Early in my career I was fortunate enough to work for a sales leader that challenged and inspired me to be the best sales professional I could be. Every month at our sales meeting he would ask “What are you reading?” He was an avid reader and encouraged everyone around him to do the same. This habit of continuous education has served me well and will continue to do so.

Below is a list of books I have read (many of them multiple times) which have had an impact on my career. It is by no means the entire list, and I suspect I have missed a few. That said, the following is a solid list of books on sales, sales related topics, professional development you may find helpful. I have also referenced quite a few of my favorites within my own book, The Profession of Sales, which are included below.

Agile Selling: Get Up To Speed Quickly In Today’s Ever-Changing Sales World by Jill Konrath

Discover: Questions Get You Connected by Deb Calvert

Evil Plans: Having Fun on the Road to World Domination by Hugh MacLeod

Exactly What to Say: The Magic Words for Influence and Impact by Phil M. Jones

Fanatical Prospecting: The Ultimate Guide To Opening Sales Conversations And Filling The Pipeline By Leveraging Social Selling, Telephone, Email, Text & Cold Calling by Jeb Blount

Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance by Angela Duckworth

High Performance Habits: How Extraodinary People Become That Way by Brendon Burchard

How To Become A Rainmaker: The Rules For Getting And Keeping Customers And Clients by Jeffery J. Fox

How To Say Anything to Anyone by Shari Harley

Mastering The Complex Sale by Jeff Thull

Never Split the Difference, Negotating As If Your Life Depended On It by Chris Voss

Objections: The Ultimate Guide for Mastering The Art and Science of Getting Past No by Jeb Blount

Outliers: The Story Of Success by Malcolm Gladwell

Pitch Anything: An Innovative Method for Presenting, Persuading, and Winning the Deal by Oren Klaff

Sales Tough: The 8 Fundamentals To Being Tough In Sales by Sam Parker & Jim Gould

Sales Actualization: Outselling the Internet by Dennis O’neil

Smart Selling: Strategies To Reinvent The Sales Process by Gerry Layo

Spin Selling by Neil Rackham

The Challenger Sale, Taking Control of the Customer Conversation by Matthew Dixon & Brent Adamson

The Go-Giver, A Little Story About a Powerful Business Idea by Bob Burg and John David Mann

The Listening Life: Embracing Attentiveness in a World of Distraction by Adam S. McHugh

The Little Red Book Of Selling: 12.5 Principles Of Sales Greatness by Jeffery Gitomer

The Lost Art of Closing, Winning the Ten Commitments That Drive Sales by Anthony Iannarino

The Magic Lamp: Goal Setting for People Who Hate Setting Goals by Keith Ellis

The Only Sales Guide You’ll Ever Need by Anthony Iannarino

The Thin Book of Trust: An Essential Primer For Building Trust At Work by Charles Feltman

To Sell Is Human: The Surprising Truth About Moving Others by Daniel Pink

Traction: Get A Grip On Your Business by Gino Wickman

UnMarketing: Stop Marketing, Start Engaging by Scott Stratton

Verbal Judo: The Gentle Art Of Persuasion by George J. Thomas

If you want more books email me at Les@LesLent.com and put “Books” in the subject line, or send me a list of your favorite books!