19 Best Books on Direct Marketing

Search engines and social media have certainly changed how prospecting pipelines for salespeople are built today, but the vitality of the pipeline itself has not. Even today, the key to success for every salesperson is his pipeline of prospects. Top producers are still prospecting. All. The. Time.However, buyers have evolved, therefore your prospecting needs to as well. In High-Profit Prospecting, sales expert Mark Hunter shatters costly prospecting myths and eliminates confusion about what works today. Merging new strategies with proven practices that unfortunately many have given up (much to their demise), this must-have resource for salespeople in every industry will help you:• Find better leads and qualify them quickly• Trade cold calling for informed calling• Tailor your timing and message• Leave a great voicemail and craft a compelling email• Use social media effectively• Leverage referrals• Get past gatekeepers and open new doors• And moreFor the salesperson, prospecting is still king. Take back control of your pipeline for success!

The internet has revolutionized the way brands interact with their customers. In order to gain customers’ attention and improve their engagement, companies need to provide personalization and become a trusted source of information.

Stickier Marketing offers a set of rules for effective communications in the digital age by asking “not what your marketing can do for you, but what your marketing can do for your customer.” Grant Leboff argues that it is not “return on investment” that matters but “return on engagement,” not unique sales point (or USP), but customer engagement point (CEP), that will make the difference in today’s cluttered marketplace. He covers four areas of CEP, which include partnerships, content, market positioning and emotional selling proposition, and encourages user generated content (UGC).

This second edition has been thoroughly updated and includes three new chapters that focus on content, discovery and the mobile revolution.

Search has changed everything. Has your business harnessed its full potential?

A business’s search strategy can have a dramatic impact on how consumers interact with that business. But even more importantly, search engine activity provides amazingly useful data about customer behavior, needs, and motivations. In this non-technical book for executives, business owners, and marketers, search engine strategy guru Vanessa Fox―who created Google’s portal for site owners, Google Webmaster Central―explains what every marketer or business owner needs to understand about search rankings, search data, comprehensive search strategies, and integrating your strategy into the businesses processes.

• Updated statistics, tools, and recommendations
• Details about the latest changes from Google, Bing, and the overall search landscape
• Explanation and recommendations related to Google’s substantial new search algorithm, know as “Panda”
• Discussion of the changing landscape of the integration of search and social media, including the addition of Google+ to the mix

Traditional marketing isn’t enough anymore. Businesses need to evolve as customer behavior evolves. Marketing in the Age of Google shows you how.

Understand the impact of a global ageing population on how products are bought, and the effect this has on how to market and advertise these products and services to the older generation of consumers. Contains models for companies to evaluate the success of their own strategies, with tools for improving their age-friendly marketing campaigns.

Every day the world sees 1 million new blog posts, tens of millions of tweets, hundreds of millions of new pieces of Facebook content, and more than 1 billion YouTube videos.

Where does your brand fit in?

In our age of information saturation, consumer attention is the scarcest commodity of all―which makes your job tougher than ever. How do you thread your messages through billions of bite-sized information snapshots to reach the right people? One thing’s for sure, you’re not going to succeed using traditional approaches. Mass marketing is dead; the next big thing is indeed very small.

microMARKETING empowers you to rethink, retool, and revitalize your marketing strategies to take full advantage of the opportunities created by the microcontent explosion. A pioneer in the world of microcontent marketing, Greg Verdino helps you create a strategy that emphasizes relationships over reach, interaction over interruption, and social networking over broadcast networks.

You’ll find the answers to today’s toughest questions:

• How do I earn the attention of the right influencers and my core customers?
• How do I really build my brand one blog post, one video clip, or even one tweet at a time?
• How do I achieve massive scale when mainstream media is losing ground to consumer content creators and peer-to- peer distribution?
• How do I strike a balance between tapping into today’s biggest marketing trends without losing sight of the little things that matter?

When one door closes, another opens. Mass marketing is no longer a viable marketing strategy and, likely, never will be again. Micromarketing, though, enables you to resonate with consumers in compelling new ways and achieve the big results that no longer seem possible with traditional approaches.

It’s time to start building your brand, finding new customers, establishing relationships, and getting real results on this exciting new frontier. microMARKETING will show you the way.

Turn online visitors into PAYING CUSTOMERS!

You’ve gone through all steps of developing a powerful business presence on the Web-―but it’s only the first step. Now, you have to make sure your visitors hit the “Purchase” button . . . before they start clicking through to your competitor’s site.

From Duane Forrester, a leading expert in Search Engine Optimization and the author of the popular How to Make Money With Your Blog, comes a highly practical guide for using all the online tools available for turning curious visitors into paying customers. Turn Clicks into Customers reveals proven techniques for not only standing out in a crowded marketplace but for reaching customers who are most eager to buy your products or services.

Forrester explains what works and what doesn’t for multiple online marketing strategies, including:

• E-mail
• Online searches
• Internet advertising
• Webinars
• Videos
• Social networking

You’ll learn best practices for each strategy at both a local and global level to reach more paying customers than ever before. Plus, you’ll get interviews with global experts who reveal proven tactics they’ve used to successfully turn Clicks into Customers.

Praise for EMAIL MARKETING by the NUM8ERS

“At last-a book that marketers can use to gain real respect from CFOs and CEOs who care about the bottom line. Baggott, author of the award-winning blog ‘Email Marketing Best Practices,’ clearly explains how to make your campaigns perform measurably better. The secret’s in your test results.”
—Anne Holland, President, MarketingSherpa

“Despite its proven power, email marketing receives a fraction of the attention given to other, fancier media. This week you’ll probably hear far more about mobile videocasting (or some such fashion) than you will about email marketing. You can help correct this imbalance by reading this book.”
—Rory Sutherland, Vice Chairman, Ogilvy Group, London, UK

“Baggott’s wonderful new direct marketing book is loaded with practical advice and recommendations from some of the best minds in the industry. Email Marketing by the Numbers should be read by everyone in the industry who wants to profit from acquiring and retaining customers.”
—Arthur Middleton Hughes, Vice President/Solutions Architect, Knowledge Base Marketing, and author of Strategic Database Marketing

“Amidst the confusion and changing landscape of the Web, Baggott is one of the clear thinkers who can cut through the hype and help you understand how to drive revenues through the use of marketing technology.”
—Scott Burkey, Business Development Executive, Definition 6

Master cold-calling and eliminate rejection forever.

In the newest edition of Smart Calling: Eliminate the Fear, Failure, and Rejection from Cold Calling, celebrated author and sales trainer, Art Sobczak packs even more powerful insight into what many people fear: prospecting by phone for new business. This best-selling guide to “never experiencing rejection again” has consistently found its way into the Top 20 in Amazon’s Sales category, because its actionable sales tips and techniques have helped many minimize their fears and eliminate rejection.

The newest edition builds upon the very successful formula of the last edition to help sales professionals take control of their strategy and get more yeses from their prospects. With new information, this info-packed release provides powerful sales insights, including:

• The foundational concepts of cold calling, featuring real-life examples you can carry with you into your sales career
• Multiple case studies and messaging from successful salespeople across the globe, providing even more insight into what works and what’s a waste of your time
• New methodologies that are proven to push you past your fear and into the world of successful prospecting
• Free access to Art Sobczak’s Smart Calling Companion Course, where he builds on the many techniques and strategies in the book, and will update it with new material and tech resources so that you will always have the current best practices and tools.

If you’re failing to convert your prospects into dollars, Smart Calling will help you push past the obstacles holding you back until you’re an expert at taking a “no” and turning it into a “yes.”

Get More Face Time and Higher Close Rates–the SMART Way.

Smart Prospecting That Works Every Time! introduces a proven sales method that balances social media marketing strategies, online applications, and traditional appointment-setting techniques to help you connect with more clients and close more sales than ever.

“Krause is an uncommon salesperson and author who can turn his common sense into your common dollars.” — Jeffrey Gitomer, author of The Little Red Book of Selling

“By implementing Mike’s strategies, you will reap the benefits of making stronger connections with your ideal clients. Read it, use it, and succeed!” — Tom Hopkins, author of How to Master the Art of Selling

“Smart Prospecting cuts through the clutter and gets to the heart of making cold calls successfully.” — Jill Konrath, author of SNAP Selling and Selling to Big Companies

“This is not just a must-read, it is must-do book for everyone in sales.” — Stephan Schiffman, author of Cold Calling Techniques (That Really Work!)

Salespeople are looking for answers. The fastest, easiest answers that work every time. The good news is, the answers exist. The bad news is, in order to be able to become a successful salesperson, you have to understand, practice, and master the answers.

You would think with all the answers contained in this book, that anyone who reads it would automatically become a better salesperson. You would be thinking wrong.

To become a better salesperson, the first thing you have to do is read it. The second thing to do with this book is read it again. The third thing to do with this book is try one answer every day. If it does not work exactly right the first time, or the outcome was not what you expected, try it again and tweak it a little bit. The fourth thing you have to do is practice the answer until you feel that it is working. The fifth thing you have to do is become the master of it.

SECRET: Blend each answer to your selling situation and do it in a way that fits your style, and your personality.

Think about the way you ask for an appointment. The way you leave a voice-mail message. The way you follow up after a sales call. The way you begin a sales presentation. The way you ask for a sale. The way you respond to an angry customer. The way you earn a referral. Or the way you get a testimonial. Wouldn’t you love to have the perfect answer for every one of these situations?

If information is power, Take the Cold Out of Cold Calling is ”power on steroids!” Know more than you ever thought you could (or should) about your clients, prospects, and competition. No more winging it. No more guessing what the other person cares about. Take the Cold Out of Cold Calling is a fascinating journey into the world of information, how to easily find it, and how to apply it to make sure you are offering relevant solutions. By practicing the techniques taught in the book, you will make a great first impression during sales calls and you will provide value and build meaningful and mutually beneficial client relationships. Once you master Warm Call techniques, you win more business, establish deep relationships with clients, and have more fun.

In Take the Cold Out of Cold Calling you’ll discover the secret world on online information, how to find it, and how to use it. You’ll get step-by-step instructions along with real examples.
You’ll learn…

• How to build deep and meaningful relationships with prospect and clients.
• Ways to access highly qualified lead lists — for FREE!
• Tips and tricks for popular search engines get it right the first time.
• How to use Google like a pro — it’s scary what you can find once you know how to look.
• Social networks including LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter and the secrets on how to use them as amazingly powerful Sales Intelligence engines.
• The ”Invisible Web” — sites most people and search engines don’t know about and can’t find.
• How to access premium information resources at no or very low cost.
• The theory of the ”Fourth R” and value-based ”warm call selling.”
• How to massively increase your credibility with prospects and existing clients.
• How to use the ”Customer Data Aggregator” and expert ”Warm Call Scripts” to organize information and make a great first impression.

If you are involved in business development, sales, or account management in any way, you’ve ”cold called.” Any time you meet with a prospect or existing client without knowing about them, their issues, and how your company is relevant to something they care about, you run the risk of losing credibility and worse, losing the deal.

The top 1% of business development pros and sales people understand the value of information, how to access it, and how to apply it and win. With Take the Cold Out of Cold Calling, you’ll get the tools and training you need to join the club.

The book includes full access to the online Know More! Resource Center and downloadable Toolbar, making it easy (and FUN) to practice what you learn.

If you’ve got ten minutes a day, you can make a telesales breakthrough!

By providing one concise, easy-to-read chapter for each daily coffee break, Stephan Schiffman’s Telesales, Second Edition has the power to transform your career and help you post noticeable increases in your numbers in just ten working days and transform your career after a mere twenty-one.

Stephan Schiffman has coached thousands of sales teams across the country to improve their telesales performance.
He knows exactly what works and doesn’t, and in this completely revised second edition, he shares with you all of his insider’s secrets, including how to:

• Master the five ways you can increase your income
• Track your numbers . . . and use them to your advantage
• Evaluate your performance effectively . . . so you hit your own goals
• Gain control of the call
• Leave effective phone messages
• Use “how” and “why” questions to your advantage
• Learn what’s going on in the prospect’s world
• Understand the four types of negative responses . . . and find out how to get past each one
• Turn small adjustments in your performance into large income gains

By spending just minutes a day with this one clear, concise book, you can learn everything from creating a script; to recognizing when not calling a prospect can increase your sales productivity, to practicing the ten traits of world class salespeople. In this highly competitive world where the obstacles against telemarketers continue to become increasingly daunting, you can’t afford not to have these tools in your sales arsenal!

The definitive guide to cold calling success!

For more than thirty years, Stephan Schiffman, America’s #1 corporate sales trainer, has shown millions of salespeople how to close a deal. In this newest edition of Cold Calling Techniques (That Really Work!), he’ll show you why cold calling is still a central element of the sales cycle and where to find the best leads. Updated with new information on e-mail selling, refining voice-mail messages, and online networking, his time-tested advice includes valuable discussion points that you’ll need to cover in order to effectively present your product or service and arrange a meeting. Schiffman teaches you how to use his proven strategies to:

• Turn leads into prospects
• Learn more about the client’s needs
• Convey the ability to meet the client’s demands
• Overcome common objections

With Cold Calling Techniques (That Really Work!), 7th Edition, you’ll watch your performance soar as you beat the competition and score a meeting every time!

Written especially for sales team managers, this text delivers surefire strategies to coach and manage any sales team to achieve maximum results. From devising a successful coaching plan to getting results in the field, it will help any manager improve sales performance in any organisation.

Completely revised with fresh examples and all new chapters, the second edition of Red-Hot Cold Call Selling reveals the secrets, strategies, and tips readers can use to elevate their prospecting skills and take their sales into the stratosphere. Readers will learn how they can: * define and target their ideal market — and stop squandering time, energy, and money on unfocused prospecting * develop a personalized script utilizing all the elements of a successful cold call * get valuable information from assistants — and then get past them * view voice mail not as a frustrating barrier, but as a unique opportunity Red-Hot Cold Call Selling is a vital resource for all sales professionals, brimming with field-proven techniques that work in any industry. The book includes new information on using the Internet for research and prospecting; cold-calling internationally; using e-mail instead of calling; and much more.

Praise for Selling Sucks

“Whew! A terrific new book that blows the lid off the old-school methods of selling-which don’t work anymore-and shows you how to make sales almost like magic! I love this book!”
―Joe Vitale, author of The Attractor Factor and many other books

“I love to buy, so I’m going to give every salesperson I know a copy of this book. Maybe they’ll finally stop the old-school, hard-sell shtick that compels me (and everyone else) not to buy.”
―Michael Port, bestselling author of Book Yourself Solid

“Selling sucks, but making sales doesn’t. Read Frank’s book to learn the crucial difference that will almost certainly mean success or failure for your business in the new era of commerce.”
―Mark Joyner, bestselling author of Simpleologywww.simpleology.com

“Ready to join the ranks of the top sales pros? Buy Selling Sucks. Apply its lessons. Then watch your results go through the roof.”
―Randy Pennington, author of Results Rule!

“Rumbauskas has the ability to overcome the obvious and allow his readers to look at sales in a new dimension. While many people focus on sales tricks, Rumbauskas shows, in great detail, how to get your prospects to buy because they come to you informed and trustful of you before you even say ‘hello.’ He’s one of those guys I listen to every time he speaks. He speaks out of tested methods and not opinion. Prior to marketing online, I spent fourteen years running some of the largest automobile dealerships in the USA. This is one book I would make recommended reading for every person who wants to become an elite sales professional. Selling Sucks is a money-making winner.”
―Mike Filsaime, MikeFLive.com

Expert Q&A that wins the deal–every time!

The key to more sales is closing more deals–and sales guru Stephan Schiffman knows all the tricks and techniques you need to do just that. Organized in a simple question-and-answer format that allows you to implement new strategies virtually overnight, this new Schiffman classic is a gold mine of practical information for all salespeople–newcomers and veterans alike. The 250 Sales Questions to Close the Deal offers cutting-edge sales questions in six core areas to help you:

• Initiate contact with prospective clients
• Build rapport with your customers
• Help secure the “Next Step” with every prospect
• Craft customized presentations
• Cope with setbacks or obstacles
• Negotiate and finalize the best deals

No matter what you’re selling–or to whom you’re selling it–you’ll sell more with Stephan Schiffman by your side!