Reddit mentions: The best sales books

Well this seems like a good opportunity to post a few of the lessons I learned in my 20s.

To my former self:

If you're depressed, here's how to turn it around

• Stop drinking, this is the main cause.
  
  
• Lift weights. This alone could also stop depression. It's likely related to low testosterone levels
  
  
• Fapping too much makes the depression worse
  
  Fap less, and never to porn
  
  
• Ejaculating too often removed your motivation to take actions and start tasks. You can consider porn like a poison for the mind. Pleasurable but it desensitizes you to all other pleasures, making life seem bland and boring. Until the only thing you want is porn. It perpetuates itself.
  
  
  Gratitude
  
  
• Whatever you are grateful for will grow
  
  
• Gratitude is the only way to be happy. If you think about what happiness is, it's appreciating what you have. When you think of something that would make you happy, you are imagining yourself appreciating it when you get it.
  
  Wealth
  
  
• You can have anything you want, as long as you create enough value for others first.
  
  
• To be wealthy, don't try and do tomorrow's work today, just have a successful day each day. If you have more successful days than unsuccessful days, your wealth will grow. As you have successful and productive days, opportunities will be attracted to you.
  
  Theories
  
  
• The key to success in any area is having the right theory. A small amount of work, or a massive amount of work, with the wrong theory, won't lead to success.
  
  
• With the right theory, success will be relatively straight forward. When you do the thing, it will basically work every time. Anything that has been done many times before, can be done yourself with the correct theory
  
  
• When most people speak of the 'years of hard work' they put in before they 'cracked the game', usually means they were laboring under the wrong theory, and then one day they found the correct theory, and when they applied it, it worked. (excluding world class athletes, talking about common things like starting a business or growing muscles)
  
  
• Theories can be gathered by spending tens of thousands of dollars on seminars or tens of dollars on books. Both can contain theories that work and theories that don't work. Higher cost definitely does not mean they have the right theory
  
  
• Some theories can seem like they are guaranteed to work, but on testing, actually don't. When someone says they have the right theory, it will seem worth any price. Often they actually don't. Beware. If possible buy their book and test it for yourself, it's just as good in book form.
  
  
• This whole list is a list of theories, as you can see, they are usually quite simple and easy to understand. Complexity is usually a sign the person doesn't really know how things work
  
  
  Girls
  
  
• You cannot make a girl like you, you can however find a girl who likes you
  
  
• They key to getting girls is to get in excellent shape (lift weights), dress well, and talk to girls until you find one that likes you
  
  
• If a girl is unsure if she you likes you, won't go on a date with you, or doesn't let you touch her in anyway. She doesn't like you. Find one that wants all those things. Don't be fooled by girls who seem to REALLY like you but doesn't have time to meet, or won't let you touch her. They do not like you like that.
  
  
• Hot girls are just as likely to like you as not hot girls
  
  
• If you like a girl more than she likes you, and she doesn't want to meet up/hang out/have sex. Let her go and move on
  
  
  Career
  
  
• It's very easy to get ahead if you just try, most people don’t
  
  
• You career will naturally progress just through normal learning, don't worry about it
  
  
  Flow
  
  
• If you want things to happen without effort and struggle, live a life with gratitude and presence. Things will seem to happen easily and naturally.
  
  
  Meditation
  
  
• Mediation gives you the ability to be your best. Very handy for improving at anything, particularly gaming, as you see more and learn more. It gives you access to creativity in solving problems and improving your performance
  
  
• Mediation allows you to 'stop the mind'. Do this if you're stuck in over-analysis
  
  
• To meditate, set a time on your phone for 20 minutes, sit still and don't move a muscle, and focus on your breath as often as you can. Your mind will try to stray, just focus on your breath as much as able. This is how you quiet the mind
  
  *****
  Edit:
  
  To answer some requests, here's my list of resources.
  
  Wealth/Metaphysics
  
  
• http://www.audible.com.au/pd/Health-Personal-Development/The-Science-of-Getting-Rich-Audiobook/B00FMUQVSI
  This audiobook has the best summary I've found of how wealth works
  
  Lifting
  
  
• https://stronglifts.com/5x5/
  
  
• https://www.amazon.com/Starting-Strength-Basic-Barbell-Training/dp/0982522738
  
  
• http://startingstrength.com/
  
  
• http://www.leangains.com/2011/09/fuckarounditis.html
  
  How Procrastination works:
  
  
• https://waitbutwhy.com/2013/10/why-procrastinators-procrastinate.html
  
  
• https://waitbutwhy.com/2013/11/how-to-beat-procrastination.html
  
  How Business works
  
  
• https://www.amazon.com/Personal-MBA-Master-Art-Business/dp/1591845572
  
  What innovation actually is and how to do it:
  
  
• https://www.amazon.com/Innovation-Entrepreneurship-Peter-F-Drucker/dp/0060851139
  
  How economics works:
  
  
• https://www.amazon.com/How-Economy-Grows-Why-Crashes/dp/047052670X
  
  How to get things done:
  
  
• https://www.amazon.com/Getting-Things-Done-Stress-Free-Productivity/dp/0142000280
  
  Task Management tool:
  
  
• https://todoist.com/
  
  Spiritual Books
  
  
• Spiritual books won't make sense unless you've had an awakening, and you can't make this happen, it happens by chance/grace. If you have, anything by Eckhart Tolle will be amazing.
  
  How to be a man:
  
  
• https://www.amazon.com/Way-Superior-Man-Spiritual-Challenges/dp/1591792576
  
  
• https://www.amazon.com/Blue-Truth-Spiritual-Guide-Death/dp/1591792592
  
  Audiobooks (most of these can be found on audiobook):
  
  
• Audible.com
  
  Frame Control (Anytime you feel like you're trying too hard or begging for something, you lost the frame)
  
  
• https://www.amazon.com/Pitch-Anything-Innovative-Presenting-Persuading/dp/1501211811
  
  This is my favourite book of all. They talk about the new type of conscousness which is really really interesting to me. May not apply to all people.
  If anyone find this book interesting I'd love to talk about it:
  
  How the world works:
  
  
• https://www.amazon.com/Spiral-Dynamics-Mastering-Values-Leadership/dp/1405133562
  
  
• https://www.audible.com.au/pd/Spiral-Dynamics-Integral-Audiobook/B00FO5660E
  
  

My pleasure!

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All that is awesome! Your response means you're doing everything right as far as I can tell.

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Maybe illustration doesn't have "trade shows" but maybe there are more art shows to get involved in? Even if it's just volunteering to help work the event if there's no room to post your art.

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Competitions can be expensive but I think personally that the ROI would probably be way worth it. Don't quote me, but I'd be willing to bet that you could probably write off the entrance fee as a business expense on your taxes, which makes it "free" :D

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For art hanging, if after 6 months to a year I would move it to another place. Oh! Afterthought! You could potentially have the opportunity to hang your art at one of these new businesses, maybe they'll even want to purchase it themselves if they're still settling in.

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I'm not familiar with MailChimp but it should be like any other mass mailer. Do you have the automation set up for different types of outcomes? For example, if the person doesn't open the email it sends a follow up message. You can get really intense with these and following up is important. I would also make the emails seem as personalized as possible.

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If you like to read about sales stuff I would love to recommend this great read to you!

Tom Hopkins is killer. He's smart and has sold a ton of different things and is an authority on selling. (He once sold 365 houses in a year)

I don't think you should be worried at all about asking your freelancing friends questions as long as you don't ask in a way that makes it seem like you're asking for their clients. You're new-ish at this, everyone needs a little help now and again :)

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I think your last thought about reaching out is a good idea! With your own personal flair you can be like:

• If they're local - "Hey [Name], it's been a bit since our last project. I was gonna be in your neighborhood around X time and would love to catch up over coffee/lunch if you're available!"
  
• If you work remote for them - "Hey [Name], it's been a bit since our last project and I just wanted to check in and see how things were going. I've been doing some cool [work] and thought you might like to check it out. Any cool projects going on on your end?"
  
• If you're cold emailing/calling - "Hi [Name], I'm Whinyartist and I do x work. I like your company/business/past work and would love to collaborate with you on future projects. Would that be something you're interested in?"
  
• If you're cold emailing/calling #2 - "Hi [Name], I'm Whinyartist and I do x work. I like your company/business/past work and would love to collaborate with you on future projects. Would you be available for coffee on x day or x day to talk about how we could help each other out?"
  
  • \^These last two need finessing lol but you get the point I hope.
    
    ​

You should be more specific about what you're hoping to learn. There are thousands of resources out there in regards to entrepreneurship, marketing, website development & eCommerce. You could find pretty much anything you want if you phrase it correctly.

Example Searches

• How to setup Facebook ads
  
• How to start a business under $1,000
  
• Growth hacking (tips and tricks on growing your business fast)
  
• How to build a wordpress website + top wordpress plugins
  
• How to create a landing page
  
• Best community bulletin board software
  
• How to build a Facebook group
  
• How to create YouTube videos
  
  ​
  
  You can just keep going from there.
  
  The basics of what you'll need, assuming you know nothing (which I doubt) would be this.
  
  
• How to build a website (wordpress, html, Wix, Squarespace, .etc)
  
• How to build an audience (paid + organic, FB + Google + Instagram + Pinterest + YouTube + Reddit)
  
  Everything else you just figure out along the way based on how you want to monetize your audience and quite honestly, no book is going to help you figure that out.
  
  You'll learn a lot more just hanging out on Reddit and watching YouTube videos on the subject matter that's next on your checklist. Books are almost purely inspirational at this point and I think we can agree there are plenty of Podcasts that will help you find inspiration (and skill), such as The Top (Nathan Latka) or Mixergy
  
  If you study hustlers you'll get all the information and inspiration you could ever hope for. Read or watch anything from Noah Kagan (AppSumo). No one does it better than him. Ryan Holiday (not an affiliate link) is another favorite of mine. There are also some older Tim Ferriss articles that really talk about how you approach certain businesses.
  
  Like I said, man. It's all out there. You don't need to pay $1 for information, you just have to know what to look for and if you listen to a few podcasts or read a few beginner articles you'll figure out pretty quickly the steps you need to take next.
  
  ​
  
  Some Books I Like (no affiliate links)
  
  
• The Obstacle Is The Way: Ryan Holiday
  
• Extraordinary Popular Delusions And The Madness of Crowds: Charles Mackay
  
• Secrets Of A Master Closer: Mike Kaplan
  
• Hooked: Nir Eyal
  
• The Art Of Learning: Josh Waitzken
  
• The 4 Hour Workweek: Tim Ferriss (Maybe the best entrepreneur book of all time)
  
• Pitch Anything: Oren Klaff
  
• The Gambler: William C. Rempel
  
• and of course...How To Win Friends & Influence People: Dale Carnegie (everyone MUST read this book)

Here's some useful things I give to new sales managers/heads of sales:

http://hivemind.innovationcompany.co.uk/presentation/sales-management (this is my sales management model) - ignore the squashed design for now, it's being designed, but click on the hexagons to delve deeper - very useful info for a new manager. Resize your browser window to make it look "right".

Again, for the sales team, get them to understand the power of questions - SPIN is amazing, but get them to read about Sharon Drew Morgen (Neil Rackham's great ally - he loves her, but other sales gurus don't - long story, but Rackham is right and they're wrong)

http://antholo.net/tag/sharon-drew-morgen - some great info here about her and her thoughts - she's the best kept secret in the world of sales.

http://antholo.net/tag/spin - Collection of SPIN Selling reviews/overviews (some of them are better than reading the book)

http://hivemind.innovationcompany.co.uk/presentation/sales-questions - my HiveMind about sales questions

Dave Brock's sales management book is essential. Quite new and brilliant - he's an expert with sales management stuff:
https://www.amazon.com/Sales-Manager-Survival-Guide-Lessons/dp/0997560207

My personal suggestion would be no sales seminars, but get him to read everything that Sharon Drew Morgen writes about questions and use the links above to the books and guides.

Hope that helps :)

I beg to differ.

From what I see in the field, RTs can become some of the most successful sales people. In fact, many good respiratory product companies would prefer to train a willing, knowledgeable, and open-minded RT to do sales especially if they have a vast offering of products for RT. The ramp time is definitely shorter for learning the products, particularly when you've already used them in your practice and are familiar with how they benefit your patients. When you have a clinical background, it's easier to work with Key Opinion Leaders since you're more than a salesperson to them, but also a clinical consultant. On the other hand, a good salesperson with only a track record but no clinical background can still do very well too, but more difficult to work with KOLs as they might have to do twice the work to act as an advisor.

There's no secret to being the consultant:
What is your customer currently doing? How can your company help them make it better (e.g. less expensive, less wasteful, less invasive, more patient benefits, faster, improve outcomes)

Don't get me wrong though, a body and mind that is willing and able to learn new concepts whether they are new to clinical concepts or business sales is an asset of itself.

The very first thing that a candidate with no sales track record has to sell: Themselves.

Here's a few podcasts that I've found helpful and full of great info, especially if you're just starting out. The one from Saul Marquez is geared toward landing that job. The Medical Sales Guru Podcast is geared to: once you land that job, what are some good and bad practices to do day to day.

https://medicalsalesguru.com/author/admin/

https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/saul-marquez/smart-medical-sales

I also recommend a good read:


How to Master the Art of Selling https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00T8AT7B6/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_Dn0ADbWGCKFK4

When you sign up for the Level I course, you'll receive a copy of Sales and Service for the Wine Professional by Brian Julyan. Much of the Level I course will be taught from this book, so it will be helpful to familiarize yourself with it.

I'm a big fan of the World Atlas of Wine by Hugh Johnson and Janis Robinson, since it focuses on regions and appellations and explores wine from there. Great for getting to know the smaller sub-regions that you'll be expected to know for future exams.

I also have a copy of the Oxford Companion to Wine by Janis Robinson. It's more of a reference manual than a book you can read straight through, but if you come across a term or a region you're unfamiliar with, this will be a great reference.

I also recommend Karen McNeil's Wine Bible and Wine for Dummies for a more conversational, digestible overview of wine. They won't delve too deeply into the Master-Level details, but for Levels I and II, they'll help immensely.

See this link for the Level I syllabus and recommended reading list from the Court of Masters. Hope that helps out. I took and passed Level I about two years ago, and will be sitting for Level II this year. PM me if you have specific questions about the test. Level I is pretty easy if you've been working with wine for a while, so October/November should be an attainable goal.

good manipulation makes people want to participate because it encourages trust. sales tactics rely heavily on it, but whether it is good or bad depends on the goal of the individual- sometimes the trust is misplaced, sometimes not. we look at it negatively, but it doesn't have to be. it's just effective communicating, mostly on a nonverbal level (using tone, body language, word choice, and so on), and is really just a codified method of getting someone to agree with you.

How to Master the Art of Selling by Tom Hopkins is a fantastic book on the subject, because really, you're just selling yourself in most of your jobs and social interactions. if you can do that, you can sell anything.

people like Trump, as well as other hustlers, will absolutely use this to get someone to willingly do something that isn't in their best interests.

tldr: trust yourself to be a good person.

My current company has me selling off this god awful fucking outdated book and "technique." So obviously I do what I think is best for the modern era.

I get the core content of what he's trying to convey, but my sales leadership is more outdated than this dude's outdated pop culture references.

I think the best sales books are The Challenger Sale, The Challenger Customer, and The New Solution Selling

AND!!! Personally, I think, especially as you progress into a more advanced sales career, THE takeaway of what it is to sell in a modern world is best encompassed in The Challenger Customer...it more or less boils down to the fact that customers are more informed than ever, old-school "slick" sales techniques do not work, and by the time the customer is meeting with you, they are like 75% into the buying process.

The days of being the smooth talking sales guy are over (thank god!).

Customers don't care about certifications, skills, or breadth of experience. Those are proxies for "Can you solve my problem?" And what you want to do is communicate to customers that yes, you can solve their problem properly, while Mr. Cowboy "I downloaded Tableau and it doesn't look that hard" Coder can't.

a) Reputation. You want to have a portfolio of references.

b) Charge Cadillac rates and don't negotiate. If you start at $85/hr, the customer is going to think of you as a glorified staff aug / placement type. Charge $175/hr "take it or leave it" and they know you're serious. (You also know they are serious. If they don't want to talk about prices like that, they're going to be a very frustrating customer)

c) Recognize that you are going to be spending more time finding work than you're used to. That's actually the way consulting has traditionally worked - the high rates are about expertise, sure, but also recognition that someone that good can't work 2000 hours a year.

d) The really great thing about Cadillac rates is that they make it much easier to cut good clients deals. Let's say you're on a three month gig and end up spending a week wrestling with access to some data source. It's easy to tell the customer "Hey, this took longer than it should have, and I feel it's mostly my fault, so I'm not going to bill you for those 40 hours."

e) Portfolio. When you're starting with a client, especially on a dashboard job, try to get a provision to use screenshots with dummy data in your sales media. Also try to get a signed endorsement at the end of the job.

If you didn't already know this - when working in the rarefied air of senior consulting rates, you have to understand enterprise sales. It's a nasty job, but it's how you win work.

On that note, I highly recommend:

• Selling to VITO which teaches you how to access and pitch to executives.
  
  
• Solution Selling which is pretty much the enterprise sales bible.
  
  

Congrats on your first SQL! I can recommend three books:

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Fanatical Prospecting by Jeb Blount

Prob the best book out there on prospecting. Takes you thru the do's and dont's of prospecting in a really good way. Easy read, a lot of great tips and a gamechanger if you apply some of the techniques in your work.

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Objections by Jeb Blount

Objections..and the fear of rejection. This is not a book with answers on objection A, B, C etc.. The book goes more in depth on the phsycology of how they arise, what is does to you and how to handle the emotions. I have read many "easy fix" objection books with predefined answers to different objections but that don't work since each situation is unique.

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Selling from the heart by Larry Levine

Great book on how to sell yourselv (no phun intended). The book is based on how to build trust, which the one of the most important part of sales IMO and Larry gives great examples from his and peer experiences.

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There's a lot of sales book out there but these are my top 3.

FREE until Tuesday. #1 in Entrepreneurship on Amazon.

Brand Identity Breakthrough: How to Craft Your Company's Unique Story to Make Your Products Irresistible by Gregory V. Diehl

Does your business have a story to tell? It should! Every new product can be unique in its industry. Does yours stand out from the crowd?

After a life of exploring the way people exchange value in over 35 countries, Diehl teaches business owners how to have conversations about brand strategy. In Brand Identity Breakthrough, you will learn how to develop a strong business identity by combining your personality and values with the functionality of your products to become irreplaceable to your audience.

Whether you lead a growing company, or are just starting a business, Brand Identity Breakthrough will give you a smarter way to think about new product development and business model generation. With undeniable, well-organized logic, it will show you how anyone can sell more, and at higher prices, so long as they give customers exactly what they want.

• Learn how to build a unique selling proposition for your product
• Learn the best methods for how to sell a product to customers, no matter what you offer.
• Overcome the sales learning curve, and sell products in both physical and online marketplaces.

https://www.amazon.com/Brand-Identity-Breakthrough-Companys-Irresistible-ebook/dp/B01C37VTAW

Had this list together from a blog post I wrote a few months ago. Not sure what exactly you're looking for, but these are my favorite books and I'd recommend everybody read them all. There are other great books out there, but this is a pretty well rounded list that touches everything a company needs.

The Lean Startup https://www.amazon.com/Lean-Startup-Entrepreneurs-Continuous-Innovation/dp/0307887898

Business Model Generation https://www.amazon.com/Business-Model-Generation-Visionaries-Challengers/dp/0470876417

Hooked: How to Build Habit-Forming Products https://www.amazon.com/Hooked-How-Build-Habit-Forming-Products/dp/1591847788

Talking to Humans https://www.amazon.com/Talking-Humans-Success-understanding-customers-ebook/dp/B00NSUEUL4

Predictable Revenue https://www.amazon.com/Predictable-Revenue-Business-Practices-Salesforce-com/dp/0984380213

To Sell is Human https://www.amazon.com/Sell-Human-Surprising-Moving-Others/dp/1594631905

Rework https://www.amazon.com/Rework-Jason-Fried/dp/0307463745

Delivering Happiness https://www.amazon.com/Delivering-Happiness-Profits-Passion-Purpose/dp/0446576220

I recommend "I hate selling" book. http://www.amazon.com/Hate-Selling-Book-Business-Building-Professionals/dp/0970933703 You are a doctor diagnosing a problem.
I am part owner in a business and I will interpret to the best of my ability. "I am told I am negative"- this probably means that you say "can't" or "won't" too much. As in "I can't get this ordered" or The client won't agree to the terms". Try changing those words. "I am having a difficult time doing X, do you have any suggestions?" "The client is about to sign but is concerned with X, how is that handled in the past?". Now for "Dispassionate" - do you give up? do you not celebrate a win? do you not celebrate some one else's win? Do you initiate client contact? Do you dress snazzy at certain times? Do you arrive 10 minutes early for all appointments and work? Do you seek out answers when you are stuck?
Please- I am not diagnosing you or saying that you are wrong but there is power in words. Just making some positive switching in the words you choose may change their perception of you. You are still you (and you are fabulous!) but you have now laid claim to their mind and can control how they see you and how they see themselves with you. When my kids were young I would ask "may I assist you?" < kid is in charge and needs a team mate to do what they want to do> instead of "may I help you?" <you are incompetent to do this and I have to come in and take over>.
Words are power. You have the power already- use it. Make it easy for yourself. and btw, you are also charming and good looking.

There's a really good book called The Enlightened Franchisee that talks about the benefits of franchising vs starting your own business. It really comes down to how much freedom you want vs how much risk you're willing to take on.

Probably franchise. The difficulties you'll face starting your own brand compared to the overall benefits of either make franchising a safer (emphasis on the er) option than starting on your own, and you still basically own your business with all the in's and out's and stress and awesome-ness that come from that.

Of course, always do your own research. Best of luck.

Disagree with the notion that most vendors provide the same products, especially when it pertains to professional services engagements. The vendors that position their solutions on price certainly fall into that category. However there are the select few that are truly solution agnostic and focus on embedding themselves in the day to day experiences of the customer so they can understand the requirements. These vendors are in a better position to engineer a solution that meets the customer needs. The relationship between customer and vendor is a healthy byproduct of the engagement, as opposed to the relationship being the reason for the engagement. There's plenty of data out there that also suggests that it's no longer solely about the relationship.

These two books helped me understand complex sales, especially those involving multiple stakeholders and the disfunction that often occurs within the decision making. process.

The Challenger Sale by Matthew Dixon

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0052REP7K/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1

The Challenger Customer by Brent Adamson

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00SI02FLG/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1

​

Being more personable only matters in relationship based selling. What customers care about more than you being some cool as guy they want to take to launch or invite to parties is if you can make a true impact on their business and teach them something they didn't know before.

It's called Challenger Selling, I implore you to read the book The Challenger Sale: Taking Control of the Customer Conversation

Alternatively you can get the gist if you watch this YouTube video
The New High Performer: Why Challengers Succeed - CEB Sales Summit

The only book that really matters.

https://www.amazon.com/Soft-Selling-Hard-World-Persuasion/dp/0762404019

Just remember that if you are not there to actually help people, (other than yourself) then you are not relevant.

So in order to understand the customer and to know how to apply your product to make THEIR life better, you have to ask questions and you have to listen...and really understand. Put yourself in their shoes.

Having heart and being honest and really wanting to help people is what sales is all about.

Be relevant and realize that CEOs rarely research decisions, rather they rely on members of their team to do the research and report findings to them for a decision.

There's a lot of talk about influencer selling these days purely for that reason and, in my mind, it's a more effective way of selling to C-Suite decision makers than just going to the top. I'm a big fan of having allies on my side within the organization and selling through them is one of the best ways to cultivate an advocate for your business.

Keep in mind too that it's rarely the CEO that feels pain specific to the product that you're selling and that there are others even within the C-Suite that likely feel it more (think COO, CMO, VP Sales, etc.) Being able to solve someone's specific problem as well as providing a different perspective allows you to be more valuable to an organization and makes you more resistant to competition, especially competition based on price.

I'm glad that my previous post helped you.

Sure! The best resource are blogs; here's some I read every day:

• Anthony Iannarino - The Sales Blog: http://thesalesblog.com/
  
• Geoffrey James - Inc.com Sales Source: http://www.inc.com/author/geoffrey-james
  
• Jim Keenan - A Sales Guy: http://asalesguy.com/
  
• Jill Konrath - Fresh Sales Strategies: http://www.jillkonrath.com/sales-blog/
  
• Mike Weinberg - the New Sales Coach: http://newsalescoach.com/
  
  Books:
  
  
• The Challenger Sale: http://www.amazon.ca/The-Challenger-Sale-Customer-Conversation/dp/1591844355
  
• SPIN Selling: http://www.amazon.ca/SPIN-Selling-Neil-Rackham/dp/0070511136/ref=pd_sim_b_5/180-3515090-2352529
  
  There's lots more out there, but I think this is some of the best.

Chicken or the egg. If you want a commercial lender to focus on the corporate entity and ignore your finances, that corporate entity needs a track record of success you can point to.

You can of course use your connections to get started. Who is to say your existing business associates will not lend your LLC the money, provided that you are running the LLC, and it is secured by real estate, and you offer solid ROI? I've got a guy right now that's finishing up his 6th mortgage on his primary residence, and none of those 5 subordinate lenders pulled his personal credit (not that he has anything to hide in that regard, fwiw). In his case he showed a few of those private investors our traditional residential underwriter's "internal use" analysis of cashflow from his existing rental properties to prove that he knows what he is doing, so private money can be very flexible in many ways, if you can sell it (related link).

And then, a year or two from now, your corporate entity has checked the boxes that commercial lenders like to see in order to lend to a corporate entity.

/u/numnumlobster can probably offer some more solid insight.

You can use Facebook Groups or an appropriate subreddit.

But before you start interviewing, I recommend you read The Mom Test: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01H4G2J1U/ref=pe_385040_118058080_TE_M1DP

It's a great read that will help you ask the right questions. Hope this helps.

Rationalizing why a version is better never works, people don't like to be told that they're wrong. This is why graphic design is 50% salesmanship. Selling clients on a concept is half the battle. There are tried and tested ways to present ideas that don't come across as "I know better than you so do it this way...". Even body language can play an important role. I recommend getting some good books on sales psychology and pitches. Pitch Anything and The Challenger Sale are good starts.

I've read a lot of business books in the past year. These include:

7 Habits of Highly Effective People

Rich Dad Poor Dad

Think and Grow Rich

How to Win Friends & Influence People

Secrets of Closing the Sale

How to Master the Art of Selling

The E-Myth Revisited

The Compound Effect

The Slight Edge

The $100 Startup

The Toilet Paper Entrepreneur

I have 4HWW waiting to be read, in addition to about 15 other books that are sitting there, waiting to be read.

The $100 Startup is very inspiring, especially for people who have no chance at securing a "normal" job (I dropped out of college). The Toilet Paper Entrepreneur is also very informative. But out of this list, by far, my two favorite books are The Compound Effect and The Slight Edge. #1 going to The Slight Edge. Read this book. Maybe it won't apply to everyone as much as it did to me, but it totally changed my attitude towards life.

If you are open to reading, this is a research-driven wealth of information that can help you understand the anatomy/physiology of cold calling and what actions you can take to improve:

https://www.amazon.com/Psychology-Sales-Call-Reluctance-Earning/dp/0935907122

For B2B sales I highly recommend:

The B2B Executive Playbook: The Ultimate Weapon for Achieving Sustainable, Predictable and Profitable Growth - https://www.amazon.com/B2B-Executive-Playbook-Sustainable-Predictable-ebook/dp/B005VSIWS8

The Challenger Sale: Taking Control of the Customer Conversation - https://www.amazon.com/Challenger-Sale-Control-Customer-Conversation/dp/1591844355/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=challenger+sale&qid=1566649998&s=books&sr=1-1

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That second book is more sales-focused if that's specifically what you're looking for. The first is about operating and growing a B2B organization as a whole, especially related to sales.

The Only Sales Guide You'll Ever Need. I'm a first year sales rep in an industrial field. It has been extremely motivating and helpful.

https://www.amazon.com/Only-Sales-Guide-Youll-Ever/dp/0735211671

How to Master the Art of Selling/Tom Hopkins

It gives you a pretty good idea on the basics.

The Challenger Sale would be a great book for you to read.

The Only Sales Guide You'll Ever Need by Anthony Iannarino. Honestly, I've read probably 15-20 but this one is engaging. It'll give you challenges at the end of each chapter.

I wrote this without reading your post on what kind of book you're looking for however, I stand by my recommendation.

Link: https://www.amazon.ca/Only-Sales-Guide-Youll-Ever/dp/0735211671

I am a huge fan of the Challenger sale.

https://www.amazon.com/Challenger-Sale-Control-Customer-Conversation/dp/1591844355/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1503067846&sr=8-1&keywords=the+challenger+sale

I really liked The Challenger Sale - http://www.amazon.com/Challenger-Sale-Control-Customer-Conversation/dp/1591844355/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1425955496&sr=8-1&keywords=The+challenger

The Mom Test is quite succinct and makes some excellent points about what questions to ask and why https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01H4G2J1U/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_Io.jzbVEPG44Z

The Challenger Sale is good.

You need to do customer development, check out books like "The Mom Test" and "Lean Customer Development". But before your prospective customers will want to talk to you you need to get some credibility. Try to create some content that solves problems that they are aware of, then you'll be able to talk with them.

I'd also recommend The Challenger Sale if you want a specific process. Here's a recap.

Good start is - to sell is human https://www.amazon.com/Sell-Human-Surprising-Moving-Others/dp/1594631905

Tom Hopkins - How to Master the art of selling was great

no affiliate link: http://www.amazon.com/How-Master-Art-Selling-Hopkins/dp/0446692743/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1319257923&sr=8-1

I prefer customer interviews, e.g. The mom test (not affiliated) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01H4G2J1U - you'll be able to capture potential problems that surveys will not.

I have also used Mechanical Turk on a few times but it was mostly a waste (for trying to validate product idea / improve onboarding / identifying new customer segments).

Read Challenger Sale. Seriously - it deals with this exact issue. Good book, all around.

It's just B2B sales. I like Soft Selling in a Hard World because it suits my style and personality.

Start with Miller-Heiman
http://www.amazon.com/New-Strategic-Selling-Successful-Companies/dp/044669519X/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1464613332&sr=8-5&keywords=solution+selling

Then up your game with the Challenger Sale
http://www.amazon.com/Challenger-Sale-Control-Customer-Conversation/dp/1591844355/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1464613441&sr=1-1&keywords=challenger+sale

There's a whole book written on how and why some sales people are afraid of calling. Here it is: http://www.amazon.com/The-Psychology-Sales-Call-Reluctance/dp/0935907122

Really just read http://www.amazon.com/Sales-Service-Professional-Brian-Julyan/dp/1844807894/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1376364168&sr=1-1

It's what the test is written from and the practice test in the back is essentially the level 2 exam. Use this for level 1 and this plus a few others for certified and you'll be golden.

Sales Manager Survival Guide - David A Brock