3 Books That Will Make You a Better Closer Than 99% of People

If you want to crush your sales goals, close deals with confidence, and become the kind of seller that people trust and buy from, there are a thousand gimmicks out there.

But the truth?

There are no shortcuts. Just fundamentals. Master them, and you’ll outperform 99% of people in the game.

These three books aren’t filled with cheesy closing lines or outdated sales tactics. They’re battle-tested resources that helped me up my sales game immensely.

If you’re serious about sales...and I mean really serious...start here.

1. Let’s Get Real or Let’s Not Play: Transforming the Buyer/Seller Relationship (By Mahan Khalsa and Randy Illig)

This isn’t your average sales book. It flips the script on how most people think about selling.

Instead of pushing a product, this book teaches you how to partner with your buyer. It’s about trust, alignment, and qualifying the hell out of your prospects.

Here’s what you’ll learn:

• Be real, or walk away: This book throws out the fake enthusiasm and scripted closes. If you can’t help someone, say so. That authenticity builds real trust.

• Qualify with ruthless precision: If you’re wasting time on bad-fit leads, you’re sabotaging your own pipeline. This book gives you a framework to filter for fit fast, and walk away from time-wasters.

• Collaborate, don’t compete: When you shift your mindset from "I win if I close" to "we win if it’s a fit," magic happens. You stop sounding like a salesperson, and start sounding like someone who’s truly there to help.

This one book alone will force you to upgrade your conversations and focus on buyers who are actually ready to move.

2. To Sell Is Human: The Surprising Truth About Moving Others (By Daniel Pink)

Daniel Pink doesn’t come from a traditional sales background—and that’s what makes this book so powerful.

He breaks down the science of influence and shows that selling is just a form of human connection. Whether you're pitching software, raising capital, or convincing your kid to eat broccoli… you're in sales.

Key takeaways:

• Understand how people think: Pink dives into the psychology of decision-making, from social proof to emotional triggers. Learn this, and you'll write better emails, ask better questions, and run better demos.

• Empathy wins: Forget bulldozing through objections. Real closers listen deeply. This book trains you to get inside your buyer’s world and understand their true motivations.

• Tailor your pitch: One-size-fits-all selling is dead. Pink teaches you to adjust your communication style to match your prospect...and that subtle shift can double your close rate.

This book will rewire how you think about persuasion...and help you win more deals without feeling like you’re “selling.”

3. Learn to Love Selling (By Mark Cox)

This book is a personal favorite of mine...because, well...Mark has been my own personal sales coach for about the past 15 years!

If you're someone who knows sales is important—but it still makes your skin crawl—this is the book you need. Learn to Love Selling provides a practical framework for sellers to reframe the way they think...and they way they sell.

Game-changing insights include:

• You need a process: A lot of inexperienced sellers try to 'wing it' on every deal. Until you document a process to follow on every deal, you can't improve.

• Know your value: Selling starts in your head. When you believe in your value and your product, buyers sense it. Instead of leading with a mindset that you're interrupting someone when reaching out, think about the value you can add to their business and lead with that!

• Build a sales team with intention: Mark walks through an amazing process for hiring and onboarding of salespeople. This is something that so many companies get wrong, and I know from firsthand experience, Mark's methodology works!

For founders, creators, and technical folks who never thought they’d have to “sell,” this book is like a warm introduction to the world of revenue.

Final Thought: Sales Is a Skill...Not a Talent

You’re not born with the ability to close.

You learn it. You practice it. You build it like a muscle.

And these three books will build that muscle fast:

Let’s Get Real or Let’s Not Play

To Sell Is Human, and

Learn to Love Selling

They’ll help you master the psychology, the process, and the mindset required to become a top 1% closer.

If you’re tired of winging it or relying on brute force, dive into these books. Apply what you learn. And watch your results explode.

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Want to dive deeper on how you can improve your sales skills? Set up a time to chat.