The CEO of a mid-size, fast growth software company shared with us that they dropped $500k on sales training for The “Challenger Sale method”. They didn’t regret it, the challenger sale is the latest trend in selling. And we believe it works.
Quick overview: A story written on Harvard Business Review revealed that there are five types of B2B Sales reps in the market:
- Relationship Builders
- Hard Workers
- Lone Wolves
- Reactive Problem Solvers
- Challengers
The study concluded that of these 5, the Challengers clearly outperform all of the others. In fact, the study says that 39% of the best salespeople are Challengers.
Here’s why:
- The buyer has changed. They are more informed than before and they have less time. The rep MUST challenge their customers to new solutions to cut through the clutter and deliver results.
- The best way to sell is to teach.
Challengers know the individual customer’s value drivers. They can identify economic drivers of the customer’s business. They are comfortable discussing money and can positively pressure the customer.
Challengers are more informed and thus more valuable to their prospects. In today’s business environment, the status quo glad handers just don’t cut it.
Challenge your prospect today.
SalesLoft CEO, Kyle Porter. Circle Kyle on Google+!
