the most important takeaways from the challenger sale book

Over half of customer loyalty is a result not of what you sell, but how you sell. Selling a well-branded, highly differentiated product, supported by higher-than-industry-average service will undoubtedly get you more loyalty.Ĭustomers, generally speaking, see significantly less difference between us and the competition than we do ourselves. They win not by understanding their customers’ world as well as the customers know it themselves, but by actually knowing their customers’ world better than their customers know it themselves, teaching them what they don’t know but should. Shift the discussion from price to value.Ĭhallengers aren’t so much world-class investigators as they are world-class teachers. The key, of course, is to do this with control, diplomacy, and empathy. In a time when consensus is more important than ever to get the deal done, it’s no surprise that the rep who wins in this environment is the one who can effectively tailor the message to a wide range of customer stakeholders in order to build that consensus. If you’re on the journey to more of a value-based or solutions-oriented sales approach, then your ability to challenge customers is absolutely vital for your success going forward.

The world of solution selling is almost definitionally about a disruptive sale.

While the Challenger is focused on customer value, the Relationship Builder is more concerned with customer convenience. (Challengers have) a deep understanding of the customer’s business and use that understanding to push the customer’s thinking and teach them something new about how their company can compete more effectively.Ī Challenger is really defined by the ability to do three things: teach, tailor, and take control.Īs the Challenger is focused on pushing the customer out of their comfort zone, the Relationship Builder is focused on being accepted into it. If you’re going to win going forward, you’ve got to equip reps to generate new demand in a world of reluctant, risk-averse customers. How you sell has become more important than what you sell. Well worth the time.ĭirect Highlights & Quotes from The Challenger Sale: Reading this summary can give you the gist, but if you haven’t read the full book I hope this pushes you in that direction.

What resulted is this approximately 1800-word summary of direct quotes and other important points from the book. I read the book again last week, highlighting some of what I thought were its most important points. It addresses not only a better way to approach your customers and the sales process, but also how organizations and managers can improve their coaching, sales training and overall customer loyalty in the process. I highly, highly recommend it to anyone directly or indirectly in a position to sell. One of the best sales books I read last year was The Challenger Sale.

The most important takeaways from the challenger sale book