Last updated on March 14th, 2023 at 08:44 pm
There’s a wealth of information out there on how to become a better sales rep. To help you cut through the noise, we’re bringing you our selection of the 7 best sales books for SDRs.
Written by some of the biggest names in sales, these books come as a personal recommendation from our team.
Listed in no particular order, there’s something for every type of SDR.
If you’re ready to step up your sales game, read on.
Fanatical Prospecting by Jeb Blount
The first book on our list is Fanatical Prospecting by keynote speaker and sales author Jeb Blount.
Its official title, Fanatical Prospecting: The Ultimate Guide to Opening Sales Conversations and Filling the Pipeline by Leveraging Social Selling, Telephone, Email, Text, and Cold Calling, should tell you everything you need to know.
In any case, we’ll briefly explain why you should read it.
Unsurprisingly, Fanatical Prospecting focuses on consistent prospecting to fill a sales pipeline. With the ultimate goal of increasing revenue, it identifies where sales fail in the pipeline and lays out the strategies you’ll need to get you there.
For instance, the book places emphasis on persistence. There’s no one-size-fits-all solution to sales. There is no easy button. But there are prospecting techniques that make this stage of your sales cycle more bearable.
With a focus on authenticity, breezy writing, and a thorough review of the basics, Fanatical Prospecting is essential for any SDR.
Predictable Revenue by Aaron Ross & Marylou Tyler
Working in sales, you’ve no doubt heard of Salesforce. If you haven’t, it’s only a matter of time.
The leader of CRM software and a pioneer in marketing automation, Salesforce found $100 million in recurring revenue thanks to the sales strategies of Aaron Ross.
Co-written by lead generation expert Marylou Tyler, Predictable Revenue is another staple on how to create a measurable sales process.
Highlights include:
- The importance of specialized roles and the relationship between SDRs, AEs, and CSMs
- How company teams and their leaders can learn from each other
- The value of metrics and the need for a CRM on every sales team
Predictable Revenue isn’t shy about Salesforce’s success with the actionable tips it covers in its pages.
Nevertheless, it remains one of the best sales books for SDRs and the C-suite alike.
Never Split the Difference by Chris Voss
Our next recommendation isn’t strictly a sales book.
Instead, it offers practical advice on how to negotiate through all walks of life.
Author Chris Voss fills Never Split the Difference with entertaining and insightful anecdotes on how he navigated life and death scenarios as an FBI negotiator.
Hopefully, as an SDR you won’t be under that same pressure.
Regardless, the behavioral psychology Voss uses from his on-the-field work as a negotiator and consultant is just as relevant to the world of sales.
Notably, Voss places special emphasis on embracing conflict to meet people wherever they’re at, despite irrational emotions.
Like any good sales book, it focuses on authentic communication.
SPIN Selling by Neil Rackham
SPIN Selling is the oldest book on our list.
It comes before a time when there was a lot of material on how to sell to large accounts.
That’s not to say it’s outdated, however. Rather, it compiles years of experience and research into the formula of account-based selling.
In fact, as a testament to its success, SPIN is now a common acronym and strategy within sales. It stands for Situation, Problem, Implication, and Need-payoff.
SPIN Selling is the first major book to illuminate how conventional strategies for small consumer sales are ineffective when moving high-value products and services.
That said, if you’re an SDR working in B2B sales, this is the book for you.
The Sales Acceleration Formula by Mark Roberge
In much the same way SPIN challenged traditional methods of scaling sales, The Sales Acceleration Formula brings new ideas to the sales process.
In it, Mark Roberge outlines an action plan built on metrics. And as SVP of Worldwide Sales and Services for Hubspot, we’re obligated to at least hear him out.
Roberge breaks sales down into a science. Yes, he says, there is a formula to scaling your business.
The Sales Acceleration Formula is an overview of how to scale your team from the top down. It’s data-driven, modern, and especially useful for SaaS SDRs.
It covers everything from recruiting, onboarding, and motivating your sales team.
Additionally, it reinforces the methodology of educating a prospect, rather than simply “selling” to them.
The Challenger Sale by Matthew Dixon & Brent Adamson
In keeping with a list of sales books that subvert the status quo, we present The Challenger Sale.
There’s a lot of credible material out there singing the praises of relationship-building in sales.
In The Challenger Sale, Matthew Dixon and Brent Adamson argue the more proactive a salesperson is the more successful a salesperson is. Hence, the Challenger type.
To determine what makes a high performer, Dixon and Adamson studied thousands of sales reps and broke them down into 5 distinct profiles:
- The Hard Worker
- The Relationship Builder
- The Lone Wolf
- The Reactive Problem Solver
- The Challenger
We’ll let you guess who came out on top.
Without spoiling too much, the Challenger type takes control by wielding constructive tension. They aren’t afraid to teach rather than listen.
Nevertheless, this type understands the economic drivers of a customer’s business. Though assertive, the Challenger knows how to tailor their message to the unique needs of a customer.
This book is an alternative take to the more passive approach to sales.
In the end, The Challenger Sale offers a compelling argument for challenging a prospect and backs it up with hard data.
New Sales. Simplified. by Mike Weinberg
Finally, we’ll conclude with another straightforward approach to sales.
Mike Weinberg is a consultant and sales coach who makes his living simplifying sales.
This list of the best sales books comes in no order, but if you were to start with one book, it should be this one.
Why? Because Weinberg holds your hand through the entire sales process. He acts as a guide, uncovering pitfalls where sales reps commonly make mistakes.
He also believes in the fundamentals of increasing your odds of a positive response with hard work; no matter the channel.
Success is often about doing the little things right – the essentials.
New Sales. Simplified is partial to this idea. Let it lead you through the basics with humor and practical tips to study.
