The Challenger Sale
Best-selling book from CEB uses research to confront traditional sales wisdom.
In a world of hesitant, risk-averse, empowered customers, what sales approach consistently wins?
To find out, CEB surveyed over 6,000 sales reps across geographies and industries. The research revealed that sales reps fall into one of five profiles:
- The Hard Worker
- The Problem Solver
- The Challenger
- The Relationship Builder
- The Lone Wolf
Each profile can turn in average performance, but only one consistently outperforms – the Challenger.
Challengers: What They Do Differently
While most reps focus on building customer relationships, the best focus on pushing customers' thinking, introducing new solutions to their problems and illuminating problems customers overlook.
Specifically, they:
- Teach
- Tailor
- Take Control
Challengers: Who They Target
While most reps are trying to master solutions selling, the best evaluate which accounts to prioritize and which specific buyers within those accounts to target.
Specifically, they target:
- Accounts where their needs are still undefined
- Individual buyers who are skeptical change agents -- called "Mobilizers" -- over friendly "Talkers"
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