The Challenger Customer unveils research-based tools that will help you distinguish the “Talkers” from the “Mobilizers” in any organization. In other words, Challenger sellers do best when they target Challenger customers. These customers get deals to the finish line far more often than friendlier stakeholders who seem so receptive at first. It turns out only a very specific type of customer stakeholder has the credibility, persuasive skill, and will to effectively challenge his or her colleagues to pursue anything more ambitious than the status quo. More often it’s that the stakeholders inside the company can’t even agree with one another about what the problem is. The authors of The Challenger Customer reveal that high-performing B2B teams grasp something that their average-performing peers don’t: Now that big, complex deals increasingly require consensus among a wide range of players across the organization, the limiting factor is rarely the salesperson’s inability to get an individual stakeholder to agree to a solution. But according to brand-new CEB research-based on data from thousands of B2B marketers, sellers, and buyers around the world-the highest-performing teams focus their time on potential customers who are far more skeptical, far less interested in meeting, and ultimately agnostic as to who wins the deal.
That’s simply human nature it’s much easier to build a relationship with someone who always makes time for you, engages with your content, and listens attentively. Most marketing and sales teams go after low-hanging fruit: buyers who are eager and have clearly articulated needs. It turns out that’s the last person you need. Picture your ideal customer: friendly, eager to meet, ready to coach you through the sale and champion your products and services across the organization. Your success or failure also depends on who you challenge. Now their latest research reveals something even more surprising: Being a Challenger seller isn’t enough. Four years ago, the bestselling authors of The Challenger Sale overturned decades of conventional wisdom with a bold new approach to sales.