Tools and gear · Chapter 4
Books
The books that shaped my presales work, on discovery, demos, negotiation and leadership, with a short note on each.
Key takeaways
- A short list of books that shaped this handbook, from demo and discovery to negotiation and leadership.
- New to presales? Start with "Great Demo!" and "Doing Discovery" by Peter Cohan.
- "Never Split the Difference" and "Nonviolent Communication" help in every hard conversation, with customers and inside your company.
These are the books that shaped my presales work, with a short note on why each is worth your time. The Amazon links are affiliate links, so I earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
My shortlist
My own book: The PreSales Handbook
Dr. Johannes Hangl
Everything on this site, edited into one book you can read from cover to cover. It walks you through SaaS presales, from discovery and qualification to demos, POCs, objections and leadership.
Buy on Amazon (all countries)
- Australia (opens in a new tab)
- Brazil (opens in a new tab)
- Canada (opens in a new tab)
- France (opens in a new tab)
- Germany (opens in a new tab)
- India (Kindle) (opens in a new tab)
- Italy (opens in a new tab)
- Japan (opens in a new tab)
- Mexico (Kindle) (opens in a new tab)
- Netherlands (opens in a new tab)
- Poland (Kindle) (opens in a new tab)
- Poland (print edition) (opens in a new tab)
- Spain (opens in a new tab)
- Sweden (Kindle) (opens in a new tab)
- Sweden (print edition) (opens in a new tab)
- United Kingdom (opens in a new tab)
- United States (opens in a new tab)
Demonstrating To Win!
Robert Riefstahl
Robert Riefstahl names the common "demo crimes" and shows how to avoid them. You also learn to build a value case and to handle the different personalities in your audience.
The Trusted Advisor Sales Engineer
John Care (opens in a new tab)
John Care shows how to define and measure trust with your clients, then build it through discovery, presentations and demos. The last part helps you and your SE team put it into practice.
The Trusted Advisor Sales Engineer on Amazon (opens in a new tab)
Doing Discovery
Peter Cohan
Peter Cohan describes seven levels of discovery, from spotting pain to quantifying impact and reshaping the buyer's vision. Most teams work at level 2 or 3, so it shows you where to grow.
Great Demo!
Peter Cohan
Peter Cohan builds his demo method on one idea, "Do the Last Thing First", drawn from thousands of demos. It is a simple process you can apply to the demos you already give every day.
Look Me In the Eye
Julie Hansen
Julie Hansen shows how to build the same credibility on camera that you have in the room. It helps you avoid the small video blunders that can derail a call or a deal.
Never Split the Difference
Chris Voss, Tahl Raz
Chris Voss treats every hard conversation as a negotiation and builds on emotional intelligence and intuition. It helps with customers and just as much inside your own company.
Nonviolent Communication
Marshall B. Rosenberg
Marshall Rosenberg shows how judging and blaming push people apart, and how to ask for what you need instead. You learn to hear others in a disagreement and find solutions that work for everyone.
Rule of 24
Bob Riefstahl, Dan Conway
Bob Riefstahl and Dan Conway argue that old B2B sales habits no longer work. They show you how to find out what your customer expects and answer it with extreme personalization.
Selling Is Hard. Buying Is Harder
Garin Hess
Garin Hess shows that buying is not a straight line, so a linear sales process fails the buyer. He makes the case for buyer enablement, where you coach the buyer through their own decision.
Selling Is Hard. Buying Is Harder on Amazon (opens in a new tab)
Extreme Ownership
Jocko Willink (opens in a new tab), Leif Babin (opens in a new tab)
Jocko Willink and Leif Babin apply lessons from military leadership to taking full responsibility for outcomes. In presales, that means you own the whole client journey and lead without formal authority.
More to read
Show 31 more books
- You Can't Teach a Kid to Ride a Bike at a Seminar (opens in a new tab), David Sandler, David Mattson (Sales)
- When: The Scientific Secrets of Perfect Timing (opens in a new tab), Daniel H. Pink (Psychology)
- Deal Crash: The 'Growth Mindset' Sales Strategy For Transforming Your Win Rate (opens in a new tab), Daryn Mason (Sales)
- Selling in a Crisis: 55 Ways to Stay Motivated and Increase Sales in Volatile Times (opens in a new tab), Jeb Blount (Sales)
- Inbound Selling (opens in a new tab), Brian Signorelli (Sales)
- New Sales. Simplified. (opens in a new tab), Mike Weinberg (Sales)
- Six Habits of Highly Effective Sales Engineers (opens in a new tab), Chris White (Presales)
- The Sales Acceleration Formula (opens in a new tab), Mark Roberge (Sales)
- To Sell Is Human (opens in a new tab), Daniel H. Pink (Sales)
- Secrets of Closing the Sale (opens in a new tab), Zig Ziglar (Sales)
- The Only Sales Guide You'll Ever Need (opens in a new tab), Anthony Iannarino (Sales)
- The New Strategic Selling (opens in a new tab), Robert B. Miller, Stephen E. Heiman, Tad Tuleja (Sales)
- $100M Offers: How To Make Offers So Good People Feel Stupid Saying No (opens in a new tab), Alex Hormozi (Sales)
- The Greatest Salesman in the World (opens in a new tab), Og Mandino (Sales)
- Dotcom Secrets: The Underground Playbook for Growing Your Company Online with Sales Funnels (opens in a new tab), Russell Brunson (Sales)
- I Hear You: The Surprisingly Simple Skill Behind Extraordinary Relationships (opens in a new tab), Michael S. Sorensen (Active Listening)
- Active Listening Techniques: 30 Practical Tools to Hone Your Communication Skills (opens in a new tab), Nixaly Leonardo (Active Listening)
- Crucial Conversations (opens in a new tab), Kerry Patterson, Joseph Grenny, Ron McMillan, Al Switzler (Active Listening)
- Just Listen (opens in a new tab), Mark Goulston (Active Listening)
- The Art of Communicating (opens in a new tab), Thich Nhat Hanh (Active Listening)
- Talk Lean (opens in a new tab), Alan H. Palmer (Active Listening)
- Influence (opens in a new tab), Robert Cialdini (Active Listening)
- How to Win Friends and Influence People (opens in a new tab), Dale Carnegie (Psychology)
- Thinking, Fast and Slow (opens in a new tab), Daniel Kahneman (Psychology)
- Predictably Irrational (opens in a new tab), Dan Ariely (Psychology)
- The Psychology of Selling (opens in a new tab), Brian Tracy (Psychology)
- Optimize: How to Attract & Engage More Customers (opens in a new tab), Lee Odden (Marketing)
- Brainfluence: 100 Ways to Persuade and Convince Consumers with Neuromarketing (opens in a new tab), Roger Dooley (Marketing)
- Neuromarketing: Understanding the Buy Buttons in Your Customer's Brain (opens in a new tab), Patrick Renvoise, Christophe Morin (Marketing)
- Likeonomics (opens in a new tab), Rohit Bhargava (Marketing)
- Purple Cow: Transform Your Business by Being Remarkable (opens in a new tab), Seth Godin (Marketing)
From the blog
- 2 min read
When a House of Cards Collapses: Why Radical Honesty Is a PreSales Superpower
A project I worked on failed badly. What it taught me about radical honesty, and why it is one of the strongest skills in presales.
Read more - 4 min read
The Rare Art of Caring: Why PreSales Must Lead with Craftsmanship and Conviction
In a world of shortcuts, caring about the work is rare. Why presales should lead with craftsmanship and conviction.
Read more - 5 min read
The Power of Curiosity in PreSales: Why It’s Your Greatest Asset
Curiosity drives better discovery, stronger relationships, sharper demos and calmer objection handling. Why it is a core presales skill.
Read more
In the course
- The PreSales MindsetMembers only
- Core Metrics for PreSalesMembers only
- Documentation & Knowledge SharingMembers only