The Challenger Sale

FINDING #1: THERE ARE FIVE TYPES OF SALES REPS
The first thing we did was to run a factor analysis on the data. Put simply,
factor analysis is a statistical methodology for grouping a large number of
variables into a smaller set of categories within which variables co-present

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and move together. For example, if we were studying ecosystems, a factor
analysis of every potential ecosystem variable would tell us that things like
intense heat, sand, arid conditions, scorpions, and cacti tend to co-present in
nature. Because we tend to find them together, we could give this category a
name, i.e., “a desert.”
When we ran factor analysis on the data from our sales rep study, we
found something really intriguing. The analysis indicated very clearly that
certain rep characteristics tend to clump together. The forty-four attributes
we tested fell into five distinct groups, each containing a very different
combination of rep characteristics. When a rep tends to be good at one
attribute in that group, he or she is very likely to be good at all of the others
in that group as well.
Source: CEB, CEB Sales Leadership Council, 2011.
Figure 2.1.
The Five Sales Rep Profiles
Figure 2.1
 shows these five distinct rep profiles as well as the
descriptive variables that are clustered within each. These groups are not
necessarily mutually exclusive. Going back to the ecosystem example
earlier, think of it this way: All deserts have intense heat and sand, but
intense heat and sand are not unique to deserts. You find these things in
other ecosystems too, maybe just in different abundance. In our study, every

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rep has at least a baseline level of performance across all the attributes we
tested. For example, to one degree or another, all sales reps adhere to a
formal sales process. All reps have at least a minimum acceptable level of
product and industry knowledge. But for almost every rep, a specific subset
of these attributes defines their primary approach to customers.
We like to think of these profiles as college or university degrees. In
order to graduate, every student must cover a broad core curriculum:
science, language, history, math, etc. But at the same time, university
students have a “primary” or “major” as well—the thing they specialize in
that sets them apart. And that’s what these five profiles are all about. They
are the five distinct “majors” in sales.
These five profiles are not groups that we put together based on our
interpretation of the data or our view of the world. We let the analysis tell
the story. The five profiles are statistically derived, but they accurately and
completely describe the five most common profiles found in the real world.
Interestingly, they’re relatively evenly distributed across our sample
population.
So who are these different reps? As we go through the five profiles, ask
yourself the following questions: Which of these five profiles do you think
best describes the bulk of your sales force? Where have you placed your
bets as an organization or, perhaps more practically speaking, which type of
rep are you trying to recruit right now? Which are you trying to get your
reps to behave more like?