Matt Heinz gave a presentation on applying the Challenger sale approach to better tell customer-centric stories that drive sales. He outlined three objectives: 1) telling better stories that increase volume, velocity and conversion; 2) applying the Challenger techniques of teach, tailor and take control to Smart Tuition's sales process; and 3) becoming comfortable operationalizing the Challenger approach in daily work. Heinz also shared the 25 most important tenets of the Challenger approach, such as leading with hypotheses of customer needs, painting pictures of negative futures, and being memorable rather than agreeable.
2. Three objectives today
• How to tell better, customer-centric stories that
drive volume, velocity and conversion among your
prospects
• Apply teach, tailor and take control to the Smart
Tuition sales (and marketing) process
• Begin getting comfortable with how to
operationalize the Challenger approach in your
daily activity
Over half of customer loyalty is a result of not what you sell but how you sell it
People often prefer favorite over best
Deep understanding of their business
Team them something new
Push customer out of their comfort zone (vs being accepted into it)
Challenger focuses on customer vs. (relationship builder more concerned about customer convenience)
Control, diplomacy and empathy
Shift the discussion from price to value
Be a world class teacher, not so much an investigator
Know the customer’s world better, teach them what they don’t know but should
Multiple stakeholders, different messages
Otherwise risk losing control of the deal due to weak support across the org
New ideas to help customers save money or make money
Cost of problem they did or didn’t’ know they had
New perspectives, tailored to their most pressing needs
Compelling and assertive enough to ensure the message resonates AND drives action
Reframe the way they think about their business – how they operate or even how they compete
Much greater value in insight that changes or builds upon what they know in ways the couldn’t or haven’t discovered on their own
Thoughtful reflection vs excited agreement
ROI calculators should pursue the reframe, vs justify the product purchase
Informed by your own experience & research
Rather than leading with open-ended questions
Show them something new and show them why it matters
You can’t just elevate the conversation and cut everyone else out
The team input is exactly what the decision maker values most
Reps ability to influence in the exec suite is nowhere near as strong as stakeholder’s ability to do the same
Instead of asking who needs to be involved, coach the customer on who needs to be involved
Collaborate with reps to find innovative ways to move the deal forward
Creatively modify deal-level sales strategy to specific customer context
Sales success today isn’t about getting better at what you already know, it’s about creating an ability to tackle what you don’t know