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It’s for anybody working on software, whether building a SaaS or working for a client or anything in between. A ton of solid advice on project management, client relationships, interface design, code and more.
Free to read online (and a free PDF): https://basecamp.com/books/getting-real
I think more than software sales it's useful to learn about "sales" and "persuasion". I've found Robert Cialdini's Influence to be a great read!
You sound like you want to sell contracts to develop custom software not prewritten software right?
Are you trying to sell a product or build a services business? Very different things! I have some books I like on software sales, but not for services businesses; most of the successful services businesses I'm familiar with didn't include a salesperson in their founding team.
Intercom on Sales: https://www.intercom.com/resources/books/b2b-sales +The Sales Handbook: https://www.intercom.com/resources/books/sales-handbook
But product companies are very different from agencies (i.e. consulting/services companies), which it sounds like you're trying to do.
A great place to start is Hubspot.com. Just do some of their courses. AND also try to talk to salespeople, and "agency people" in real life. It's a completely different mindset - not something you can learn intellectually; you have to let it soak in over time.
One great way is to try to sell anything in real life. You'll learn so much more from that than from a book.
Previous thread "I'm an engineer that needs to sell my services. Any good books on sales?" https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39316653 From that posting this comment seems useful: The Secrets of Consulting: A Guide to Giving and Getting Advice Successfully by Gerald Weinberg https://www.amazon.com/Secrets-Consulting-Giving-Getting-Suc...
Just so you know, there are many different types of sales. When I saw your header, I thought you meant "B2B (product) software sales." Many of the responses are about that. But product companies are very different from agencies (i.e. consulting/services companies), which it sounds like you're trying to do. A great place to start is Hubspot.com. Just do some of their courses. AND also try to talk to salespeople, and "…
A great deep advice: Listen to your customers. Customer is always right, because he is the one paying.
BTW, the original quote goes "The customer is always right in matters of taste"
The Mom Test teaches you how to ask the right questions to make sure potential customers actually have a need for and will pay for what you are building vs. lying to be polite. The Mom Test: How to talk to customers & learn if your business is a good idea when everyone is lying to you https://a.co/d/8rxZlJ7