategies, you'll never feel like you’re wasting your time with "How to Say It." Along with "Selling to Big Companies," it's a must-read for any B2B startup owner.

Sales and psychology go hand in hand. When you fully understand the psychology behind selling from the perspective of both the salesperson and the customer, you are sure to be more effective. 

In "To Sell is Human," author Daniel H. Pink presents a wealth of social science to showcase the strategies for selling anything to anyone. If you would like to learn the fine art of motivating others using proven psychological principles then you will definitely enjoy "To Sell is Human."

Looking for more book recommendations? We asked startup founders to share their favorite books on entrepreneurship, and here's what they said.

With over 1 million copies sold, "How to Master the Art of Selling" is one of the most popular sales books on our list. It's no accident that this book has remained so popular, as the sales tips it outlined when first published in 1979 are still every bit as effective today. 

"How to Master the Art of Selling" discusses some of the biggest challenges around sales before offering exceptional solutions on how to overcome them. It also provides a long list of tools to add to your sales arsenal such as memory items and powerful sales phrases. 

According to Grant Cardone, everything in life should be treated as a sale. This makes the principles of selling an important prerequisite for success of any kind. 

Such is the philosophy detailed in "Sell or Be Sold." While it is certainly a book on how to improve your sales skills, its core focus is applying those skills to every pursuit in life. Since "salesperson" is only one of the hats that an entrepreneur wears, learning how to apply sales skills to other business objectives can prove very valuable. 

In "The Psychology of Selling," author Brian Tracy promises to "increase your sales faster and easier than you ever thought possible." That's a big promise, but one that the book delivers on via actionable tips, instructional blueprints, and step-by-step guides. 

Like many of the best sales books (and as the title suggests), "The Psychology of Selling" takes a psychological approach to sales skills. Don't expect a social sciences textbook, though; "The Psychology of Selling" is as actionable and value-oriented as sales books come.

Whether "The Best Damn Sales Book Ever" lives up to its bold, humorous title is a matter of debate. What we can say confidently, though, is that it's a damn good one. 

Centered around motivation and goal-setting, "The Best Damn Sales Book Ever" teaches how to use these powerful practices for improved sales results. No matter how you want to use motivation and goal setting in your own business pursuits, though, it's still a book worth checking out.

One great pitch can change your life in a moment, opening up exciting new doors. As an entrepreneur, the ability to create a great pitch — whether it's with lots of preparation or on the fly — is one of the most important skills to possess. 

In "Pitch Anything," Oren Klaff draws on research in the field of neuroeconomics to explain how people respond and make decisions when presented with pitches. If you would like to improve your ability to win hearts and minds with a great pitch, "Pitch Anything" is a must-read book.

What’s your favorite sales book for entrepreneurs? Let us know in the comments!