Challenger sales: how to change your sales approach and win more
Challenger sales
26 August 2024
updated at: 6 November 2026
Challenger sales
Challenger sales is an approach to B2B sales that focuses on teaching the customer and taking control of the sales process. Unlike traditional methods built around relationships, the Challenger approach assumes that the salesperson actively shapes the customer's thinking by offering a new perspective on their business challenges.
About the approach
Matthew Dixon and Brent Adamson created the Challenger approach in 2011 and described it in their book The Challenger Sale: Taking Control of the Customer Conversation. The authors studied more than 6,000 B2B sales reps and noticed that the best of them don't try to please everyone: they teach customers and challenge them.
In the Challenger approach, the salesperson does more than sell. They coach the customer, showing new ways of doing business and gently pushing them out of their comfort zone. The approach has several distinctive features:
Teaching: the salesperson shares unique insights about the customer's business.
Tailoring: the salesperson speaks the customer's language and takes the specifics of their business into account.
Leadership: the salesperson takes the lead in the deal and guides the customer to a decision.
Assertiveness: the salesperson doesn't always agree with the customer and makes them think.
Focus on value: the salesperson explains how the solution will help the customer's business.
According to the authors, customers respond well to Challengers for several reasons. First, customers are overloaded with information and need a fresh look at their business. Second, B2B solutions are becoming more and more complex, especially in IT, so customers want to talk to salespeople who deeply understand their industry. Customers are looking for experts, not just vendors.
CRM system for B2B sales
Enterprise platform for managing complex sales
Learn more
Key principles of Challenger sales
Challenger sales rests on three key principles that help salespeople stand out in B2B sales, where old approaches are losing their effectiveness.
Teach: become a source of new ideas and knowledge for the customer:
study the customer's business better than they know it themselves;
show the customer new opportunities they hadn't noticed;
use real data and research to back up what you say;
help the customer see hidden problems in their business.
Tailor: adapt to the customer:
carefully study each customer's needs and goals;
use the language and examples of their industry;
adapt your approach to different roles in the customer's company;
explain why your solution is especially useful for this particular customer.
Take control of the sale:
steer the conversation in the right direction;
don't be afraid to challenge the customer's opinion if you are confident you are right;
gently move the customer out of their comfort zone;
discuss the business value of your solution, not just the price;
persistently but tactfully lead the customer to closing the deal.
These three principles (teach, tailor, and take control) turn an ordinary salesperson into a valuable advisor to the customer. The approach is especially effective in complex B2B sales, where simply describing the product is no longer enough and you need to provide real value.
Types of salespeople in the Challenger model
The research behind the Challenger approach identified five main types of sales reps. Each type has its own characteristic traits and approach to selling.
Hard Worker:
high work capacity;
strict adherence to company procedures;
willingness to take on difficult tasks;
drive for continuous learning.
Relationship Builder:
ability to build long-term relationships with customers;
strong customer focus;
well-developed active listening skills;
ability to find common ground with different people.
Lone Wolf:
high self-confidence;
reliance on personal experience and instinct;
tendency toward unconventional solutions.
Reactive Problem Solver:
attention to detail;
high reliability and sense of responsibility;
ability to find solutions in difficult situations;
tendency toward thorough analysis.
Challenger:
ability to teach the customer new approaches;
willingness to constructively challenge the customer's opinion;
deep understanding of the customer's business;
confident control of the sales process.
The research behind The Challenger Sale showed that 40% of star performers were Challengers. Meanwhile, Relationship Builders, whom many companies traditionally value, made up only 7% of top performers.
Why Challenger salespeople are so effective:
they give customers new knowledge and insights;
they encourage customers to rethink their approaches;
they accurately understand the customer's economic drivers and value priorities and tailor their communication accordingly;
they are ready to lead difficult negotiations, including on financial matters.
Stages of a Challenger sale
The Challenger approach structures the conversation as a sequence of steps, which the book calls the commercial teaching pitch. Each step plays an important role in the sales process and helps the salesperson lead the customer to a decision.
1. The warmer
At this stage, the salesperson earns the customer's trust by showing that they understand the customer's problems. The main goal here is not to sell but to have a meaningful conversation:
study the customer's pain points and needs;
discuss typical problems in the industry;
show expertise in solving similar problems;
use visual materials to engage the customer in the conversation.
2. The reframe
The salesperson helps the customer look at their problems in a new way. The goal of this stage is not to sell but to spark the customer's curiosity and make them think differently:
dig deeper to find the root of the customer's problems;
break down the customer's established ideas about how to solve their problems;
look at the customer's situation from a different angle and offer a new perspective;
lead the conversation confidently, demonstrating your competence.
3. Rational drowning
The salesperson backs up the new perspective with data: numbers, research, and calculations that show what the problem costs the customer. The goal is to make the case so convincing that the customer can't dismiss it.
4. Emotional impact
At this stage, the salesperson needs to create an emotional connection between the customer's problem and the solution. According to Harvard Business School professor Gerald Zaltman, about 95% of purchase decision-making happens in the subconscious:
tell stories about customers with similar problems;
show what can happen if the problem isn't solved now;
use real success stories of other customers;
support your arguments with data and research.
5. A new way
Now the salesperson shows the customer the potential results. The goal is to describe the ideal solution to the problem without mentioning the product directly:
paint a picture of a better future for the customer;
focus on solutions, not on your product;
give the customer time to draw their own conclusions;
be ready to answer any questions.
6. Your solution
At the final stage, the salesperson presents the product as the right solution for the customer. If the previous stages went well, this step will be quick: you just need to show how the product solves the customer's problems.
Benefits of the Challenger approach
The Challenger approach benefits both the selling company and its customers, helping create a win-win situation:
Benefits for the company
Benefits for customers
Higher sales effectiveness
The Challenger approach can improve sales performance because:
● salespeople are better at uncovering customers' real needs;
● a distinctive approach sets the company apart from competitors;
● the focus on value rather than price leads to more profitable deals.
New knowledge and insights
Customers value Challenger salespeople for:
● a fresh look at business problems;
● access to expert knowledge and market research;
● the chance to learn about best practices in their industry.
Stronger customer relationships
Challengers become trusted advisors to customers rather than just vendors. As a result:
● customer loyalty grows;
● repeat sales and referrals increase;
● customers become less price-sensitive.
Better solutions
The Challenger approach helps customers:
● uncover hidden problems and opportunities in their business;
● find the best solution rather than just buy a product;
● get a solution that fits the company's needs.
Sales team development
Adopting the Challenger approach helps employees grow professionally:
● salespeople develop analytical and strategic thinking skills;
● the team's expertise in customers' industries grows;
● salespeople bring real value to customers.
Lower risk
Customers feel more confident because:
● decisions are based on an in-depth analysis of their business;
● they better understand how implementing the solution will affect their company;
● the salesperson acts as a partner interested in the customer's success.
Adapting to market changes
The Challenger approach makes the company more agile:
● the focus on teaching customers helps promote new solutions;
● the company better understands trends in its customers' industries.
Long-term partnership
Customers get a strategic partner rather than just a vendor, one that:
● keeps sharing new ideas and insights;
● helps grow the customer's business in the long run;
● offers support and expertise even after the deal is closed.
The role of CRM in supporting Challenger sales
To put the Challenger approach into practice, you need a suitable CRM system built for B2B sales. It helps salespeople apply Challenger principles effectively at every stage of the sale:
store and analyze data about customers and their industries;
track trends and changes in the customer's market;
identify potential problems in the customer's business;
track the history of interactions to better understand the customer's needs;
structure the stages of a Challenger sale and track progress on each deal;
plan next steps and actions for each customer;
analyze the effectiveness of approaches and tactics;
build a knowledge base of successful cases and customer stories.
CRM functionality should support current sales methodologies and help salespeople be better prepared, more confident, and more effective in applying Challenger principles. For example, SimpleOne B2B CRM has modules and capabilities for working with corporate customers and running complex sales:
Methodological support for sales: functionality for applying sales methodologies, a well-developed lead qualification method, tools for managing a cold outreach strategy, and visualization of the deal lifecycle.
Deep understanding of the customer: contact mapping that shows how the customer's people relate to different zones of influence, and fields for recording pain points and selection criteria.
Managing complex deals: configurable kanban boards, support for parallel work on different sales streams within a deal, and tools for forecasting and planning.
Integration with marketing: content is automatically added to the customer record based on the customer's pain points or criteria, helping the salesperson understand the customer better; planning and management of marketing campaigns; end-to-end analytics for management decisions.
Content management: all marketing content is stored inside the CRM, so it can be quickly found for any question during the deal.
Advanced data handling: dot-walking across fields of related tables, a flexible data query interface, and custom reports and dashboards.
AI automation: Smart Filling helps fill in records automatically based on calls and emails, freeing up the salesperson's time for personal communication with the customer; call quality analysis is also available.
Summary
Challenger sales is an approach to B2B sales that changes the salesperson's role from vendor to teacher and advisor. The method is based on three key principles: teaching the customer, tailoring the approach, and taking control of the sales process. This approach helps salespeople work effectively with B2B customers who are looking not just for products but for valuable insights and new perspectives on their business.
Adopting the Challenger approach requires companies to rethink traditional sales methods and invest in developing their salespeople's skills. To put the approach into practice successfully, it is also important to use the right tools, such as specialized CRM systems that help salespeople apply its principles day to day.
