Prior to last year, I had never read a sales or marketing book. I devoured finance and investment texts, but books on the “soft skills” eluded me.
Real estate is essentially a sales and marketing business. That’s really what it all comes down to. Once I accepted this fact, I decided to dig in to those subjects.
These are some of my favorite reads of the year. Most taught me something about sales and marketing.
Think and Grow Rich
A classic text on success. I read it about 10 years ago, but got much more from it this go-round. Some call it the Bible of success. A must read!
Raising Private Capital
This one was a great education. I had already financed multiple deals through private capital, but this book opened my eye’s to the plethora of possibilities available. It introduced me to new ways of lending, borrowing, and partnering that will be very valuable over the next few years.
The Surrender Experiment
I almost put this one down after a few chapters because I felt it was to weird for me. I glad I didn’t! The author is a “yogi” who ended up running a billion dollar company. This book is the story of what happened to him when he “surrendered to life’s perfection.”
Measure What Matters
Goal setting is something that has always interested me. This book describes a system of OKR’s (objectives and key results) that is like goal setting on steroids. It’s considered the business operating system at Google, Intel, and many other dynamic, complex companies. I think this was one of the more underrated books of the year.
Crushing It
The sequel to Gary Vee’s “Crush It”. This book tells the stories of people who followed the advice and are now having great success. Gary has to be one of the best marketers and brand builders of all time. Everyone could benefit from reading both of these books.
Nothing’s For Sale
This is the only book I read in hard copy. It was written by one of my mentors, Brian Trippe. He tells his story, but he also describes the strategies and tactics he’s used to become the local real estate investing authority.
The E-Myth Revisited
The description of the three roles, technician, manager, and entrepreneur was mind blowing. This book makes a good case for why every business should strive to achieve the systematized consistency of a McDonald’s.
The E-Myth Real Estate Investor
I was so intrigued by the E-Myth that I dug into one of their more focused titles in the series. It was co-authored by Than Merrill, founder of Fortune Builders. I found his application of the E-Myth principles to be extremely inspiring.
Never Split the Difference
Hands down the best book on negotiating. The author, Chris Voss, served as the lead hostage negotiator for the FBI. After leaving that role, he formalized his lessons on negotiations while at Harvard Business School. I’d consider this book a must read for anyone in business.
7L: The 7 Levels of Communication
This book came highly recommended by two admired colleagues. It didn’t disappoint. There are loads of tips for building a relationship and referral based sales business. One of the best networking books I’ve read.
- My plan in 2019 is to read everything I can on sales and marketing. Please comment on Facebook with any recommendations you have!
- I highly recommend Audible. If you’re like me and don’t have time to sit down and read, it’s truly a game changer. You can knock out a minimum of 12 books this year! Just learn while you drive.
- None of these are affiliate links. Just wanted to provide an easy way to find the books.