The Challenger Sale

Principle #4: Building the Challenger Sales Force Is a
Journey, Not an Overnight Trip
A big mistake we see organizations make in their Challenger efforts is
assuming that change will happen instantly. Moving to a Challenger model
is a commercial transformation, one that early adopters tell us takes time to

---

get right. Precisely because the Challenger model demands changes both to
organizational capabilities and to individual rep behaviors and skills, it is
hard work.
Ramming through Challenger training for reps without also carefully
constructing robust teaching pitches for them to deliver or arming frontline
managers to reinforce the right behaviors and skills might yield a small
bump in rep productivity, but two outcomes are practically guaranteed: The
performance boost attained will fall well short of what it could have
delivered if done properly, and more likely than not it will be perceived as
the training “flavor of the month,” soon to be forgotten or rejected by most
reps.
Early adopters attest to the fact that moving to the Challenger Selling
Model is a journey. Those who’ve been down this path peg the time to full
adoption in terms of years, not weeks or months. Indeed, much of the up-
front effort will be spent getting your own leadership team on board with
the new model. The Challenger model, in other words, isn’t a bolt-on
software update—it’s a new operating system for the commercial
organization. Those looking for a quick win would be well advised to look
elsewhere.
If you’re ready to take your organization on this transformation journey,
however, read on. The advantages that are accruing to first movers are
enormous. The Challenger model offers a new and powerful way out of the
solution selling morass that has had sales organizations across industries
and around the world in a vise grip for years.