Member Article

Challenging sales conversations?

How often do you challenge your Prospects and Customers? Best practice dictates the preparation of carefully thought through questions that help us diagnose the needs of our customers in order for us to create tailor made solutions. However, how often do you challenge your customers in their thinking? Do you help them to re-think their processes and procedures, do you question their views and understanding of their own best practices?

The Challenger Sale by Matthew Dixon and Brett Adamson of The Corporate Executive Board (CEB) is challenging (pardon the pun) our industry – sales training and development, and any solution sales company to re-think how their sales conversations are approached.

The Challenger Sale proves that the millions of pounds companies spend on marketing and brand development, whilst being important, comes in second to the quality of the sales process. The fact is buyers expect brands to be what they are. This means there is only slight differentiation (despite the vast amount of money spent). Interestingly, what makes the difference is the ability of the selling company’s people to teach and share new ideas in the process. To make a difference.

Through extensive analysis, CEB identified six attributes of sales people who have mastered not the economy but the complex sale:

• The ability to offer the customer unique perspectives.
• Has strong two-way communication skills.
• Knows the individual customer’s value drivers.
• Can identify economic drivers of the customer’s business.
• Is comfortable discussing money.
• Can pressure the customer.

I find the last two attributes in the list above particularly interesting. At durhamlane we train and coach sales people to discuss and determine budget (or money) early on in the sales process. We have to be comfortable discussing money yet so many sales people are not. We also have to understand when to push the customer. As a solution provider we should be able to offer insight and best practice. We should also know when we can challenge and persuade a customer into making a change that we believe will deliver lasting benefits and results. Change isn’t easy for people or businesses. It is our responsibility
to understand when change is necessary in order to lead to better results.

CEB identified five different types of B2B sales person across the thousands they surveyed and studied:

• Hard Workers
• Relationship Builders
• Lone Wolves
• Reactive Problem Solvers
• Challengers

CEB’s analysis identified a clear winner and a clear loser. The Challengers significantly outperformed everyone else, while Relationship Builders dramatically under performed their peers. Challengers “teach, tailor and take control” of the complex sale. They are able to do this because of the strength they demonstrate across the attributes listed above.

The buying process has become more complex than ever. The Challenger Sale argues traditional solution sales approaches don’t help but rather add more complexity. So, asking questions, uncovering need and building “pain” is no longer enough. In the same way that building great relationships but failing to close the deal is expensive and ultimately not a measure of success.

We need to educate our customers to help them make informed decisions. We need to help them to buy from us. To be firm and to lead them into taking action, the right action, so that we can deliver solutions that make a lasting difference.

I agree with CEB’s claim that Challenger sales people are made, not born. If you are interested in being the best sales person you can be then this book is essential reading.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by durhamlane .