AUTO SALES BOOKSI've been very involved in coaching and mentoring of salespeople and frequently I get a similar request from salespeople I am working with. The request is for advice on what they should do next to develop their career or to achieve more. My answer is personalised, and usually consists of several things, but my top three answers are often: 1. read sales books, 2. read sales books and 3. read sales books!
Recently, a Prestige Dealership Sales Manager explained to me that he cannot read ( sales ) books because it gives him headaches. With a few questions, I found out that he had started reading a sales book several years ago, and reading the book brought on a headache. He went to the doctor, who recommended glasses. He didn't like that idea, so to save himself from a particular sort of headache, he decided not to read books. However, he now had a different type of 'headache' which was more lasting: he was stuck in his job situation and had no means of action to get out of it other than to change jobs.
Another frequent example of missed opportunities I see is when salespeople apply for management roles. Usually, the question comes up "What do you know about management?" and the answer is limited to their own experience of their own Sales Manager/s, i.e, the bare minimum. In these instances, even though the interviewer is not in Sales or Management, they have usually read a few books to familiarise themselves with some of the concepts and requirements of the position.
If a salesperson reads just one sales book a month for a year in sales, it would not only put him/her ahead of the inexperienced pack in the management job application, but would enhance sales skills, broaden the range of available concepts and improve thinking. In each of these examples, I have seen salespeople argue for their limitations: "I want to learn for myself," ( even if it takes me years longer ) and "I don't have time to read."
Many of the salespeople who explain that they don't have time to read sales books to progress their careers will watch television for 2-3 hours a night. When I ask what they've watched on television in the last month that has helped their careers, the answer is always a rueful 'nothing.' If I ask what effect they think that reading sales books will have, they answer in a variety of positive ways.
So what should you do? Well to begin with, make sales books available for yourself. Buy a few sales books and keep them in plain sight in your home ( like on top of the TV remote control! ), so when you have some spare time, it is easier to exercise your choice to read over watching TV, for example. It's similar to deciding that you'd like to eat healthily; it's much harder if you don't keep healthy food in the refrigerator. You need to have healthy food available to make the choice easier. A similar principle applies for your brain - keep healthy brain-food available. Buy some books.
To give you a starting or continuing point, I've created a list of some recommended books below. Selective reading is a simple, proven way to help increase your income. If strategic reading becomes one of your success habits, you are more likely to acquire knowledge, thoughts and skills that will help develop your income. As one of my colleagues says, 'the more you learn, the more you earn.'
Recommended Sales Books
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