I conducted a Google search for the Top Sales Blogs and it showed 616,000 results.  I can work with that!  Not.  I started browsing page by page and I found approximately 50 different lists of top sales blogs on the first 6 pages.  My Blog was named on many of those lists but it got me wondering, why so many lists, why are so many different Blogs listed, what are the criteria, and which Blogs should you really be following for the best sales advice?

I chose to start with criteria required to be named on the lists. 

The most common criteria is personal choice as in "These are my favorite Sales Blogs!"  And that's OK as long as readers know they are your favorites and as such, won't necessarily have the best content.

Some of the lists use Blogs that are named on other lists and simply cull them down from a top 50 list to a top 25 list. 

Others use traffic as a criteria as in the Blogs that get the most visitors must be the best blogs.  Not really.  They're the Blogs that are most heavily promoted and get the most traffic.  Similarly, others use the number of Facebook or Twitter followers as their criteria for which are the best.

Some lists are pay to play where for a fee they'll include the Blog on their list.  The list may not have the best sales Blogs but give them credit - the authors paid for you to read their content!

Some lists are created by authors who have their own sales Blog (like I'm doing here) and they include their friends from the community (which I am not doing).

Some lists include Marketing Blogs.  Why not read a Marketing Blog when you're looking for sales advice? Most of the sales advice from Marketing Blogs is to stop selling and start marketing.

Some lists include Blogs on Sales Enablement.  Again. Nothing wrong with that but you'll usually get an adult dose of "technology is your answer" along with an extra-large serving of self-promotion.

Is there is an objective list that isn't pay for play, that doesn't list friends, that doesn't have off-topic content, that you can rely on for honest-to-goodness, entertaining, funny, engaging, thought-provoking articles that ask great questions and provide good, practical, real-world, usable advice? 

Not that I could find.

So I have assembled a list of Sales Blogs that fit that description. It is my opinion, but I really tried to be as objective and unbiased as I could.  These are the sales experts whose work I read!  Some are on the other lists I found while some are not.  Some have large followings and some do not.  Some are well known and some are not.  They are all heavily focused on sales and or sales leadership.  They are not ranked as that is way too much work, it is unfair to the sales experts, and I am way too efficient to waste time and effort on ranking.

I apologize to the sales experts who are friends and acquaintances whose Blogs are not named here.  I assure you it isn't personal but I worked hard to make sure this was not an all-inclusive list but truly a list of the best material.

Understanding the Sales Force by Dave Kurlan - We'll get the shameless promotion over and done with early. My Blog, Understanding the Sales Force, with its 2,000 articles and heavy emphasis on data and generous use of stories and analogies is on my list.  Most of the articles are entertaining, not too long, and include data to back up my conclusions.

The Sales Blog by Anthony Iannarino -  The Sales Blog is not to be missed as Iannarino is one of the best at sharing useful insights.  Visit Anthony's Blog for the best ideas in both sales and leadership.

Partners in Excellence Blog by Dave Brock   I love Dave Brock's blog because his thinking reminds me of me!  He has the ability to take complex sales concepts and make them simple and easy to read. Dave is another veteran of the sales consulting space who has seen it all and done it all and his wisdom and sense of humor comes shining through. 

Mike Weinberg's Blog  Mike Weinberg is a great story-teller who whose practical advice includes making sure you pick up the phone and use it for prospecting.  There aren't many sales experts who still believe in the phone as a tool but Mike does and he helps salespeople use it effectively.   

Selling from the Heart by Larry Levine Larry Levine is unique in that his advice comes from the perspective of being authentic, caring and honest and you can't go wrong if you follow that advice.

A Sales Guy by Keenan   Keenan is another original but he is not for the faint of heart.  He's passionate about being great at selling and the passion comes through from his not so occasional use of the f-bomb.  If you can get past that - and you should - his writing is entertaining and very helpful.

Rain Group Blog The Rain Group's blog is about sales effectiveness and it relies heavily on data and statistics.  Right up my alley!  The advice is great and you should include their Blog on your reading list.

Sales Pro Insider by Nancy Bleeke    Nancy is another longtime veteran of the sales expert space who is an entertaining writer providing sound, practical advice along with occasional reviews of books and tools in the sales space.

Cerebral Selling by David Premer    I recently came across David's blog and was impressed with how well it fits a niche in sales that isn't written about or discussed very frequently.  If you're a thinking person, this is the sales blog to read.

The Sales Hunter by Mark Hunter    Another veteran of the sales expert space, Mark Hunter talks about hunting - a lot!  So if you're in a role that requires prospecting for new business, you will definitely want to check out The Sales Hunter Blog.

Keith Rosen  Keith Rosen writes almost exclusively about sales management and sales leadership so if you're in one of those two roles then you must become a regular reader of Keith's Blog.

Membrain by George Bronten  George sometimes reposts content from other sales experts and sometimes promotes Membrain, but that aside, his material is great and you should include his Blog in your regular reading.

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