A Practitioner’s Guide to Account Based Marketing. Bev Burgess & Dave Munn.  2017. ISBN 9780749479893.  A very thorough treatment on the topic.  It would be my go to book for anyone wanting a deeper dive.  The numerous case studies  are well written and illustrate the point. Perhaps it is a bit too much on the very large companies as now the tools are available for this methodology to be used effectively by smaller firms.  Supplement this book with the steady stream of blog posts  on the topic and you will be all set. IMHO ABM is the way to go to make best use of your sales and marketing resources.

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The Science of Selling.  Proven strategies to make your pitch, influence decisions, and close the deal. David Hoffield. 2016. ISBN 9781101993187. This is a lifetime of sales experience rolled into one terrific volume. The author has done all the hard work over several years to compile the scientific reasons behind successful sales strategies.  In our firm we are very strong believers in knowing the mind and process of the buyer in driving marketing and sales through the building of trust. This author is firmly in this camp and has a plethora of examples of how you can make this work to dramatically improve your selling.  Not just another sales book, this is must read for the sales manager and any sales person striving to be a high performer.

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The Sales Development Playbook.  Build Repeatable Pipeline and Accelerate Growth With Inside Sales. Trish Bertuzzia. 2016.   I can not say enough good things about this book.  Yes it does a terrific job in helping a Sales Manager build, train and manage a high performance  sales development team ( ie  inside sales) . But the tactics, techniques and strategies are very useful by all sales people and sales managers.   One you need on your much read shelf.

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Nonstop Sales Boom. Colleen Francis.  2014,. ISBN 9780814433768. I can not believe I missed this book when it came out.  I am voting it my Sales Book of the Month already.  It is a great resource for B2B sales for product and service companies.  It is based on the pioneer work of Alan Weiss (Million Dollar Consulting) and then some.  It is also useful for the brand  new to very experienced sales person.  Definitely a book to have on your reference shelf to refer to often.

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More Sales . Less Time. Surprisingly simple strategies for today’s crazy-busy sellers. Jill Konrath. 2016. ISBN 9781591847267.  The author has penned several highly valuable books on selling and you can count on her to be very current.  In this book she turned attention on the increasingly busy life of effective salesmen. She really looked at her own behavior and decided to work on herself first,how could she do as much or more in less working time? . What followed is a very timely book on how salespeople can not only become more effective using the time they have while enjoying selling even more.  I appreciated the time saving apps she has found as well as the way she rethought how we usually go about doing things. Once again Jill has really done her homework on this topic and created an immediate and long lasting impactful book that is  a delight to read.

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Discover Questions Get You Connected. Deb Calvert. 2016.   Written for sales professionals it takes little effort to apply this to anywhere you need to ask questions.   For sales it is exemplary, enough that this will become my 2016 Sales book of the year.  The author makes a great case for  asking the right question early enough so the seller can communicate value.

The book has three major sections

• How questions help us get better connected.
• The types of questions to use
• Practice

The author puts the questions in eight groups that you can remember using the word DISCOVER:

• Data questions
• Issue questions
• Solution questions
• Consequence questions
• Outcome questions
• Value questions
• Example questions
• Rationale questions

She works hard to put the materials into context with good examples of situations that any salesperson will recognize.

The book for all sales reps and managers to have right on their  desk to read and reread and apply every day.

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The Only Sales Guide You’ll Ever Need. Antony Iannarino. 2016.   This is a very refreshing and complete book. You will first develop the mind set and then the skill sets of a well developed salesperson.  By working through this text, you will develop  maturity and insight needed to sell in today’s business world.  There is something for very sales person and sales manager in this book , regardless how long you have been doing this job.  Buy it, read it and re read every year.

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Predictable Prospecting. How to increase your B2B sales pipeline. Marylou Tyler & Jeremy Donovan.  2016. ISBN 9781259835643.

A most  fitting adjunct/companion  to Aaron Ross ‘s an Marylou Tylers Predictable Revenue book  This is easily the most thorough/useful book on lead generation I have read. It’s definitely in the running for sales book of the year.  Using broard steps of Target, Engage and Optimize the authors teach you how to get the most out of your SDRs in order to drive bottom line revenue to your company.  Everything they talk about is achievable, tested and valuable. Every CEO  and Sales manager needs this book on their reading list and desk library.

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Sell with a Story. How to capture attention, build trust and close the sale. Paul Smith. 2016.  B01GW9XH84   Another great  Amacom sales book.  He really goes into the detail on how to improve your stories.  Any successful salesperson realizes the power of  stories and this is the book you need to improve yours.  Having the template to build from helps you get the maximum from this book . His examples are spot on. I recognize  several issue I have dealt with in this book, including the VP of sales who steps all over your sale. Best advice – talk to your purchasing dept, so few sales guys do so.  Salespeople and sales managers need this book in their quiver.

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Mastering the Complex Sale, Exceptional Selling , The Prime Solution , by Jeff Thull.  2010,  2006,  2005.  This set of books which detail the Complex Sale process from the point of view of  delivering value are easily the most completely thought out approach I have read to date on selling value.

Thull starts with a a simple idea, that sellers /solutions need to tie their offer into solving valuable real measurable business problems , from the customers point of view to enable real measurable value outcomes .  Like any simple idea, the details of delivery have far reaching impacts on sellers and customers.  He has many phrases which stick with you,  like always going for the no,  spectacular success comes from unspectacular  preparation,  no problem/pain no sale,  no surprises, the salesperson is like a doctor.

Thulls four separate steps are

1. Discovery
2. Diagnosis
3. Design
4. Deliver

But the devil is  in the details.   Thull provides the details needed tofill in this framework.   This approach has the potential to set any seller far away from the pack of competitors as well as making  customer relationships very competitor proof.   Of any approach, this one truly recognizes the uniqueness of very customer and how to ensure the customer gets that value as well as recognizes it. This is a  transformative process not only for the customer but the sellers organization as well.   A must have for if you are the complex sales marketplace.

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