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The Challenger Sale

Taking Control of the Customer Conversation

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The Challenger Sale

Written by: Matthew Dixon, Brent Adamson
Narrated by: Matthew Dixon, Brent Adamson
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About this listen

What's the secret to sales success? If you're like most business leaders, you'd say it's fundamentally about relationships - and you'd be wrong. The best salespeople don't just build relationships with customers. They challenge them.

The need to understand what top-performing reps are doing that their average performing colleagues are not drove Matthew Dixon, Brent Adamson, and their colleagues at Corporate Executive Board to investigate the skills, behaviors, knowledge, and attitudes that matter most for high performance. And what they discovered may be the biggest shock to conventional sales wisdom in decades.

Based on an exhaustive study of thousands of sales reps across multiple industries and geographies, The Challenger Sale argues that classic relationship building is a losing approach, especially when it comes to selling complex, large-scale business-to-business solutions. The authors' study found that every sales rep in the world falls into one of five distinct profiles, and while all of these types of reps can deliver average sales performance, only one - the Challenger - delivers consistently high performance.

Instead of bludgeoning customers with endless facts and features about their company and products, Challengers approach customers with unique insights about how they can save or make money. They tailor their sales message to the customer's specific needs and objectives. Rather than acquiescing to the customer's every demand or objection, they are assertive, pushing back when necessary and taking control of the sale.

The things that make Challengers unique are replicable and teachable to the average sales rep. Once you understand how to identify the Challengers in your organization, you can model their approach and embed it throughout your sales force. The authors explain how almost any average-performing rep, once equipped with the right tools, can successfully reframe customers' expectations and deliver a distinctive purchase experience that drives higher levels of customer loyalty and, ultimately, greater growth.

©2011 Matthew Dixon (P)2019 Penguin Audio
Management & Leadership Marketing & Sales Personal Success Workplace & Organizational Behaviour Business Career Project Management Inspiring
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What the critics say

“The history of sales has been one of steady progress interrupted by a few real breakthroughs that have changed the whole direction of the profession. These breakthroughs, marked by radical new thinking and dra­matic improvements in sales results, have been rare.... Which brings me to The Challenger Sale and the work of the Sales Executive Council.... On the face of it, their research has all the initial signs that it may be game-changing.... My advice is this: Read it, think about it, implement it. You, and your organization, will be glad you did.” (Professor Neil Rackham, author of SPIN Selling, from the foreword)

“The amazing thing is that the Challenger sales rep has been hiding in plain sight all these years. The Challenger Sale breaks the winning elements of this powerful approach into a set of teachable skills that can take even a top sales team to a new level of results delivery.” (Dan James, former chief sales officer, DuPont)

“This is a must-read book for every sales professional. The authors’ groundbreak­ing research explains how the rules for selling have changed - and what to do about it. If you don’t want to be left behind, don’t miss this innovative book that provides the new formula for selling success.” (Ken Revenaugh, vice president, sales operations, Oakwood Temporary Housing)

What listeners say about The Challenger Sale

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Very insightful

The audiobook is delivered in an easy to understand and clear tone. information provided is backed up with factual insight and figures the author provided.

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Love this

I have worked in sales, customer, quality, assurance, and retention plus more. This book drove home what I have been doing my entire career. I am a challenger, whether it be via the sales model or my Enneagram. This book allows a universal thought of how you’re always selling whether it is product information or experience.

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Many great insights.

I found the book easy to listen to, insightful and of value to me. I have listened to the book twice and find I get more from it each time. I would definitely recommend a listen.

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Keeps freezing while playing.

Loved it but had to play on PC couldn't hear without frequent stops on mobile

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Must have for sales people

Having over 12 years of professional sales experience, I got a tremendous amount of value out of this book. If the content of this book is followed, it will challenge sales people to break out of the order taking rut and turn themselves into an indispensable member of their client's team.

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meh...

It was fine. Some good insights. They get way to excited about certain topics that most sellers know to be basic information.

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Take what you need and leave the rest

Decent content for someone newer to the game/art of sales. Managed to pull a few good (and possibly highly valuable) nuggets marking it a general recommendation and book on the shelf. But this isn’t the end all be all of sales as pitched by Matt and Brett.

Keep on keeping on!

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