It states that Challengers are best placed to deliver strong results in the current sales climate, through their ability to: In their book The Challenger Sale, Matthew Dixon and Brent Adamson argue that sales reps fall into one of five categories:Īs you probably guessed, their sales model is centered on the first category: Challengers. Or they can reposition themselves as a challenger. They can either become an order-taker, waiting for a customer to get in touch and giving them exactly what they ask for. In this context, a sales rep’s role has to change. In fact, the average customer is already 57% of the way through the buying process when they first make meaningful contact with us.Īt that point, they already have pretty clear ideas about the type of product they need, the features they’re looking for, and how much it’ll cost. Convinced by our expertise, they buy from usīut in reality, it doesn’t normally go like that.Through subtle questioning and persuasion, we identify their business challenges and position our product as the solution.Ultimately, coaching sales reps to stay focused on solving real business problems that create value-both providing it and underscoring it-will better position your team to keep prospects engaged and moving down the funnel.As salespeople, we like to picture the sales process a little like this: The Challenger Sale and value selling are aligned in more ways than one. For example, they might provide market insights, technology updates, and help the prospect navigate their own internal buying process. This ensures that sales reps continue to be helpful and relevant no matter where the prospect is in the buying process. Since both approaches prioritize improving the customer’s business, it makes sense that creating value throughout the sales cycle is essential to each. They both continuously create value throughout the sales cycle. Furthermore, if reps have access to value selling tools, they’ll be better able to articulate the value solving the problem will offer. By centering the conversation around improving the customer’s business by solving a real problem rather than price, sales reps are able to better control the pricing conversation. They both take control of the discussions around pricing and challenge customer’s thinking around the problem.
#Steps of the challenger sale drivers#
While sales reps recognize that price is an essential part of the conversation-and they’re not afraid to breach the subject-the impetus is always on the customer’s value drivers and the value they will receive by solving their problem(s). They both know the customer’s value drivers.īoth challenger and value selling have a focus on value over price. Now that you know a little bit more about what the Challenger Sale is, let’s see how it aligns with value selling. In the study, this Challenger style was used by 40% of high sales performers, who were two times more likely to use a Challenger approach, and “more than 50% of all star performers fit the challenger profile in complex sales.” “The Challenger” rep has a strong understanding of the customer’s business, a different view of the world, loves to debate, and pushes the customer. This sales experience is largely influenced by a customer’s interaction with the sales rep. The methodology is based on one of the largest sales studies ever conducted, during which it was found that “53% of customer loyalty is driven by the sales experience – not brand, price, service, or even the product.”
The Challenger SaleĪccording to Brent Adamson and Matthew Dixon Adamson’s book The Challenger Sale: Taking Control of the Customer Conversation, this is a type of sale in which “the rep teaches the prospect something about their business, tailors their pitch to resonate with customer concerns, and takes control of the sales process.” These sales reps engage in what some have now dubbed “The Challenger Sale.”īut what exactly is it and how does it align with value selling? The most successful sales reps focus on understanding the customer's business, especially when it comes to solution selling.