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A review by atxspacecowboy
The Challenger Sale: Taking Control of the Customer Conversation by Matthew Dixon, Brent Adamson
5.0
The 5 Sales Rep Types:
1. The Hard Worker
2. The Relationship Builder
3. The Lone Wolf
4. The Reactive Problem Solver
(a customer service rep in sales rep clothing)
5. The Challenger
6 Characteristics of a Challenger Rep:
1. They offer customers a unique perspective
2. They have great 2-way communication skills
3. They know the customer's value drivers
4. They can identify economic drivers of the customer's business
5. The rep is comfortable discussing money
6. The rep can pressure the customer
A challenger sales rep can TEACH, TAILOR, AND TAKE CONTROL through constructive tension.
Challengers aren't necessarily world-class question askers, rather world-class teachers.
Only 38% of customer loyalty is a result of brand/product/service because your competition is great too (not much differentiation)
Only 9% of customer loyalty Is a result of price to value
Loyalty is found in the sales call. 53% of customer loyalty is attributed to the sales experience. Over half of customer loyalty is not WHAT you sell but HOW you sell it.
Sharing new insights (best) vs doing good discovery (good).
Commercial Teaching:
Teach customers about a problem they have that only you can solve!
customer: "Wow—how can I make that happen?"
Rep: "let me show you how we're the only one that can provide that"
It sounds counterintuitive but if your customer says "yes that's exactly what keeps me up at night" then you have failed because you have not taught them anything new. This is where relationship builders fail.
"Huh, I never thought about it that way before" is when you win.
If you are going to build an ROI Calculator, make sure you factor in the cost of the new framework you presented not just your product.
The 6 Steps of a World-class Teaching Pitch
1. The Warmer
Assessment of key challenges and building credibility by leading with hypothesis of their pain I.e., "we're seein thus in the industry, are you dealing with that too?" Vs "What keeps you up at night?"
2. The Reframe
Reframing their problem
3. Rational Drowning
#s driven poking the new pain
4. Emotional Inpact
Make sure they feel the pain by making is personal. Story telling of similar companies.
5. A New Way
Point by point solution (not about the specific supplier yet). Before the customer buys your solution they have to buy the solution.
6. Your Solution
Build a pitch that leads TO your solution, not WITH it.
Putting 1-6 together and you get:
"What's currently costing our customers more money than they realize that only we can help them fix?"
Coaching
1. Low performer
2. Core performer
3. Top performer
Coaching has much less impact on 1 & 3 and much more on 2. Think of a top tier golfer; they have a swing coach but it may it may only take 1 stroke off their average. A horrible golfer/athlete won't really improve even with the best coaching because they ...simply suck. Coaching will help a capable, middle of the road golfer the most.
The innovative manager does the following:
Investigate
Create
Share
1. The Hard Worker
2. The Relationship Builder
3. The Lone Wolf
4. The Reactive Problem Solver
(a customer service rep in sales rep clothing)
5. The Challenger
6 Characteristics of a Challenger Rep:
1. They offer customers a unique perspective
2. They have great 2-way communication skills
3. They know the customer's value drivers
4. They can identify economic drivers of the customer's business
5. The rep is comfortable discussing money
6. The rep can pressure the customer
A challenger sales rep can TEACH, TAILOR, AND TAKE CONTROL through constructive tension.
Challengers aren't necessarily world-class question askers, rather world-class teachers.
Only 38% of customer loyalty is a result of brand/product/service because your competition is great too (not much differentiation)
Only 9% of customer loyalty Is a result of price to value
Loyalty is found in the sales call. 53% of customer loyalty is attributed to the sales experience. Over half of customer loyalty is not WHAT you sell but HOW you sell it.
Sharing new insights (best) vs doing good discovery (good).
Commercial Teaching:
Teach customers about a problem they have that only you can solve!
customer: "Wow—how can I make that happen?"
Rep: "let me show you how we're the only one that can provide that"
It sounds counterintuitive but if your customer says "yes that's exactly what keeps me up at night" then you have failed because you have not taught them anything new. This is where relationship builders fail.
"Huh, I never thought about it that way before" is when you win.
If you are going to build an ROI Calculator, make sure you factor in the cost of the new framework you presented not just your product.
The 6 Steps of a World-class Teaching Pitch
1. The Warmer
Assessment of key challenges and building credibility by leading with hypothesis of their pain I.e., "we're seein thus in the industry, are you dealing with that too?" Vs "What keeps you up at night?"
2. The Reframe
Reframing their problem
3. Rational Drowning
#s driven poking the new pain
4. Emotional Inpact
Make sure they feel the pain by making is personal. Story telling of similar companies.
5. A New Way
Point by point solution (not about the specific supplier yet). Before the customer buys your solution they have to buy the solution.
6. Your Solution
Build a pitch that leads TO your solution, not WITH it.
Putting 1-6 together and you get:
"What's currently costing our customers more money than they realize that only we can help them fix?"
Coaching
1. Low performer
2. Core performer
3. Top performer
Coaching has much less impact on 1 & 3 and much more on 2. Think of a top tier golfer; they have a swing coach but it may it may only take 1 stroke off their average. A horrible golfer/athlete won't really improve even with the best coaching because they ...simply suck. Coaching will help a capable, middle of the road golfer the most.
The innovative manager does the following:
Investigate
Create
Share