What books should I read about marketing and sales – Recommendations from the Contentools team

Whether for pleasure, studying or reporting, reading improves vocabulary, improves reasoning and helps with interpretation. So we gathered our staff to point out some books on marketing and sales. Check out the list, choose which books you like best and start reading!

 

 

Spin Selling – Achieving Excellence in Sales
Neil Rackham

This is a book that helps with sales, especially with advisory. Its purpose is to teach salespeople to create a relationship with the customer and stimulate them, so the intention to buy comes from them.

The method is based on SPIN:
S: Situational. Understand better the terrain, how the process works, where you want to go;
P: Problem. What are the problems in the operation, in the metrics, what needs to be solved;
I: Implication. What happens if the problem is not solved, what the consequences are, and how important it is to focus on that solution;
N: Need. What needs to be done (usually the solution offered) to solve the problem. This step is for the customer to talk about the solution presented as ideal.

 

 

 

The Sales Acceleration Formula: Using data, technology and inbound selling
Mark Roberge

The book tells the trajectory, methods and difficulties encountered by Mark Roberge, the first person responsible for sales at Hubspot. From its beginning when they were still a startup of lean team until the IPO and a team with more than 1k people.
With a background in engineering, Mark – today CRO – has a remarkable feature of using data and metrics in all aspects of the team, not only in the sales process, but also in hiring, coaching, promotions, etc.

The book has several insights that can be applied immediately to your business and also exalts some mistakes you can avoid.

Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX and the Quest for a Fantastic Future
Ashlee Vance

A less technical book than the previous one, but one of the most inspiring I’ve had the pleasure of devouring (in five days). He tells the story of Elon Musk from the point of view of Ashlee Vance, who had the disponibility to accompany him day by day. There are also interviews with close family and friends, and even Elon’s own views of point.

A book that helps demystify the fantasy of “the good idea of ​​startup, live with young people in Silicon Valley and millionaires in a few months,” but also shows that it is possible for an immigrant from South Africa to become one of the world’s largest billionaires by competence and no luck.

The Hard Thing About Hard Things: Building a Business When There Are No Easy Answers
Ben Horowitz

The book is told from the perspective of Ben Horowitz, while still an entrepreneur. Today he is one of the most renowned investors in Silicon Valley, with its own venture capital firm, the a16c. Unlike most business strategy books, Ben brings a different point of view, no formulas of success, no shortcuts, but a lot of dedication, hard work and resilience!
Many books will tell you about entrepreneurial glamour, however, only a few show the bare reality as Ben does. Not coincidentally, it is one of the stories closest to the reality of entrepreneurship that I have read.

Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less
Greg Mckeown

Are you always full of things to do and cannot handle your tasks? Are you often busy but don’t feel productive? Have you become the resource in the company that everyone goes to when they need something? Do you go home exhausted feeling like you did not do everything that you should have done?

Well, this is a book that teaches you how to behave in the workplace, so that you can deliver the MAXIMUM value and enjoy your time the BEST way. Without necessarily having to work 25 hours a day or creating enemies on the way.

 

 

 

Emotional intelligence
Daniel Goleman

What defines success?
Is knowledge based on IQ?
What if we know that intelligence is emotion?
Daniel Goleman is a Ph.D. from Harvard University and proposes that a person’s IQ is not a determinant of success. From brain and behavioral research, Goleman shows that intelligence is directly linked to the way we control our emotions. IQ is basically impulse control, empathy, persistence, and social ability. In addition, it states that it can be developed in all of us, especially in children, in whom the neurological structure is still developing.

In addition to my preference, I also advise you to read:
Brand Sense – Martin Lindstrom – Book that addresses the five senses in relation to brands.
Wikibrands – Sean Moffitt, Mike Dover – How to Reinvent Your Company in a Customer Oriented Market.
The Networked Society – Manuel Castells – Economic and social dynamics in the information age.

 

 

 

Delivering Happiness – Satisfaction Guaranteed
Tony Hsieh, Zappos

This book talks about the journey of the CEO of ZAPPOS, a company that has become very famous in the US for being leader of online sales of footwear.
Tony talks about his journey from his earliest entrepreneurial experiments in his childhood to the moment in which his company became one of the most amazing cases of branding and customer service.
It is a great book for anyone looking to become an entrepreneur and also for people who want to understand how developing a company’s culture can be relevant in the growth process of their team.

 

 

Hooked
Nir Eyal

The book shows how successful companies created addictive products. It’s a guide for creating products that become routine in the lives of consumers. The book offers practical tips for creating habits, actionable steps for product improvement, and behavioral techniques used by big name companies like Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, and more.

“It’s priority reading for anyone who cares about user engagement.”

 

 

Practical Guide to New Business Tools
Alexandre B. Moreira Lima (et al.)

In this book I show in two chapters what a successful content strategy needs to have and also how to do co-marketing (a great way to start, for those who do not have an audience yet).

The book features several other interesting chapters with practical applications for email nutrition, UX Design, SAC 3.0, and other key concepts for companies that want to succeed in their digital strategies.

YOUTILITY – Why smart marketing is about help not hype
Jay Baer
In this book, Jay Baer shows how companies and people can and need to be useful – a key concept for anyone who uses content for marketing purposes.

And you, which book would you recommend? Share with us in the comments!