The Challenger Sale

APPENDIX A
Excerpt from the Challenger Coaching
Guide
TEACH
Pre-call Planning Questions
What business problem will you be focusing on with this
customer? How do you know that this is of critical
importance to them? How have you seen similar companies
approach this problem?
How new/intriguing will this insight be to the customer?
Why hasn’t the customer figured it out already?
Post-call Debriefing Questions
How intrigued or provoked was your customer with the
insight(s) you shared? How could you tell?
Challenger Coaching Exercise
Understand the context: 
Select one customer/prospective account and
answer the following questions:
What are the company’s strategic objectives for the next one
to three years?

---

Where are they strongest against their competition? Where
are they lagging?
How does the role of your contact/target impact the
company’s strategic objectives and strengths/weaknesses?
As the coach, partner with the sales professional to identify
opportunities to connect the customer’s business opportunities with your
company’s strengths to craft a more compelling teaching conversation.
TAILOR
Pre-call Planning Questions
What are some of the latest trends in this customer’s
industry? How would those trends affect the customer’s
company?
What is unique about this company’s position in the
marketplace? Where are they most vulnerable?
Post-call Debriefing Questions
What did you learn about the customer’s economic drivers?
What goals, motivations, or information did you encounter
that you hadn’t expected? How did you respond?
TAKE CONTROL
Pre-call Planning Questions
What are your next steps to ensure that the purchase process
moves forward?

---

What is your understanding of the customer’s buying
process?