GB Ep 15: My Favorite Sales Books or Blogs

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Welcome to another episode of Growth Bites. Today we’re talking about my favorite sales books and blogs. These are some of my must-reads for my sales team and what leaders in Silicon Valley are reading.

• Start your reading list with “Predictable Revenue” by Aaron Ross [01:26]
• A lot of SaaS develop Aaron’s predictable revenue model by hiring separate closers and executives. It’s hard to do be both roles efficiently and they should be specialized whenever possible. [01:51]
• The book also lays out compensation structure and tools you can use. [02:21]
• Aaron Ross also has a blog called PredictableRevenue.com with free resources and information and serves as a Bible for Silicon Valley. [02:40]
• Next, pick up “Ultimate Sales Machine” by Chet Holmes. This book takes a look at what it really takes to close deal. There are actionable tips you can do like make up a list of 100 dream companies you want to work with, how to approach people with cold calling, and getting past a gatekeeper. [03:02]
• In my opinion, combining email with cold calling works well to add some personal touches. [03:42]
• Another great book is “Influence” by Robert B. Cialdini. It lays out different case studies to why people do what they do.
• For example, the Anchor Strategy includes walking into a store and deciding not to buy a jacket for $1,000. But on your way out, you get stopped by a sales rep who tells you it’s only $400. When the price lowers, the cost doesn’t see so bad. [04:51]
• Read Jason Lemkin’s blog, SaaStr.com. Jason is the co-founder of Echosign and they broke over 100 million before selling the company to Adobe. Jason discusses when it’s time to hire a VP of Sales, metrics you should look at, lead velocity rate, numbers to hit billion dollar company. [6:06]
• You can also check out Jason’s writing on Quora. [7:35]

Selected Links from this Episode:

• “Predictable Revenue: Turn Your Business Into a Sales Machine with the $100 Million Best Practices of Salesforce.com” by Aaron Ross
• Aaron Ross’ PredictableRevenue.com blog
• “The Ultimate Sales Machine: Turbocharge Your Business with Relentless Focus on 12 Key Strategies” by Chet Holmes
• Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion, Revised Edition by Robert B. Cialdini
• Jason Lemkin’s blog SaaStr.com
• Read Jason Lemkin on Quora
• My interview with Jason Lemkin for Growth Everywhere

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Connect with Eric Siu:

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