It’s a fact of life– If you’re in sales, you’re in online sales, too. And one of the biggest components in selling online is the ability to be sociable before you sell.

Too often businesses skip the social and go straight to selling their product or service. Little do they know that building a relationship with a lead is just as important as pitching to that lead.

Maybe if they read some of the books from this list, they would know a bit more about social selling and its’ increasing importance in the digital workspace.

Whether you’re a pro at online sales or just starting out, these reads can help you better understand and implement your approach to social selling.

1. Social Selling: Techniques to Influence Buyers and Changemakers by Tim Hughes

This relatively quick read focuses on how digital sales has changed the buying behavior of consumers, and the need for businesses to adapt to this new landscape.

Tim Hughes provides hands-on strategies for successfully implementing social selling. He emphasizes building community and trust in your audience, establishing yourself as an authority in your field, and connecting with what Hughes calls “changemakers” in your industry.

Social Selling is a practical guide to creating a winning environment for online sales.

2. Social Selling Mastery by Jamie Shanks

Coming from an author with social selling experience in a variety of industries, Social Selling Mastery explores how decision-makers can make an impact on their sales by going after one-to-one relationships.

These one-to-one interactions, Shanks explains, are not only more personal, but also build revenue.

The book claims that “Today’s buyers are engaging sales professionals much later in the buying process, but 74 percent of deals go to the sales professional who was first to engage the buyer and provide helpful insight.“

This book is geared more toward people in senior positions at a company. Regardless of your position, though, Social Selling Mastery provides an insightful look at how focused interactions with individuals can create a positive ripple effect throughout your business.

3. The Art of Social Selling by Shannon Belew

This book is described as a great starting point for those just beginning their journey in online sales.

Belew takes readers through each major social platform (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and more) and describes how to grow a sustainable customer base on each platform.

One of the most important components to growing your reach on these platforms is creating meaningful conversations and online interactions with your customers. This a must-have for any online salesperson, and something Soundboard thoroughly endorses.

The author details how to convert likes and shares into sales, as well as how to leverage online conversations to meet business goals. She even dedicates a whole chapter to understanding the mobile sales, an arena that seems to have no glass ceiling in sight.

4. Fanatical Prospecting by Jeb Blount

Blount declares that “the most important activity in sales and business development [is] prospecting.”

Fanatical Prospecting is geared for salespeople who want guidance on how to escape from the dreaded “sales slump.”

The antidote, the book claims, is prospecting. If you’re looking for practical steps on how to engage prospects more frequently, look no further.

With sections dedicated to text messaging and emailing prospects, Blount digs into the nitty-gritty of online engagement.

He also takes the time to describe the “5 C’s of Social Selling.”

Though this is not a comprehensive guide to social selling, the author incorporates social selling into a larger approach of prospecting at all costs.

5. Social: Why Our Brains Are Wired to Connect by Matthew D. Lieberman

Written by a seasoned psychologist, Social discusses the neuroscience behind humans’ need to be social.

Don’t be turned off by the premise; Lieberman doesn’t solely focus on the science– bit rather explains why the science behind human social behaviors should inform how we conduct business.

This book can help inform your business decisions by giving you a greater understanding of human (and thus, consumer) behavior. For a salesperson looking for a deep dive into why we interact the way we do online, look no further.

6. Fill Your Funnel by Dan Portik and Tom Hopkins

Fill Your Funnel is all about the sales pipeline, and how to create more qualified leads for conversion.

Described as a step-by-step instructional text, Portnik and Hopkins set out to provide tangible assets for salespeople looking to improve their sales funnel.

They provide steps to improving your LinkedIn networking skills, templates for posting on social media, and building successful marketing campaigns via social media.

This is a half resource, half guidebook that can improve your social presence with a few practical tweaks.

7. To Sell is Human by Daniel H. Pink

So, this one is not directly related to social selling; but it is too significant not to include in a sales book list.

In this New York Times Bestseller, Pink explores how humans all function as salespeople. Maybe not in the traditional sense though, as the author broadens the concept of selling by claiming that everyone is in the “moving business.”

In other words, everyone is selling, or moving, someone or something. Within this framework, sales takes on a new purpose. It’s more than just a job; it’s a part of who we are as people.

To Sell is Human is a thought-provoking read for anyone in sales who wishes to understand why we sell. Naturally, the social aspect of sales is discussed, making this an important text for anyone trying their hand in social selling.

That’s it for our list! Any one of these books can help improve your approach to social selling, or to conducting business in general. So get out there and sell smarter!

Interested in what Soundboard has to offer? Click here to learn more about how Soundboard provides social selling tools to keep you in relevant conversations online.

And don’t forget to download out our free browser extension to engage leads with authentic content without leaving their LinkedIn or Facebook profile.