The Challenger Sale

3
THE CHALLENGER (PART 2):
EXPORTING THE MODEL TO THE
CORE
A CHALLENGER IS 
defined by the ability to do three things—teach,
tailor, and take control—and to do all of this through the use of constructive
tension.
These are the pillars of what we call the Challenger Selling Model—an
approach to sales that is based on what Challengers do. It’s a methodology
that we’ve worked on with companies across a wide range of industries—
companies as diverse as Talecris Biotherapeutics, PMI, Brinks, and the
solutions business of Thomson Reuters—to implement within their own
sales organizations. It’s premised on the notion that with the right training,
coaching, and sales tools, most reps—even ardent Relationship Builders—
can learn to take control of the customer conversation like a Challenger.
The Challenger Selling Model is simple in theory, but complex in
practice, and early adopters will attest to that. The rest of this book is
dedicated to sharing proven best practices, tools, and lessons learned to help
companies, commercial leaders, managers, and reps implement the
Challenger Selling Model.
Before we begin this journey, it makes sense to discuss some of the
fundamental principles that underlie the model and that will become themes
throughout the course of this book.

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Principle #1: Challengers Are Made, Not Just Born
One of the questions we often hear is whether being a Challenger is a
question of nature or nurture for sales reps. In other words, are Challengers
born or made? There are a few ways to answer this question.
One of the things we know from our research is that every rep in our
study had traces of the Challenger “gene,” it just wasn’t the thing they
“majored” in. But because we focused our work specifically on skills,
attitudes, behaviors, and knowledge, that tell us that with the right tools,
training, coaching, and reward and recognition system, you can likely equip
many of your reps who minor in challenging (and maybe even those who
just took a few credits in it) to act more like Challengers when they’re in
front of the customer. While there may be reps who won’t make the
transition, there are many, many more who will if you invest the time and
energy to get them there.
Furthermore, the idea that Challengers are born and not made is
somewhat irrelevant. While we might not be able to rewrite their DNA, if
we are able to modify non–Challenger rep behavior even temporarily as
they face off with customers (to “flex,” as one member put it), that effort is
likely time well spent. After all, we aren’t aware of any sales leader who is
ready to let go of all but a handful of his reps and rehire an entirely new
sales force—that is, no head of sales who wants to keep his job.
Our operating principle with members has been to focus on arming
them with the tools and training they need to improve their existing sales
force right now. This is a worthy goal and one that the best organizations
have shown great success in pursuing. There is ample evidence to suggest
that Challengers can be made. We’ve seen this firsthand and have had
tremendous success helping companies build Challengers within their own
organizations.
If you are a sales rep, regardless of whether or not you are a natural
Challenger, this discussion of the Challenger Sales Model contains insights
that will help boost your personal effectiveness as a salesperson. While your
current approach may differ from the Challenger model, don’t think of these
differences as insurmountable or somehow carved in stone. Understanding
that these gaps exist and, more important, that you have it in your power to
close them, is a critical part of the journey.

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