The Ultimate Sales Reading List: 6 Books You Can’t Miss in 2024

Welcome to the Diary of a Sales Expert Podcast.

My name's James White and I'm on a mission to help business owners and sales professionals all over the world get incredible sales results.

So thanks for listening and let's get started.

Okay.

Welcome back to the podcast.

And we are getting close to the Christmas period now.

You're probably in a position where you're starting to think about winding down and maybe getting some time to have some time with a family or having some time away, which is cool.

So look, I wanted to just do this week's podcast on a slightly different subject as normal.

And I wanted to talk about two things really.

I wanted to basically share with you ace, and find out what your highlights are of the year.

So let me know your highlights of the year and what's worked for you.

But with Christmas coming up and you might be listening to this, thinking you've got someone that you know that's a business person and you're, you're thinking, well, you know, well, what can I get in for Christmas?

So I wanted to share with you six books that I've read this year.

They're not all been released this year, but I've read them this year and read them again this year in some cases that I wanted to share with you that I really enjoyed.

So I thought you could maybe, if you're thinking of struggling, have something to buy for someone, then it gives you an opportunity to do just that.

So I wanted to talk about the six.

I'm not going into too much detail with them all because otherwise the podcast will last for ages.

And I wouldn't want to do that as we know we're short of time.

But I wanted to just talk a little bit about them on what they are and why I like them so much.

And the first book, and by the way, I'm holding the book up, if you watch this on the YouTube channel, then you can see the book, what it looks like first book, if you're not, if you listen to it, it's a book called what your customer wants and can't tell you, which is by a lady called Melina Palmer.

Now, I had the pleasure to interview Melina on the podcast a couple of months back, actually might even be at the start of the year.

We'll put a link to the show notes for that.

But the reason I love this book is that it's.

And by the way, she's also just released a book on pricing.

She's also got a book on what your employees, what your employee wants to wants and can't tell you.

But this book is about customers.

And the reason I love it so much is that it's related to sales and how we can engage with understanding the buyers that we've talked to.

And there's so many good points in there.

Melina is a geek around behavioral economics and how people behave.

And it's an area that I love as well myself to understand people's side psyche.

I talk a lot about how people are critical to sales and sales success and what we do.

And I absolutely love the comments and things that she puts in here, what she talks about and what she's done within her book around understanding the way people operate.

So for example, being loss aversion.

So people losing something is greater than them winning something.

So even though it's the same value, it's seven times more impactful if they lose something.

So again, why does that help me?

It's helped me in a sales situation to talk about the impact of not achieving something or the impact of someone losing out rather than gaining loss is far greater to us than gaining the way in which we frame information, the way in which we talk about stuff before we say something.

Anchoring, for example, is a good example.

If we anchor a price high rather than low.

There's so many different elements around how people's brains work and how you can use words to get the right results for people and get impacts that I think are just really incredible.

And she's not only a wonderful lady.

When I had the chance to interview on the podcast, her books are brilliant.

There's so many insights from there that I absolutely love that I just literally put notes on.

And afterwards it kept going back to.

As I say, they're about framing how we frame something.

How sometimes people will use stuff with, you know, they'll position things in a certain way.

She used to talk about how if you went into the shops and saw something that was 90%, 95% fat, would you buy it or would you say if it was.

Sorry, if it was.

If it was 95% fat free or 5% fat.

And the point being is you go for the 95 rather than the 5.

So the point is the words we use and the way we start.

Stacer frames things and Molina Palmer's book is a brilliant example of that and I really encourage you to read it.

It's, yeah, definitely one that you'll enjoy.

So that's Book number one.

Book number two.

And by the way, if you're in business again, you can always take these people.

Oh, a guy that I listen to a podcast recommended, especially if your partner, your loved one or daughter, son, whatever is in business, then they'll love these as well, so.

Or some of them.

Anyway.

Point number two is a book called Copyrighting Secrets by a guy called Jim Edwards.

And I recommended to look at this book and read this book and this book.

You might look at it and think, oh, that's a bit of a clean book, James.

My previous book had so many dog ears, but I gave it away.

It was that good a book.

And Jim Edwards talks around how as business owners, we generally try to give copy copies about how do we phrase or words.

And again, based upon what Melina talks about, how can we use the power of words to get people to buy more and to do more.

And yeah, look, I just think it's a genius book.

It helps people from a real sales perspective because it talks to people about what it is that your product or service does.

It talks around the reasons why people buy it talks around ways in which to put words in place that can help people, you know, define a problem and then you bring that problem to life.

There's so many good parts of this.

One thing I took from the book, which is really interesting that he I used to think copy was the job of someone else and people might say, oh well, I'm an executive, I can't be focused on copy.

But if you're a business owner, then you no one knows your business better than you do.

And Jim says in his book that no one can teach people to write great copy in the same way as you can write great copy about your business.

And when you do master the art of writing great copy, and I've seen this in even posts on social media, for example, as an example of writing great copy.

If you master that, then it's.

Well, it just puts you in a position where your posts are going to be viewed by more people because it's attracted interest.

We've got to create that curiosity.

I talk a lot about creating the hooks.

So again, if you're in sales and business, you might think, I don't want to learn about copy.

You do, because you need your emails and your social messages and the words you say to your prospects to be taken up on.

And Jim, Jim, Jim's book and the activities that he covers off in there, I think are brilliant.

So book number two, Copyrighting Secrets by Jim Edwards, really, really Good book.

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it's a great resource that I'm sure if you start to utilize it, you can be able to hit the plans that you want.

Now back to the podcast.

So book number three.

Now this probably isn't for everyone, but it's a book that I find really, really helpful, especially if you're a person in sales that wants to become a sales manager.

And it's a book called the Qualified Sales leader by John McMahon.

This is a book that I think is a really, really good book and ideal for someone that's in a, in a, in a sales role and a sales environment that wants to progress and develop.

He talks through a number of methods of why people were not getting results.

A lot of stuff I learned in there that I knew, sort of knew already, but have helped me apply a lot of those elements in the work that I do with clients and in my own businesses to make sure that we've got, that we really go through the whole process and the buying process and what great sales leaders do are able to help shape that for people and get better results and save wasting ourselves time and energy.

And you know, the reality is there are so many parts of the buying process now that we have to get right if we're not, if we save ourselves time.

And when you're a sales manager, if you move into a sales role, if you've just been given that responsibility, your team's looking up for you to do that.

And if you are in that position or if you're a business leader that wants to get your sales team team, you know, doing more and achieving More then it's a great thing to do.

And by the way if you're a business leader listening to this thinking oh I shouldn't be good at sales rubbish.

As a business owner you're that you should be the best person at sales.

And so being able to learn and listen from a guy that was achieved incredible success in a software career and a business career in corporate America.

John Mahon's book I really enjoyed reading and I've gone back to a number of times afterwards.

So the qualified sales leader.

Another great book, Book Number four is a funny book and I'm actually three quarters way read through this so I can't yet tell you everything about it that I would like to but it's called Number Mania and it's a book written by two guys, Michael Darlin and Helga Thor Bjornsson and how numbers are taken over our lives and how they talk about how the effects that numbers and the way in which numbers say and it means it enables us to.

To do more and achieve more.

And again that there is, there's so many bits of it that I've that have taken up from studies that they've done of how numbers and the way certain numbers work will position things in a different way.

And the reality is the experts, the businesses, the companies that are really successful are the ones that are able to shape and use numbers in a certain way that mere mortals don't.

And so if you want to become an expert in learning how to spot trends and know how to spot certain things and you know why you know, you know certain videos do better than others, why certain posts do better than others, how the amount of things that we do in activity levels can help us decide economically what we're going to do to buy things.

There's so many elements around numbers that have worked themselves into this.

And again Michael and Helga are behavioral economics, behavioral economists.

And I guess the theme for me when it comes to this is I'm a big believer and I've said I've known for a long time that sales is about understanding people is people psyche.

And the more you can learn about how people operate, the way people behave, the way people do things, the better it is.

So Number Media, another book on your list.

So the final two, the final one bit of business one and the other one is more of an interesting personal one that I'll share.

But this is a new book that I picked up only a couple of months ago actually called Cold Calling Sucks by Armand Faruka Nicki Chaski.

And look, I I bought this because I do a lot of training with people and people still say, oh, cold calling doesn't work.

It's really right.

It's not right in the current time frames and blah, blah, blah.

And I've just set up a business in, or set up a business this year in South Africa, which is, you know, picking up the phone, speaking to people.

And I found the book.

I'm still reading it, actually, still not through it yet.

But a really interesting thing to be able to go through methods and a message to be able to get the results you want.

The bit I really like about it, which I've not seen in other books, is that they have some QR codes in the book and if you scan the QR code, it goes to a video where they'll talk about tonality as well as actual what words to say.

So they've also identified that it's not just the words you say, but it's how you say it that's critical.

And I found it really interesting to listen.

Again, I know a lot, I teach this sort of stuff, but I'm forever sharpening my sore as well.

As a business owner, I'm not in any way, shape or form arrogant enough to think I know it all and I can't learn from other people.

I can.

And there are two young guys here that have been in the field that have made lots and lots of dials on a regular basis.

And I know I can learn from those guys in the same way.

So, yeah, cold Calling sucks if you're in sales and you have to prospect, you have to find new opportunities.

It's a book worth listening to, reading as well.

And then my final book is just a really interesting book that I picked up on that I'd never seen before, but I wanted to share it because I thought it was quite interesting, especially with the way the world is right now.

And it's maybe a read for in between Christmas and New Year, if you're having some downtime.

And it's called Red Notice, it's by a guy called Bill Bowder and a Browder, I should say.

And he was an investment manager or firm at a firm.

And basically he built up a large portfolio of success in business in Russia.

And then suddenly was that was all taken away from him when he started to threaten Vladimir Putin and some of the people in.

In the.

In the Russian hierarchies and world.

And I guess the reason I was intrigued by this book and I thought it was quite interesting for me was that, you know, it was I was always a little bit skeptical around, sort of not skeptical.

I'm a little.

I also think about lots of things.

I query whether the way that the media gives us information is as it is.

But what Bill's book talks about in this, in the story about is how unfortunately, you know, Russia is sadly a corrupted organization country with people at the top who are just eager to cling on to power and don't want to and will threaten and kill anyone that threatens that and the story, you know, he's either a very good storyteller and I don't think he is, because I've seen him talk at other events about what happened and you know, he's under threat.

He's been given death threats, he's had people threatened from, from Russia that want to kill him.

But he keeps on sharing his stories.

He's written another book around of why this is important.

And I think to me it was just around just understanding the way the modern world is and how people are.

Again, it's about how people operate around power and the people don't want to let go of power.

And again, especially if you're selling into certain environments, it's a book that be aware of the way people operate, the way people behave.

So look, there they are, there are my six books for this year.

I've really enjoyed reading, listening to these books.

I try and read one a month.

I try and set myself a little task actually.

And by the way, as we get into New Year, say something.

Read 20 pages a day.

One of the things I started to do was to read 20 pages a day.

And if you stick thinking about setting up for New Year's resolutions, now's the time, just before we get to New Year, order a couple of books, maybe one of these two, and then read 10 pages a day, you know, in the morning, the evening, whatever, just give yourself that time.

I think it's a big help, enables me to read over the course of the year, you know, 12 books or so which improve my knowledge, improve my, you know, my ability to do things and the results that I can gain.

And as we all know, the more we learn, education is the power to everything.

So yeah, these books, all business focused mixture of things, can help you on your sales and business journey.

So I wanted to interrupt the podcast just because I want to ask one small favor.

If you really enjoy the podcast, could you do me a favor and just give us a review?

Just head on over to your podcast network and just basically put in a review and tell other people what you Think to it.

Now back to the podcast.

So that's sort of it for this week.

I hope it's been a bit of a different type of podcast that you found it useful.

By the way, if there's a book on my list that's not there, let me know what it should be.

I'm always intrigued to know.

I've read also read Fortitude, Laws of Power by Robert Greene.

I've read.

What else have I read this year that's been really powerful, really useful for me?

A couple of sales books, Jamal Ryan and Big Deal Secrets.

I've read a few of them.

But I'm always intrigued to look for other books that I should read as well.

So please let me know what other books should I have on my Christmas list that I can tell Mrs.

White and my family that will be useful for me to read?

I'd love to see what those are.

Please let me know.

But as we get in towards the Christmas period, get these on your Christmas list or put them on a Christmas list for, for other people.

I'm sure they're going to love them.

I did and I think you'll get huge value from them as well.

So, as I always do, I wanted just to lead leave the podcast with a.

A inspirational story.

And I am running out of inspirational stories, if I'm honest with you.

So I, I think that stories like this to help us inspire and make us feel wow, what people can achieve.

And I wanted just to talk a little bit today about a guy called Alain Robert.

Do you like the French accent there, Alain Robert?

It's only about French I can do.

Who is basically called the French Spider Man.

Search for him.

Search for Alain Robert, the French Spider Man.

Now why is he inspirational?

Some would say he's mad.

Some say he's being.

He's wrong to do what he does.

But he climbs cliffs.

He climbs mountains.

He's climbed some of the world's tallest building, the skyscrapers without safety.

He does it literally without ropes.

So he climbed the Burj Al Khalifa in Dubai almost 3,000ft without any equipment.

And is that inspirational?

Is that madness?

Probably a fine line between the two.

But the reality is he inspires me to be brave and to do things that no one else thinks is possible.

I think part of what we do in business and sales is to be just that.

So Alain Robert is my inspirational story.

I'm sure one day maybe he may one day fail and someone will say, oh, look at him, what happened?

But he'll have inspired millions of people along the way.

So search for him, have a look for him on YouTube searches.

He's going to Christmas.

Some of the stuff he's done.

Incredible man.

What he's achieved by with no safety measures and just proves the point that if you believe you can do it and you believe in yourself enough, you can make anything happen.

So that's it for this week's podcast.

Again, thank you so much.

Next week is Christmas, as I say.

Look, hope you've enjoyed the podcast this year as well.

Thank you so much for your support.

Put these books on your list that you're going to find them useful.

Thanks so much for your ears and for listening and have a brilliant week.

Have a brilliant work.

Wish of Christmas when you speak to me next week as well.

But have a great couple of days maybe celebrating with loved ones and family and work colleagues and stay safe.

See you soon.

So thank you so much for listening to this episode.

I hope you've enjoyed.

If you have, please subscribe to the podcast.

It helps us ensure more people can get the insights and ideas they need to get incredible sales results.

Look forward to seeing you on the next episode.