10 Sales Books That Can Help Financial Advisors Grow Their Firms

Navigating the sales landscape can be a difficult part of being a financial advisor. You need to build rapport with clients and engage them where they are, while being prepared to respond to rejections. Closing a deal requires transparency, honesty and a lot of patience. Soaking up knowledge from sales books can help you fine-tune your approach and increase conversions.

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Sales books can offer inspiration and motivation on how to go about growing your business. Some books yield more value than others. And the books listed below are just a sampling of the recommended reads for financial advisors who want to enhance their selling skills.

Storytelling can be a powerful tool for connecting with prospects and clients. Authors Scott West and Mitch Anthony explain how advisors can leverage stories to make connections, using actual stories from financial gurus as examples. The stories included in the book illustrate the value of intuition and how to use it to speak to the needs and concerns of different types of clients.

Trust is a critical component of advisor-client relationships. If clients don’t feel they can trust you, they’ll be less inclined to follow your advice. Stephen M.R. Covey explores the importance of trust and how it functions within organizations and across transactions. This book is not specifically directed towards financial advisors, but it’s still recommended reading for advisors who are looking for insight into how to strengthen their relationships with clients.

Selling isn’t rocket science, although it can feel that way if you’re struggling to close the deal with prospective clients. In this book, author Daniel H. Pink offers some contrarian insights into what really drives sales and how to leverage that knowledge. Pink outlines specific rules for understanding the buyer’s perspective and frameworks that advisors can use to clarify their messaging and make it more persuasive for their audience.

Handling rejections is part of the sales process. Understanding how the client’s decision-making process works can make it easier to overcome. This book cracks the code by examining five key questions clients use when making decisions and how advisors can adapt their phrasing to guide clients toward a ‘yes’ rather than a ‘no’ answer. It’s an essential read if you’ve ever wondered why first impressions matter so much and how they drive outcomes.

Referrals can make a significant difference in your firm’s success. If you’ve ever felt uncomfortable about asking for referrals from clients, this book is for you. Inside, you’ll find tips and strategies for how to inspire your clients to refer you to others, without coming across as salesy, pushy or desperate. It’s full of helpful strategies for approaching the ask with more confidence and less awkwardness while retaining your personality and authenticity.

Prospecting may take up a considerable amount of time in your schedule, but there’s a right way and a wrong way to approach it. In “Fanatical Prospecting,” author Jeb Blount offers an exhaustive list of tactics for prospecting more effectively, all with the goal of making your sales pipeline overflow with leads. You’ll also learn the basics of social selling and how to expand your reach through email and text marketing.

Networking’s importance for advisors can’t be understated. While it’s not impossible to build a thriving firm while flying solo, it’s a lot easier to do when you have a strong network behind you. Growing your network has its challenges, but this book offers tips and strategies to help you overcome any obstacles in your path. It’s an excellent read for any advisor who wants to boost their confidence in business settings, gain new referrals or establish strategic partnerships with other financial professionals.

Growing your firm to seven figures or more in revenue is a lofty goal, but it can be achievable if you know how to approach it. “The Million-Dollar Financial Advisor” takes you inside how it’s done, with interviews from 15 financial advisors at the top of their game. Whether you’re just getting started as an advisor or you’re running an established firm, this book includes some valuable lessons for increasing sales and success over the long term.

Digital marketing offers numerous opportunities to connect with prospective clients and tap into a broader audience. If you have yet to explore the possibilities of online marketing, or you’re looking for insight into how to do it better, “Virtual Selling” breaks it all down. You’ll learn how to capture prospects’ attention (and keep it), as well as how to overcome virtual selling challenges before meeting prospective clients face to face.

Succeeding in sales often hinges on what you do and say, but how you think also plays a part. Though this book wasn’t written specifically for financial advisors, there’s plenty of wisdom to be gleaned from its pages. Its focus is on developing a customer-centered approach that emphasizes authenticity by implementing mindset shifts. It’s worth a read if you’re interested in how your mindset and beliefs can influence sales outcomes.