10 of the Best Sales Books for Recruiters

The (not-so) secret to being awesome at business development in recruitment is to always be learning. Sales and recruitment best practices are constantly changing, and if you embrace this as challenge to treat every day as a school day, you’ll continue to smash your targets, year after year.

With this in mind, we’ve put together a list of some of the best sales books that should have a place on every top biller’s bookshelf.

1. To Sell is Human: The Surprising Truth About Moving Others by Daniel H. Pink

Many recruiters still don’t like to think of themselves as sales people, but as this book argues, almost everyone is a sales person in one way or another. Pink’s book offers a fresh look at how to approach things like elevator pitches and contains exercises to help you practice empathy/how to read others, which is often the hardest part of selling over the phone.

Why recruiters should read it:

It’s a refreshing read that encourages us to take a step back and try to understand why certain sales techniques work well whilst others don’t.

2. Sell like Crazy: How to Get As Many Clients, Customers and Sales As You Can Possibly Handle by Sabri Suby

Gearing up to scale your recruitment agency in 2022? It’s time to change hats! To scale your business, you need to think less like a business owner and more like a marketer.  In Sell Like Crazy Suby takes you on a journey through the sales and marketing system responsible for generating over $1.33bn.

Why recruiters should read it:

When scaling an agency, it can be easy to fall into the trap of looking vertically rather horizontally – meaning you’re churning out the same materials and activities as your competitors. The strategies and processes outlined in Sell Like Crazy will help you stand out from your competitors in 2022. 

3. 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

The title alone should be ticking all the boxes for agency recruiters and getting them excited! This book focuses on offering tips on how to keep your sales pipeline consistently active using various different techniques that are up to date with today’s landscape. It also has a big focus on social selling which we’re big advocators of here at Firefish!

Why recruiters should read it:

Prospecting in recruitment is a tough game, and this book focuses on modern techniques that have been used less prolifically within recruitment so have a high chance of bringing you success. It’s important to stay ahead of the curve in order to remain competitive, and this book can help you with that.

We all know how important sales is to recruitment, but the best recruiters understand how important great marketing is this job too. Almost everything you do in your day-to-day tasks involves you marketing yourself and your services in one way or another. But as the recruitment market gets increasingly crowded, it’s becoming harder to stand out and convince people that you’re the recruiter to work with over your competitors.

Why recruiters should read it:

This book includes lots of invaluable advice on how to discover and tell authentic stories that set you and your services apart from the competition. Info that will prove pretty useful in our current landscape!

5. 360 Degrees of influence: Get everyone to follow your lead on your way to the top by Harrison Monarth

Earning trust and respect amongst those around you is a key factor in expanding your reach and influence well beyond your recruitment network. And in our current landscape, it’s trust and authenticity that pulls in new business. In this book, Monarth spills the secrets to understanding what people want from you so you can convert them into your biggest fans who will help you to the top.

Why recruiters should read it:

This book has loads of invaluable insights on growing your personal brand – something that should be  a major focus for recruiters!

6. Business Development Culture by Alex Moyle

Alex is a good friend of Firefish and we’re always blown away by his ability to explain complicated insights about the recruitment industry in a way that’s engaging and easy to understand. In his new book, Alex explores how to nurture a sales-oriented culture at your agency so you win business consistently every day without having to use hard sales tactics.

Why recruiters should read it:

This book would be great for agency owners and recruiters who lie awake at night thinking about lost leads and missed opportunities! It also just  encourages us to weave a sales mentality into our every day instead of a separate part of the job (that you probably enjoy the least!).

7. The Robot-Proof Recruiter: A survival guide for recruitment and sourcing professionals by Katrina Collier

We’re constantly hearing that our jobs are at risk from AI, robotics and chatbots taking over. And whilst I’ve written in the past about how recruitment AI isn’t all it’s cracked up to be, it’s important that recruiters think about how to stay indispensable in a world that’s going AI mad! Katrina’s book looks at how to leverage the power of social and digital sourcing strategies to attract candidates when they’re experiencing online information overload.

Why recruiters should read it:  

The book is full of insights and practical tips from recruitment leaders (including our own Chief Fish, Wendy!), that explain what works and what doesn't when trying to stand out - so you can avoid wasting time on strategies that won’t get you results. 

8. The Sales Acceleration Formula by Mark Roberge

Can good sales be taught? The Sales Acceleration formula argues that anyone and everyone has the potential to be a top biller. In his book, Mark Roberge shares a precise formula for accelerating sales using data-driven techniques.

Why recruiters should read it:

This industry is always evolving: to keep on top, your sales tactics need to evolve with it. With Roberge's book by your side, you can say goodbye to the traditional sales methods that aren’t getting you results. Apply the sales acceleration formula to your pipeline and you’ll be well on your way to being a top billing recruiter.  

9. Never Split the Difference: Negotiating as if Your Life Depended on It by Chris Voss

As an ex-FBI agent, Chris Voss knows how to talk the talk and get what he wants from situations. Over 24 years, he negotiated his way out of hundreds of high-stakes predicaments involving criminals and hostages. 

Whether you’re negotiating a fee, or something monumental, this book tells us that all we need to get the results you want are nine core skills.  

Why recruiters should read it:

We all know how tough negotiating with clients can be. In his book, Voss gives actionable tips on how to come out on top – and never split the difference - using key skills every recruiter has the potential to unlock. Master the art of negotiating the Voss way and you’ll always have a competitive edge, no matter who you’re negotiating with.  

10. Cracking the Sales Management Code: The Secrets to Measuring and Managing Sales Performance by Jason Jordan and Michelle Vazzana

Cracking the Sales Management Code is another book that explores the idea of sales being a science, not an art. According to Jordan and Vazzana, the key to successful sales and sales management lies in following the metrics that matter.

Why recruiters should read it: 

This book includes lots of invaluable advice on how to identify, manage and apply the right data to help drive your recruitment team's sales strategy and take it to the next level. 

And if you're still hungry to learn more, this eBook covers how to update your recruitment strategy. Download it below!