As a sales pro, which team would you rather join? The one that scores 39 points or the one that can only score 7? (And does it make you a bit uncomfortable to reject relationship-building as your strategy of choice?
Let’s back up a bit and consider the old saw, “In God we trust, all others bring data.” In my experience, virtually all decision-making executives have it burned into their brains. It’s therefore also burned into my brain.
So here’s some data that has captured my attention BIG TIME. It’s a continuing analysis, including more than 6,000 sales reps across a wide array of industries. The research exceeds all standards of scientific rigor and statistical significance. It concludes there are five types of sales reps, with super-star reps spread across the five groups as follows:
- 39% – The Challenger
- 25% – The Lone Wolf
- 17% – The Hard Worker
- 12% – The Reactive Problem Solver
- 7% – The Relationship Builder
Two questions leap to mind immediately:
- What are the characteristics of a challenger rep?
- Is my focus on relationship-building misguided?
According to Matthew Dixon and Brent Adamson in The Challenger Sale, a Challenger:
- Always has a different view of the world
- Has a deep understanding of the customer’s business
- Loves to debate
- Constantly pushes customers out of their comfort zones mainly by taking control and discussing money
Think about some of the implications… Constantly debate and challenge the all-knowing customer’s view of the world? Know as much or more about the customer’s business than the decision-makers and influencers do? Spend your life causing discomfort for your customers? Yes, yes and yes.
Is this a book you need to read and think about deeply? YES!!!
And relationship-building? Relax. It’s still vital. Just recognize that being good at it is nothing more than a baseline job requirement, NOT something that will set you apart.