10 Salesforce Books That Define the Future of CRM
Recommended by Richard Branson, Danielle Morrill, and Billie Jean King to boost your Salesforce knowledge and skills







What if the key to mastering Salesforce wasn’t just knowing the platform but understanding the mindset of the leaders and innovators behind it? Salesforce has transformed how businesses connect with customers, but navigating its complexities demands more than just clicking through menus. It requires strategic insight, project leadership, and a grasp of evolving technologies.
Richard Branson, founder of Virgin Group, found Trailblazer not only inspiring but a roadmap to align purpose with profit. Meanwhile, Danielle Morrill, CEO of Mattermark, champions Predictable Revenue for its fresh take on scalable sales processes within the Salesforce ecosystem. Their endorsements spotlight how these books offer more than technical tips — they reveal how Salesforce shapes business and culture.
While these expert-curated books provide proven frameworks and deep industry knowledge, if you want content tailored to your experience level, career goals, or specific Salesforce modules, consider creating a personalized Salesforce book that builds on these insights for your unique journey.
Recommended by Richard Branson
Founder and CEO of Virgin Group
“Trailblazer is an urgent and compelling book for anyone in business who yearns to fulfill a higher mission in the world. Marc’s powerful and poignant stories of leadership remind each of us what we can achieve when we abandon 'business as usual' and make our values the driving force of our work.” (from Amazon)
by Marc Benioff, Monica Langley··You?
by Marc Benioff, Monica Langley··You?
Unlike most business books that focus solely on profit, Marc Benioff, Salesforce's founder and co-CEO, presents a vision where company values drive success and social impact. You learn how trust, customer success, innovation, and equality form the foundation of a resilient culture that empowers employees at every level. Chapters reveal how embedding values into every decision can transform an organization into a platform for change, illustrated by Salesforce's 1-1-1 philanthropy model. This book is for leaders and aspiring changemakers wanting to align business growth with purposeful missions.
Recommended by Danielle Morrill
CEO & Co-Founder of Mattermark
by Aaron Ross, Marylou Tyler··You?
by Aaron Ross, Marylou Tyler··You?
Aaron Ross, with his extensive experience revolutionizing Salesforce.com's sales approach, offers a fresh perspective on building scalable revenue streams without relying on cold calls. The book introduces a specialized sales system that segments roles within sales teams to generate high-quality leads predictably, emphasizing automation and repeatable processes. You gain insights into structuring outbound sales in a way that reduces dependence on constant oversight and increases efficiency, including detailed frameworks like the Cold Calling 2.0 method. This approach particularly suits CEOs, entrepreneurs, and sales leaders who aim to systematize growth and avoid common pitfalls of traditional sales tactics.
This tailored Salesforce Mastery Blueprint explores core concepts and practical skills tailored to your unique background and goals. It covers the Salesforce platform's architecture, customization options, and key modules, focusing on your interests and experience level. The book examines critical workflows, automation techniques, and integration methods, providing a personalized pathway through the platform’s complexities. By matching content to your specific objectives, it reveals how to navigate Salesforce’s tools efficiently, bridging expert knowledge with your personal learning needs. This approach ensures you gain a deep, relevant understanding without sifting through unrelated material, making your learning journey both effective and engaging.
by Heather Black··You?
Drawing from a decade leading a Salesforce consultancy and mentoring professionals worldwide, Heather Black offers a detailed guide designed to elevate your Salesforce career by mastering project leadership. You learn how to navigate every phase of a Salesforce project, from initial planning to successful roll-out, including practical strategies for stakeholder engagement and risk mitigation. The book provides tangible tools like templates and communication frameworks, especially useful for those aiming to impress clients and maximize user adoption. If you're aiming to lead Salesforce projects confidently and avoid common pitfalls, this book delivers focused insights without fluff.
Recommended by Gaurav Kheterpal
Salesforce MVP Hall of Fame, System Architecture Expert
“Kristian does a fabulous job covering all facets of a Salesforce implementation with practical examples, case studies and crucial decision points which make you think and reflect on your own experiences. Overall, an excellent read—well done Kristian. You should be extremely proud of this fine piece of work that you've produced.” (from Amazon)
by Kristian Margaryan Jørgensen··You?
What started as Kristian Margaryan Jørgensen's decade-long experience navigating complex Salesforce projects became a detailed guide for anyone involved in Salesforce implementations. You’ll learn how to define project vision, manage change, and establish governance frameworks that keep initiatives on track. The book drills into common pitfalls and offers checklists to evaluate implementation progress, covering everything from pre-development through continuous improvement phases. Whether you’re a consultant, architect, or project manager, it gives you the tools to manage Salesforce projects that deliver measurable business outcomes without getting lost in jargon or theory.
Recommended by Glenn Weinstein
Co-founder of Appirio
“Andrew Davis has written the essential reference for the next 5-10 years of Salesforce evolution. Salesforce has become a true cloud development platform, but its ecosystem of enterprise-class tools and techniques are just starting to catch up. All prospective and existing Salesforce developers should read this book if they aspire to be not just coders, but professional software engineers.” (from Amazon)
by Andrew Davis··You?
When Andrew Davis developed his approach to Salesforce DevOps, he drew on years of experience managing complex release processes and promoting collaboration between development and operations teams. This book teaches you how to implement DevOps principles specifically within Salesforce environments, including how to leverage Salesforce DX for continuous delivery, build deployable packages, and reduce deployment risks. You'll gain practical insights into enabling admins to contribute in traditionally developer-centric workflows and applying automated testing techniques tailored for Salesforce. It's particularly useful if you're a Salesforce developer, release manager, or team leader aiming to improve software delivery performance and foster innovation.
by TailoredRead AI·
This tailored book explores the essential actions needed for rapid success in Salesforce projects and roles, focusing on practical, targeted guidance designed to match your background and goals. It examines key steps to accelerate project outcomes and enhance your impact, diving into core Salesforce functions, project milestones, and role-specific tasks. By closely aligning with your interests, this personalized resource reveals how to navigate the complexities of Salesforce with clarity and confidence, emphasizing quick wins that build momentum. It covers everything from stakeholder engagement to technical implementation, ensuring you gain a clear, actionable pathway. This tailored approach transforms broad expertise into a focused, manageable learning journey designed for your unique Salesforce challenges.
Recommended by Eric Dreshfield
Salesforce MVP Hall of Fame, Midwest Dreamin' Founder
“From the basic topic of ‘What is CRM’ to the more advanced topics of Assignment Rules and Approval Processes, this book has it all. Well written, in a manner that is easy to comprehend, coupled with screen-shots aplenty, Sharif & Timothy have created the ultimate guide for Salesforce newbies. And if you’re wondering if you really “get it”, each chapter concludes with a quiz to help you assess your understanding of the topics.” (from Amazon)
by Sharif Shaalan, Timothy Royer··You?
Sharif Shaalan and Timothy Royer bring their deep Salesforce expertise to this book, aiming to demystify the platform for newcomers and aspiring administrators. You’ll learn to navigate key Salesforce functions such as lead management, sales pipelines, campaign marketing, and business process automation using Flows and Approval Processes. The book breaks down complex concepts like security models and user setup into digestible chapters, each concluding with quizzes to reinforce your grasp. If you want a thorough grounding in Salesforce administration and practical skills to optimize your CRM workflows, this book offers a clear path forward without overwhelming technical jargon.
Recommended by Arianna Huffington
Co-Founder of The Huffington Post
“David wrote “The Sales Playbook” in Marc @Benioff’s book Behind the Cloud and @businessinsider published a great piece featuring David last week about closing software sales during the pandemic.” (from X)
by Marc Benioff, Carlye Adler··You?
Marc Benioff, the founder and CEO of Salesforce, offers an insider’s account of how a startup in a small apartment grew into a $46 billion cloud computing giant. You’ll gain insight into the innovative business, technology, and philanthropic models that shaped Salesforce’s rise, including how the company weathered the dotcom crash and built an ecosystem of passionate customers and partners. The book dives into specific strategies like turning customers into evangelists and fostering continuous innovation that you can adapt to your own business challenges. If you're interested in entrepreneurship, cloud technology, or scaling tech companies, this book provides a grounded perspective from someone who lived it.
Recommended by Don Robins
Salesforce MVP and Certified Instructor
“Andrew Fawcett's book on Salesforce Platform Enterprise Architecture is a must-read for developers and architects. It offers a deep dive into architecting and implementing enterprise-scale applications using current platform features and best practices. Andrew's experience as a CTO and his work with Apex and Salesforce provide valuable insights. The book covers topics like Salesforce Developer Experience, key platform features, traditional software development patterns, governor limits, and DevOps. It offers a comprehensive understanding of the Salesforce platform and provides an architectural approach for success in building scalable and maintainable systems.” (from Amazon)
by Andrew Fawcett··You?
When Andrew Fawcett, a seasoned software architect and Salesforce VP, wrote this book, he aimed to bridge the gap between complex enterprise needs and the Salesforce Platform's evolving capabilities. You’ll gain detailed insights into advanced architectural patterns like domain-driven design and separation of concerns, plus practical guidance on leveraging Lightning Web Components and integrating external services through Heroku and Functions. The book also dives into security features, unit testing with ApexMocks and Jest, and handling large data volumes asynchronously. If you're a developer with solid Salesforce basics looking to elevate your enterprise application skills, this book sharpens your ability to build scalable, maintainable, and packaged apps for both internal use and AppExchange.
by Jakub Stefaniak··You?
Jakub Stefaniak leverages his extensive background as a Salesforce Certified Technical Architect and VP of Technology Strategy to guide you through the complex AppExchange ecosystem. You’ll learn how to design customer-focused applications, navigate security reviews, and manage app releases with real-world case studies enriching the narrative. The book delves into both technical challenges and business strategies like monetization and operational excellence, making it an indispensable resource for developers and entrepreneurs alike. Whether you're aiming to launch your first app or scale an existing product, this book offers detailed insights to help you succeed within Salesforce’s marketplace.
by Jodi Hrbek··You?
Unlike most Salesforce guides that skim technical features, this book dives into transforming your role from a mere system operator to a strategic partner. Jodi Hrbek draws from her extensive two decades of hands-on experience, including leadership roles at Salesforce and startups in the Blackstone portfolio, to teach you how to identify business needs and deliver impactful solutions. You’ll find practical frameworks for stakeholder communication and time management, illustrated by real examples that sharpen your decision-making and influence. This book is ideal if you want to elevate your career beyond admin tasks but might feel less relevant if you’re seeking purely technical how-tos.
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Conclusion
Together, these 10 Salesforce books underscore three vital themes: leadership with purpose, practical project and implementation expertise, and the integration of cutting-edge technology. If you’re stepping into Salesforce administration, Salesforce for Beginners and Rock your Role as a Salesforce Admin offer accessible starting points. For those leading projects or architecting solutions, Become a Super Salesforce Consultant and Salesforce Platform Enterprise Architecture provide depth and strategic guidance.
Looking to innovate and scale? Mastering Salesforce DevOps and Salesforce AppExchange Success Blueprint deliver specialized knowledge for development and marketplace success. For rapid impact, pairing Predictable Revenue with Trailblazer reveals how sales strategies and values-driven leadership go hand in hand.
Alternatively, you can create a personalized Salesforce book to bridge the gap between general principles and your specific situation. These books can help you accelerate your learning journey and confidently navigate the Salesforce landscape.
Frequently Asked Questions
I'm overwhelmed by choice – which book should I start with?
Start with Salesforce for Beginners if you're new to the platform. It breaks down core concepts clearly. If you're focused on career growth, Rock your Role as a Salesforce Admin offers practical leadership advice.
Are these books too advanced for someone new to Salesforce?
Not at all. Books like Salesforce for Beginners are designed specifically for newcomers, while others like Mastering Salesforce DevOps target experienced developers, letting you choose based on your skill level.
What's the best order to read these books?
Begin with foundational books like Salesforce for Beginners and Become a Super Salesforce Consultant. Then, explore specialized topics such as DevOps or AppExchange development to deepen your expertise.
Are any of these books outdated given how fast Salesforce changes?
These books are recent and reflect current Salesforce practices. For example, Salesforce Platform Enterprise Architecture is in its fourth edition as of 2023, ensuring up-to-date coverage of platform features.
Which book gives the most actionable advice I can use right away?
Salesforce End-to-End Implementation Handbook offers practical checklists and frameworks you can apply immediately to manage projects effectively and improve outcomes.
Can I get Salesforce learning tailored to my specific needs?
Yes! While these books provide solid foundations, you can create a personalized Salesforce book to focus on your experience, goals, and areas of interest for a more targeted learning experience.
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