The 14 Best Sales Funnel Books Every CEO Must Read

Hi there, welcome to my list of the best sales funnel books for 2025! (Updated)

I’ve been in the funnel game since 2017, and building a sales funnel is the best decision ever. It’s a total game-changer in every way.

I spent time reading and researching 14 marketing funnel books out there. Carefully evaluating each for sales funnel strategies, actionable advice, author experience, and examples in different scenarios.

It doesn’t consider factors like “What is the cheapest?”. I only care about how it will help you generate leads, sell, or scale.

Ready? Grab the coffee and take a deep into.

1. Dotcom Secrets Book

Dotcom Secrets is the first book in The Secrets Trilogy by Russell Brunson, CEO and co-founder of ClickFunnels. This quick read teaches you the fundamental frameworks for building sales funnels that turn website visitors into paying customers.

Russell Brunson breaks down the exact funnel strategies he used to grow his company from zero to over $360 million. He ran thousands of split tests to figure out which sales funnels work best for different business scenarios. Now you get those proven blueprints without years of trial and error.

This book works best for beginners who’ve never built a funnel before or business owners who get website traffic but struggle to convert visitors into buyers.

Why This Book Should Be Your Starting Point?

Most businesses have the “funnel problem.”

They get traffic but can’t convert it into sales. Unlike other internet marketing books that focus on tweaking headlines or optimizing ads, Dotcom Secrets solves the structural problem that kills most funnels before they even launch.

Russell shows you 10 types of funnels and tells you exactly when to use each one. You’ll stop guessing and start following proven frameworks.

Here’s what you’ll learn inside:

• The Secret Formula: Four questions that help you identify your ideal customers, figure out where they spend time online, and create offers they actually want. Get this wrong and your funnel won’t convert no matter how beautiful it looks.
• Hook, Story, Offer: The three elements that grab attention and guide people through your funnel. This framework works in your ads, landing pages, emails, and sales calls.
• The Attractive Character: How to communicate with your audience in a way that builds trust instead of triggering skepticism. You’ll learn to position yourself as the guide who helps solve their problem, not the guru who’s better than them.
• The Value Ladder: Structure your offers so customers naturally move from affordable entry products to premium services. Stop leaving money on the table with one-time sales.
• Funnel Hacking: How to analyze successful competitor funnels and figure out what’s working right now. This gives you a baseline to beat instead of starting from scratch.
• 10 Core Funnel Blueprints: Step-by-step diagrams for lead generation, product sales, webinars, phone bookings, and more. You’ll know exactly which pages to build and where people go next.

What this book won’t teach you: Funnel design, how to write your sales page section by section or how to drive traffic to your funnel. Those topics are covered in the other Russell Brunson books (such as Expert Secrets for selling, or Traffic Secrets for getting visitors).

Yes, there are some optional upsells and promotions from his software company, Clickfunnels. But Dotcom Secrets is still the best sales funnel book overall.

Get the book here for free | Dotcom Secrets review

2. The Sales Funnel Book

The Sales Funnel Book is a short, visual guide packed with diagrams, copywriting formulas, and funnel scripts you can copy immediately. At under 100 pages, this Amazon bestseller focuses on practical implementation rather than theory, making it perfect for people who want to build funnels quickly without reading 300-page books.

This book works best as a reference guide when you’re actively building a funnel and need specific templates or formulas. If Dotcom Secrets is the textbook that teaches you funnel architecture, The Sales Funnel Book is the cheat sheet you keep on your desk while building.

Why keep this book within reach?

The Sales Funnel Book shines as a quick reference when you’re stuck building. You need a headline formula? Flip to page 23. Can’t figure out what to say on your thank-you page? There’s a script for that. Wondering how to structure your upsell sequence? The diagram shows you exactly which pages connect where.

Key benefits:

• Visual learners will love this: If you struggled to visualize funnels from text-heavy books, the diagrams make everything click
• Speed up your build time: Instead of staring at blank pages, wondering what to write, use the provided formulas and customize them for your offer
• Models you can mimic immediately: See real examples and adapt them to your business instead of starting from scratch

Think of this as the field manual, while Dotcom Secrets is the training course. You read Dotcom Secrets to understand funnel strategy. You reference The Sales Funnel Book when you’re building and need quick answers.

If you’re brand new to funnels, start with Dotcom Secrets. This book assumes you understand basic funnel concepts and jumps straight to “here’s how to build it.” Experienced marketers will appreciate the no-fluff approach. Beginners might feel lost.

Get the book here and keep it handy when you’re building your next funnel.

3. Sell Like Crazy Book

Sell Like Crazy by Sabri Suby teaches you the 8-phase selling system for generating leads, sales, and profits for ANY business on the market. Sabri Suby built his marketing agency from zero to 8 figures using this exact process.

The book delves deep into two key areas: generating leads through lead magnets and converting those leads into high-converting sales pages.

Dotcom Secrets teaches you which funnel to build. Sell Like Crazy teaches you how to make that funnel actually convert.

Think of it this way: Dotcom Secrets gives you the blueprint for a house. Sell Like Crazy teaches you how to make every room inside that house work perfectly.

Here’s what makes this book different:

• The 8-phase selling system: A systematic approach from identifying your target audience to maximizing customer lifetime value. Each step builds on the previous one, so you’re not just throwing tactics at the wall hoping something sticks.
• Lead Magnet Creation Formula: Most people create lead magnets that nobody wants. Suby shows you how to identify what your audience actually desires and package it in a way that makes them eager to give you their email address.
• The “Godfather” Offer Strategy: This framework helps you structure offers so compelling that prospects feel like they’re getting away with robbery. You’ll learn how to stack value, position pricing, and eliminate objections before they arise.
• Sales Page Architecture: Section-by-section breakdown of what goes on a high-converting sales page. You’ll know exactly what to write for your headline, opening hook, credibility section, offer presentation, guarantee, and close.
• Traffic tips: You’ll learn how to create high-converting Google Ads and Facebook Ads

This book does not cover different types of sales funnels. It suffers from excessive repetition, particularly in the first 30-50 pages, which focus heavily on motivational content about hard work rather than actual sales strategies. Additionally, the author repeatedly emphasizes the book’s value even after readers have already made their purchase.

However, it can still be beneficial for startups and small agencies looking to acquire more quality leads and clients online.

Get the Sell Like Crazy book here | Sell Like Crazy Book Review

4. Expert Secrets Book

Expert Secrets is the second book in The Secrets Trilogy by Russell Brunson. It teaches you the art of persuasion, builds a tribe, and becomes the leader in your industry. While Dotcom Secrets is the “science” of funnel building, Expert Secrets is the “art” behind successful funnels.

Here’s the problem most people face: They build a beautiful funnel, create a great offer, drive traffic to it, and… nothing. People look but don’t buy. That’s because they’re missing the persuasion layer.

Expert Secrets fills the gap between having an offer and getting people to actually buy it.

The book teaches you how to communicate value in a way that makes people want to take action. You’ll learn how to present your offer so it feels like the obvious next step instead of a pushy sales pitch.

Here’s what you’ll learn inside:

• The Perfect Webinar Script: Exact framework for creating 60-90 minute presentations that sell high-ticket offers. Brunson walks you through the opening hook, teaching section, stack slide, and close. You’ll know exactly what to say and when to say it.
• Story Selling Framework: How to use three specific story types (origin story, struggle story, result story) to break down skepticism and build desire. Stories sell better than facts because they bypass logical objections and connect emotionally.
• Creating Your Mass Movement: Learn how to build a tribe of raving fans who actively promote your message. You’ll discover how to position yourself as the leader people want to follow instead of just another expert selling something.
• The Attractive Character in Action: While Dotcom Secrets introduces this concept, Expert Secrets shows you how to use it throughout your sales process. You’ll learn the specific character types and communication styles that build trust with different audience segments.
• Breaking False Beliefs: People don’t buy because they have false beliefs about your product, themselves, or the vehicle you’re offering. This section teaches you how to identify and shatter those beliefs through strategic storytelling.

With Dotcom Secrets, you’ll learn the structure and framework of sales funnels. Following that, Expert Secrets will guide you through key concepts such as persuasion, storytelling, building a community, becoming a leader, and effectively communicating with those who have entered your sales funnels.

Get the book here for free | Expert Secrets review

5. Traffic Secrets Book

Traffic Secrets is the third book in The Secrets Trilogy by Russell Brunson. The book helps you learn the strategies to drive consistent traffic to your funnel.

The best part?

The Traffic Secrets book doesn’t teach you the latest Facebook ad hack or SEO trick that’ll stop working next month.

Instead, Russell reveals evergreen traffic strategies that work regardless of algorithm changes. You’ll learn how to find where your dream customers already gather and how to get in front of them.

This book works best for anyone who has a working funnel but can’t get enough targeted traffic to it. If you’re tired of the feast-or-famine cycle where traffic appears one month and disappears the next, this book gives you stability.

Here’s what you’ll learn inside:

• The Dream 100 Strategy: Identify the top 100 people, podcasts, blogs, and influencers who already have your audience’s attention. Then systematically build relationships with them so they introduce you to their audience. This beats starting from scratch, trying to build your own following.
• Finding Your Congregations: Your ideal customers already gather somewhere online. This section shows you how to identify where they hang out and how to become part of those communities without being spammy or salesy.
• The Hook, Story, Offer in Traffic: How to adapt the framework from Expert Secrets specifically for grabbing attention in crowded feeds and platforms. You’ll learn what makes people stop scrolling and actually click.
• Building Your Own Distribution Channel: Once you get traffic from other people’s audiences, how do you keep them? This section teaches you to build your own email list, podcast, or content platform so you control your traffic source.

Keep in mind that you do NOT learn specific ad targeting strategies (like the Sell Like Crazy book), SEO techniques, or how to game any particular platform’s algorithm.

It focuses on relationship-based traffic strategies that require effort but don’t require huge ad budgets.

If you’re tired of the “traffic rollercoaster” where one month is great and the next month you’re scrambling to find customers, this book gives you the framework for consistent, predictable traffic flow.

Get the book here for free | Traffic Secrets review

6. No B.S. Direct Marketing

No B.S. Direct Marketing by Dan Kennedy teaches you the direct response principles that every modern sales funnel is built on. Kennedy is Russell Brunson’s mentor, and most sales funnel books (including Dotcom Secrets) adapt the timeless strategies Kennedy laid out decades ago.

Kennedy’s writing is dense, no-nonsense, and pulls no punches. He tells you what you need to hear, not what you want to hear.

That’s why I listed the Secrets Trilogy first – those books are easier to digest for beginners. You need the direct marketing foundations Kennedy teaches if you’re serious about marketing, especially when it comes to funnel building.

Key lessons that will transform how you market:

• Stop advertising like everyone else – Kennedy shows you why most businesses waste money on brand awareness campaigns that don’t generate measurable sales. You’ll learn Lead Generation advertising and Direct Response techniques that let you see exactly which ads produce revenue and which ones burn cash.
• Make prospects visualize themselves using your product – Just like a car salesman helps you see yourself driving the car and your friends admiring it, Kennedy teaches you how to put customers in “thinking mode” where they’re already imagining the results your product delivers.
• Turn your business into a results-driven machine – The book breaks down into clear rules with real case studies you can mimic and apply immediately. You’ll reach more people than you ever could face-to-face while tracking exactly what’s working.

Kennedy strips away marketing fluff and teaches principles that haven’t changed in 50 years. While Dotcom Secrets hands you funnel blueprints, Kennedy explains why those blueprints work so you can adapt them to any business.

This book requires focus. No colorful diagrams or step-by-step screenshots. Start with Dotcom Secrets if you’re new. Come back to Kennedy once you’ve built a few funnels and want to master the underlying principles.

Get the book here and learn what separates amateurs from marketing masters.

7. Magnetic Marketing

Magnetic Marketing by Dan Kennedy flips traditional marketing on its head. Instead of chasing prospects with cold calls and ads, you create an “attraction force” that makes customers seek you out. Kennedy pioneered this “pull persuasion” approach decades before modern content marketers started talking about it.

This book works best for small business owners who are tired of aggressive selling tactics and want prospects to come to them already interested. If you’re spending time chasing leads who aren’t ready to buy, this book shows you how to attract people who are actively looking for what you sell.

Key lessons that change how you attract customers:

• Create the magnet that pulls customers to you: Kennedy shows you how to position yourself so prospects actively search for you instead of you hunting them down. You’ll stop wasting time on people who aren’t ready and start working with buyers who already want what you offer.
• Counter-intuitive tactics small businesses miss: Most business owners never figure out these strategies on their own. Kennedy reveals approaches that feel backwards but generate more sales with less effort than traditional “push” marketing.
• Watch a master demonstrate while he teaches: Kennedy practices what he preaches in real-time. As he explains credibility-building, he’s building his own credibility. As he teaches attraction marketing, he’s attracting you to his methods. You’re learning from someone who actually uses these principles, not just talks about them.

No B.S. Direct Marketing teaches foundational principles. Magnetic Marketing shows you how to apply those principles to make prospects come to you. Both Kennedy books are denser than Dotcom Secrets but deliver strategies you won’t find in modern funnel books.

The drawback? This book reads like an extended sales presentation for Kennedy’s higher-priced courses. Some sections feel repetitive if you’ve already read his other books. But the actionable tactics are solid, and you’ll find yourself referring back to specific strategies.

Get the book here and stop chasing customers who don’t want to be caught.

8. Five-Figure Funnels

Five-Figure Funnels by Michael Killen is a condensed, practical guide focused on creating sales funnels for service-based businesses and agencies. This book zeroes in on the specific funnel structure that works for selling services and consulting, making it perfect for coaches, freelancers, and agency owners.

The Five-Figure Funnels book works best if you sell your expertise rather than physical products. If you’re tired of being stuck on endless discovery calls with people who never buy, this book shows you how to build a funnel that pre-qualifies leads and converts them into paying clients.

Most funnel books assume you’re selling products or courses. Five-Figure Funnels speaks directly to people who sell their time and expertise.

After reading the book, you’ll get:

• Stop wasting time on unqualified leads: the funnel structure filters out tire-kickers before they reach your calendar, so you only talk to people ready to buy
• Templates that save hours of work: plug your service into the provided email templates and proposal formats instead of writing everything from scratch
• Set up once, runs automatically: create sequences that nurture leads while you’re working with current clients, so you’re not manually chasing everyone who downloads your lead magnet

The Five-Figure Funnels book is short and actionable. You can read it in a few hours and have your funnel mapped out by the end of the day. Killen shows you what to build, provides the templates, and gets out of your way.

However, if you need multiple funnel types or sell something other than services, this book’s narrow focus might not fit. But for service providers, this specificity is a strength.

Get the book here and build your service funnel this week.

9. $100M Offers

$100M Offers by Alex Hormozi teaches you how to create offers so compelling that people feel stupid saying no. When your funnel flops, it always comes down to three things: Hook, Story, or Offer. Your offer sits at the core. Copy and traffic matter, but without a strong offer, even perfect copy and massive traffic won’t convert.

Some books above discuss offer creation. Dotcom Secrets and Expert Secrets book cover Offer Stack. Sell Like Crazy mentions the “Godfather” strategy. But they don’t go as deep as Alex Hormozi does. This entire book zeroes in on crafting irresistible offers with specific frameworks and exercises you can apply today.

Alex Hormozi wrote this book with so many business tips. It’s short, meaty, and extremely quotable. You’ll finish it in a few hours and walk away with actionable steps to fix your offer immediately.

Key takeaways that transform your offers:

• The 10x to 1/10th Test: Ask yourself: “If customers paid me 10x my price, what would I provide? If they paid 1/10th and I had to make it more valuable, how would I do that?” This exercise stretches your thinking and reveals exactly what to add or remove from your offer.
• Charge What Hurts (Then Charge More): Hormozi teaches you the money mindset to price yourself higher than feels comfortable. You’ll learn why entrepreneurs who charge too little attract problem customers and why charging premium prices actually makes your business easier to run.
• Scarcity vs. Urgency Done Right: “Scarcity is a function of quantity. Urgency is a function of time.” Learn how to use both without sounding manipulative or desperate, creating genuine reasons for people to buy now instead of later.

Your funnel is the vehicle. Your offer is the destination. A weak offer in a perfect funnel still flops. A strong offer in a basic funnel makes money. Read this before you waste time perfecting funnel pages.

Get the book here and fix your offer first.

10. 100M Leads

$100M Leads by Alex Hormozi teaches you how to create lead magnets that attract your dream customers. Leads are the lifeblood of any online business. Without a steady flow of qualified leads entering your funnel, nothing else matters.

Here’s what most people get wrong: They throw out generic free stuff and hope it converts. That worked years ago. Today’s market is different. Your dream customers won’t download or opt-in just because something is free. They’re bombarded with free offers daily. Your lead magnet needs to stand out.

Alex Hormozi built his portfolio to $200 million per year, starting from sleeping on a gym floor. This book reveals how he mastered lead acquisition. With 106 drawings and 62 actionable tips, he shows you exactly how to get leads that actually turn into customers.

Key lessons that transform your lead generation:

• Create Lead Magnets That Feel Like They Should Cost Money: Your lead magnet should deliver such obvious value that prospects feel they’re getting away with something free. When your freebie exceeds the perceived value of what competitors charge for, people eagerly opt-in and trust you enough to buy later.
• The Core Four Lead Generation Methods: Master the four ways to get leads: warm outreach (asking existing contacts), posting free content, cold outreach, and running paid ads. Start with warm outreach when you’re beginning, then scale through the other methods as your business grows. Most people try all four at once and fail at everything.
• The Rule of 100 for Rapid Growth: Commit to 100 daily actions: reach out to 100 people, spend 100 minutes creating content, or invest $100 in ads each day. This forces you to do more of what’s already working instead of endlessly optimizing before you have enough data.
• Focus on Engaged Leads, Not Just Volume: Stop chasing anyone with a pulse. Target prospects who actually interact with your content and offers. Engagement signals genuine interest and dramatically increases your conversion rates while reducing time wasted on tire-kickers.

Get the book here and fill your funnel with qualified leads.

11. Invisible Selling Machine

Invisible Selling Machine by Ryan Deiss teaches you how to build automated email sequences that nurture leads and generate sales without you manually sending messages. The “machine” is your email automation system working 24/7 to convert subscribers into customers.

You’ve built your funnel using Dotcom Secrets. You’re getting leads using strategies from $100M Leads. Now you need a system that turns those email addresses into buyers automatically. That’s where this book comes in.

Most people capture emails and then… nothing. Or they send random promotional emails whenever they remember. Deiss shows you how to create a systematic email sequence that builds relationships, establishes trust, and makes sales on autopilot.

Key lessons that automate your sales:

• The Five-Step Email Automation Framework – Build sequences that identify potential buyers, make them remember your brand, discover what they actually want, deliver the right product for that need, and encourage repeat purchases. Once set up, this runs automatically for every new subscriber.
• Segmentation That Increases Conversions – Stop sending the same emails to everyone. Deiss shows you how to filter your list based on engagement and interests, so you’re only sending relevant offers to people likely to buy. This increases sales while reducing unsubscribes.
• Email Sequences That Sell Without Being Pushy – Learn the exact types of emails to send (educational, story-based, promotional) and in what order. You’ll build trust first, then make offers that feel natural instead of aggressive.

This book focuses specifically on email marketing automation for your funnel. If you’re getting leads but struggling to convert them through email, this shows you the system.

Get the book here and build your selling machine.

12. The 1-Page Marketing Plan

The 1-Page Marketing Plan by Allan Dib teaches you how to create a complete marketing strategy on a single page using a 9-square framework. Instead of building complicated 50-page marketing plans you’ll never follow, Dib shows you how to map out everything that matters on one sheet of paper.

Most people build funnels backward. They pick a funnel type, create pages, write copy, then wonder why it doesn’t work. They skipped the strategy layer.

The 1-Page Marketing Plan forces you to answer the questions that determine whether your funnel succeeds:

• Who exactly are you targeting? 
• What message will grab their attention?
• How will you capture leads?
• What’s your follow-up process? 
• How do you turn customers into repeat buyers?

Answer these questions on your one-page plan before you build a single funnel page. You’ll save weeks of wasted effort.

This book works best for small business owners and solopreneurs who know they need a marketing plan but feel overwhelmed by traditional planning processes. If you’ve avoided creating a marketing strategy because it feels too complicated or time-consuming, this framework makes it manageable.

The 1-Page Marketing Plan complements the funnel books perfectly. Dotcom Secrets shows you funnel structures. The 1-Page Marketing Plan shows you the strategy that makes those funnels work for your specific business.

Get the book here and create your marketing plan today.

13. Network Marketing Secrets

Network Marketing Secrets by Russell Brunson applies sales funnel strategies specifically to network marketing and affiliate businesses. Want to build a team in MLM or promote products? This book shows you how to use funnels to recruit distributors and sell products without relying solely on cold messaging friends and family.

Network marketing faces unique challenges: You need to recruit team members, sell products, and build a downline simultaneously. Traditional funnel books focus on selling products or services to customers. This book addresses the specific funnel structures that work for the network marketing business model.

Key lessons for network marketers:

• Recruit Through Funnels Instead of Cold Messages: Build lead generation funnels that attract people interested in business opportunities. Stop spamming your contact list and start positioning yourself as someone people want to join.
• Product Selling Funnels for Network Marketers: Learn how to sell your MLM products through automated funnels instead of one-on-one pitches. Create systems that educate prospects about product benefits and handle objections before they ever talk to you.
• Build Your Personal Brand Separate from Your Company: Most network marketers look identical, promoting the same company. Russell shows you how to stand out by building your own audience and funnel system that attracts people to you first, then to your opportunity.

This book won’t help if you sell traditional products or services. It’s laser-focused on the network marketing model. But if you’re in MLM and tired of the rejection that comes with traditional prospecting methods, these funnel strategies change everything.

Download the book for free | Network Marketing Secrets review

14. Copywriting Secrets Books

Copywriting Secrets by Jim Edwards teaches you how to write sales copy that turns browsers into buyers. This practical guide focuses on proven frameworks that work across emails, landing pages, sales letters, and ads.

Jim Edwards has written copy for over 20 years and built multiple seven-figure businesses. He distilled his testing and client work into simple fill-in-the-blank templates you can use right away.

You can have the perfect funnel structure, but weak copy kills conversions.

Most people freeze when facing a blank page. They either write boring feature lists that put readers to sleep, or they copy competitor language that sounds like everyone else. Neither approach makes sales.

Jim gives you plug-and-play templates so you stop staring at blank pages and start filling them with words that sell.

Here’s what you’ll learn inside:

• The 10-Minute Copy Formula: A simple framework that helps you write any type of sales copy fast. You answer specific questions about your offer, and the template organizes your answers into persuasive copy.
• Problem-Agitate-Solve (PAS): How to identify your customer’s pain point, make them feel it, then position your product as the solution. This three-step pattern works in subject lines, headlines, and full sales pages.
• Fill-in-the-Blank Templates: Ready-made structures for emails, Facebook ads, video scripts, and landing pages. You plug in your specific details and get working copy in minutes instead of hours.
• The One-Sentence Story: How to describe what you do in a way that makes people want to know more. You’ll stop boring people at networking events and start getting “tell me more” responses.
• Headline Formulas: Seven proven patterns that grab attention and make people click. You’ll know exactly how to start your sales pages, emails, and ads.
• Call-to-Action Scripts: What to say at the end of your copy to get people to take action without sounding pushy or desperate.

This book works best for funnel builders who need to write their own copy or small business owners who can’t afford to hire professional copywriters yet.

The writing style feels conversational and direct. Jim walks you through examples using his own business, so you see how the formulas work in real scenarios.

Get the book here | Copywriting Secrets review

How To Find The Best Sales Funnel Book For You

• If you’re brand new to funnels, start with Dotcom Secrets. It’s free (pay $9.95 shipping), easy to read, and gives you the foundation everything else builds on.
• If your funnel isn’t converting, your offer is probably weak. Read $100M Offers first, then Expert Secrets to improve how you sell.
• If you need more traffic, read Traffic Secrets for evergreen strategies, then $100M Leads for lead generation tactics.
• Coaches and course creators should read: Dotcom Secrets → $100M Offers → Expert Secrets → Five-Figure Funnels.
• E-commerce businesses should read: Dotcom Secrets → Sell Like Crazy.
• Network marketers need Network Marketing Secrets specifically.
• For deeper principles after you’ve built funnels, read Dan Kennedy’s books (No B.S. Direct Marketing and Magnetic Marketing).

💡 My advice: Start with Dotcom Secrets first, regardless of your situation. Next, build a simple funnel. Then pick your second book based on which problem you hit first. Stop collecting books. Start building funnels.