17 Books on Cold Calling to Ignite Sales in 2023 Glass February 20, 2023
Cold calling can be a daunting activity, but it is still a very effective tool in the sales playbook.
According to Rain Group, 57% of C-level buyers prefer phone calls over other forms of communication.
If you're looking to brush up on your cold-calling skills in 2023, look no further! We've rounded up the 17 best cold-calling books for you.
From books about learning the basics of cold calls to advanced books focused on sales techniques and strategies, there's something for everyone here.
1. Cold Calling Techniques: That Really Work! by Stephan Schiffman
Image. Cold Calling Techniques (That Really Work) by Stephen Schiffman.
Now in its sixth edition, this book was last updated in 2007. Take your career to the apex with Stephan Schiffman—the nation's premier Corporate Sales Trainer.
This user-friendly guide eliminates today's cold-calling roadblocks such as voicemail, mobile phones, and emails for guaranteed success.
As a seasoned business leader of a sales team and knowledge guru, the updated anniversary edition of Cold Calling Techniques offers an abundance of promising leads that will help you secure more deals.
Don't miss out on this exclusive opportunity; follow his advice and take charge of your future.
160 pages. $16.87
2. Fanatical Prospecting: The Ultimate Guide to Opening Sales Conversations and Filling the Pipeline by Leveraging Social Selling, Telephone, Email, Text, and Cold Calling by Jeb Blount
Image. Fantastical Prospecting by Jeb Blount.
Fanatical Prospecting has over 3,299 reviews and a 4.5+ star average rating on Amazon.
First published in 2015, this comprehensive guide by Jeb Blount features high-powered strategies, techniques, and sales tools that will help you fill up your pipeline with quality opportunities.
His book contains the following unique frameworks:
"30-Day Rule" for keeping your pipeline full
"Law of Replacement" to avoid sales slumps
"Law of Familiarity" to reduce and avoid friction and rejection
"5 Cs of Social Selling"
"5-Step Telephone Framework"
"4-Step Email Prospecting Framework"
"7-Step Text Message Prospecting Framework"
304 pages. $25.99
3. Selling the Cloud: A Playbook for Success in Cloud Software and Enterprise Sales by Mark Petruzzi and Paul Melchiorre
Image. Selling the Cloud by Mark Petruzzi and Paul Melchiorre.
Published in 2020, this book is a must-have for sales teams, selling SaaS.
Mark Petruzzi and Paul Melchiorre—trailblazers in enterprise and cloud software product and services sales, channel/alliances strategy, and M&A deal advisory—have developed, refined, and applied innovative strategies over the past 25 years to become enterprise cloud software sales leaders.
In Selling the Cloud, the book covers their journey and the key sales tactics they used to bring their business success.
Their concepts are geared towards enterprise cloud software sales leaders and reps but are a valuable reference for anyone involved in B2B sales.
Selling the Cloud ranked #1 in Sales and Sales Management on Amazon in New Releases.
203 pages. $14.99
4. Cold Calling for Cowards: How to Turn the Fear of Rejection into Opportunities, Sales, and Money by Jerry Hocutt
Image. Cold Calling for Cowards by Jerry Hocutt.
Released in 2007, this book contains a plethora of tactics and strategies that the author has acquired through their own knowledge along with the lessons learned from over 150,000 salespersons, managers, leaders, and entrepreneurs who have been part of their widely renowned Cold Calling for Cowards seminars.
These cold-calling techniques are effortless yet yield great results!
Cold Calling for Cowards covers how to make 3,800 cold calls this year in only 6 minutes per day, how to use Chinese brainwashing techniques to qualify prospects, how to ask the magic 6 questions to predict sales outcomes, make your voicemail jailbreak, and learn the best question to ask on a first sales call.
298 pages. $21.95
5. The Secrets to Cold Call Success: Close More Business in Less Time Than Ever Before by Paul Neuberger
Image. The Secrets to Cold Call Success by Paul Neuberger.
Paul M. Neuberger, better known as The Cold Call Coach, has taught thousands of salespeople in over 120 countries to close more business in less time.
In this book, he teaches that cold calling is about strategy, not luck.
He provides a comprehensive guide for mastering the cold call to get in front of desired prospects, leveraging sales psychology to connect quickly and drive memorable conversations.
Paul shares the five building blocks of crafting a perfect script and a step-by-step guide to creating your own unique one.
Don't let cold calling intimidate you—use Paul's game-changing methodology to experience the transformation and see the impact it can make on your career.
186 pages. $14.99
6. Smart Calling: Eliminate the Fear, Failure, and Rejection from Cold Calling by Art Sobczak
Image. Smart Calling by Art Sobczak
In Smart Calling: Eliminate the Fear, Failure, and Rejection from Cold Calling, Art Sobczak provides powerful insight into prospecting by phone.
This best-selling guide to "never experiencing rejection again" has consistently ranked in Amazon's Sales Top 20.
The new edition has updated info, real-life examples, multiple case studies, successful salesperson messaging, and proven methodologies to help you conquer your fear and get more "yeses" from prospects.
Plus, access the Smart Calling Companion Course with tech resources and best practices to keep you up-to-date.
If you're struggling with converting prospects, let Smart Calling help you turn a "no" into a "yes."
Smart calling helps those seemingly difficult conversations become a natural part of the process and eliminate the fear of rejection.
288 pages. $25.00
7. Power Phone Scripts: 500 Word-for-Word Questions, Phrases, and Conversations to Open and Close More Sales by Mike Brooks
Image. Power Phone Scripts by Mike Brooks.
Published in 2017 by Wiley, this book goes beyond sales scripts and serves as a comprehensive guidebook for any inside sales representative.
From addressing worries to inspiring action, become the bridge between your prospects’ issues and the perfect answer: you!
This invaluable resource provides hands-on advice that is both entertaining and adapted to our current business climate—it's all you need to be on top of the leaderboard.
304 pages. $23.23
8. How to Master the Art of Selling by Tom Hopkins
Image. How to Master the Art of Selling by Tom Hopkins.
In this revised 2005 edition of How to Master the Art of Selling, Tom Hopkins teaches you how to be successful in selling.
He explains how to create the ideal selling environment, ask necessary questions and tie-downs, prospect through referrals and non-referrals, and "sell" to important people in your life.
Hopkins also emphasizes the utilization of phone techniques, how to finesse the first meeting, deal with objections and handle the word "no," test different closes and master sixteen powerful closes, and plan for maximum selling impact.
Hopkins also shows you how you can incorporate his great selling methods into your own!
These methods are applicable to the art of cold calling, improving common sales mistakes, and helping you become a better sales negotiator.
416 pages. $16.99
9. Selling 101: What Every Successful Sales Professional Needs to Know by Zig Ziglar
Image. Selling 101 by Zig Ziglar.
This book, published in 2003, draws from Ziglar on Selling.
Looking to persuade more people with ethics? This book provides concise tips on how to do so.
Ziglar draws from his foundational sales experiences and demonstrates that although the basics of selling remain constant, it's essential for salespeople to never stop learning, live in the moment, and look ahead.
Learn from past events without getting stuck there; live by actively engaging in each day’s opportunities; look forward optimistically and continue educating yourself!
112 pages. $11.03
10. Never Split the Difference by Chris Voss
Image. Never Split the Difference by Chris Voss.
Chris Voss began his career as an FBI hostage negotiator after working on the streets of Kansas City, Missouri, eventually becoming the lead international kidnapping negotiator.
Never Split the Difference takes readers into the world of high-stakes negotiations, showing how Voss and his colleagues were able to save lives.
In this book, Voss shares nine counterintuitive tactics and strategies that anyone can use to become more persuasive in both their professional and personal life and delves into emotional intelligence and intuition when making your case.
288 pages. $9.08
11. Pick Up the Phone and Sell: How Proactive Calls to Customers and Prospects Can Double Your Sales by Alex Goldfayn
Image. Pick Up the Phone and Sell by Alex Goldfayn.
Published in 2021, in Pick Up The Phone and Sell, renowned sales author, David Goldfayn, offers vital advice on how to use the telephone to supercharge your sales skills.
This book teaches how to reach out to strangers successfully, both through phone calls and text messages.
It also provides insight into effectively integrating social media platforms such as LinkedIn into your sales strategy.
Additionally, readers are provided with direction on how to overcome the fear of making cold calls and effectively warm up any call.
Suitable for new sales reps and experienced salespeople alike, the book offers sales insights and numerous tips that will guide you along your journey to becoming a sales professional.
336 pages. $25
See also: Top 7 Sales Rep Apps for Peak Performance in 2024
12. To Sell Is Human: The Surprising Truth About Moving Others by Daniel Pink
Image. To Sell Is Human by Daniel H. Pink.
Published in 2013, in To Sell Is Human, Daniel H. Pink uses research in social sciences to discuss the art and science of selling in a new way.
He discusses how the phrase "Always Be Closing" is no longer a valid approach, why being an extrovert is not necessarily advantageous in sales, and how providing people with an "off-ramp" to their actions can be more useful than trying to change their minds.
Pink outlines six alternatives to the elevator pitch, three rules for understanding another's perspective, and five frames for making messages more persuasive.
Speaking of being persuasive, check out our guide to the Best Books for Persuasion!
272 pages. $15.30
13. Conversations Made Easy: Building Your Playbook for Growing Sales and Connecting with Customers by Chris Jennings
Image. Conversations Made Easy by Chris Jennings.
For sales professionals and business leaders, effective and genuine communication is an ongoing challenge, especially when it comes to acquiring new customers and enhancing team performance.
This struggle can have a substantial and lasting effect, influencing both profits and reputation.
Sales negotiation has many roads it can travel, which is why each tactic is crucial to your success.
Rather than relying on price discounts and generic pitches to attract business, let your team observe and experience genuine leadership so they can also become proficient leaders.
Chris Jennings, an entrepreneur and communications specialist, shows in his book, Conversations Made Easy, published in 2023, how to make some of your most challenging conversations smoother and more genuine to create certainty, establish trust, and upgrade the abilities of each customer-facing member of your team.
Chris eliminates the clichéd sales script and the guesswork of making a connection with your customers.
His framework assists you in leading authentically and providing your employees with the necessary tools and attitude they need to get business and form long-term customer relationships.
224 pages. $19.99
14. How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie
Image. How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie.
After 40 years, Dale Carnegie's How to Win Friends and Influence People has been updated and a new edition published in 2022!
This version includes material from the original 1936 edition, making it even more invaluable. Even with leverage technology improving, Dale Carnegie's book has stood the test of time.
Carnegie's advice is still applicable due to its timeless nature, as it answers questions about human relationships.
How to Win Friends and Influence People teaches readers how to communicate effectively, make friends, increase their productivity, get people to agree with them, lead others, and successfully navigate social and business situations, with invaluable lessons for any salesperson or team.
320 pages. $25.67
15. The Complete Idiot's Guide to Cold Calling by Keith Rosen
Image. The Complete Idiot's Guide to Cold Calling by Keith Rosen.
Published in 2004, The Complete Idiot's Guide to Cold Calling will teach you how to use the 7 steps of a permission-based conversation to avoid pushing your presentation, create winning voicemail messages, and develop your Most Valuable Proposition (MVP) to stand out in the competition.
You will also learn how to come up with compelling reasons to motivate prospects, prevent and handle initial objections, create a personalized prospecting and follow-up system, and develop the right questions to uncover new sales opportunities quickly.
This guide covers a wide array of cold calling methods from practical advice to in-depth analysis of the selling process.
Rosen's guide is a great read for anyone who is looking to improve their cold-calling game plan.
336 pages. $12.18
16. Gap Selling: Getting the Customer to Yes: How Problem-Centric Selling Increases Sales by Changing Everything You Know About Relationships, Overcoming Objections, Closing and Price by Keenan
Image. Gap Selling by Keenan.
Keenan's book, Gap Selling, published in 2018, is revolutionizing the sales industry.
He makes no excuses for breaking down long-held sales myths that lead to poor sales performance.
Kennan's powerful new approach enables sellers to become highly influential in the buyer's journey, resulting in shorter sales cycles, larger revenue and deal sizes, higher win rates, fewer no decisions, more leads, and happier buyers.
Keenan is the head honcho of A Sales Guy Inc., a sales consulting firm, and the renowned author of Not Taught: What It Takes to be Successful in the 21st Century That Nobody’s Teaching You.
234 pages. $27
17. Take the Cold Out of Cold Calling by Sam Richter
Image. Take the Cold Out of Cold Calling by Sam Richter.
Take the Cold Out of Cold Calling will help you discover the secret world of online information, how to access it, and how to use it to build meaningful relationships with customers and prospects.
The book gives step-by-step instructions and provides real examples of how to use Google, LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, and other premium information resources to your advantage.
These resources offer insightful tips on what it takes to master cold calling.
Additionally, you will learn the theory of the ''Fourth R'' and value-based ''warm call selling,'' as well as how to use the ''Customer Data Aggregator'' and expert ''Warm Call Scripts'' to organize your information and make a great first impression.
Take the Cold Out of Cold Calling was the winner of the 2012 Sales Book of the Year award and Axiom Business Book Awards Medalist.
312 pages. $34.28
In closing
To sum it up, the sales industry is ever-changing, and marketers must be on top of their game to keep utilizing current techniques and strategies.
The books on this list cover a wide range of topics, from a traditional cold-calling campaign to leveraging neuroscience principles for better customer engagement.
If you're just starting out or striving to upgrade your abilities, these books can give you insightful knowledge on how customers think and act. With the right combination of knowledge and effort, any marketer should be able to increase their product sales online!
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