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1-Page Summary of The Challenger Customer

The Problem

Selling to business customers has changed. Suppliers who used to win on the basis of raising customer awareness, providing value, exceeding client needs and delivering the best solutions are now losing out to those who offer a cheaper price. Providing an excellent solution is no longer enough – you need to compete on price as well.

With all the changes in management styles, organizational structures, technological complexity and risk aversion that are happening today, it’s harder for companies to make effective purchases.

Although salespeople identify the 5.4 decision makers, gain access to them, and sell them on the product that meets their needs, they still fall short of fulfilling a sale. They work harder to close deals faster than ever before but end up with unsatisfactory results. Transactions stall because there isn’t enough time for real collaboration between all parties involved in the deal. The final agreement is an unsatisfying compromise version of what was originally proposed by each party involved in the deal.

Critical Decision Points

Businesses that rely on suppliers find it’s harder to close deals in today’s world. Clients are looking for lower quality solutions and don’t really care about the best solution, as long as it works. In fact, a low-quality solution is often good enough. To solve this problem, businesses need to stop trying to address each person’s needs individually and instead focus on what the group needs. However, different people with competing priorities will have trouble collaborating together on a decision because of “stakeholder dysfunction”.

During the purchasing process, there are three critical points: problem definition, solution identification and supplier selection. The first two points (problem definition and solution identification) will cause conflict between decision makers because everyone has a different opinion about which problems to address. Supplier selection doesn’t even begin until clients reach this point, 57% of the way through the buying process. Therefore, it’s important for all parties involved in the purchasing process to agree on these issues before deciding who they want as a supplier.

One way to create group dissonance is by having different mental models. Mental models are the ways people perceive the world and how they go about achieving their goals. When mental models don’t overlap, it’s difficult for people to agree on things or make decisions because of differing priorities and agendas. People will settle on a solution that everyone can accept rather than risk conflict or disruption. However, if you get enough yes votes from each stakeholder, you’ll end up with a no anyway because of differences in mental models among members of the group.

The Purchasing Process

The customer purchasing process is divided into three stages: the first stage of maintaining the status quo, followed by a second stage where individuals are willing to explore alternate courses of action. The third stage involves group consensus for high-quality deals.

“Mobilizers” and Customer Profiles

Today, high-performing sales professionals don’t sell to senior decision makers. Instead, they find someone within the client organization who can help them get their ideas into the hands of people who make decisions about purchasing products and services. These Mobilizers are able to facilitate change and negotiate agreements between departments in a company. They know how the purchasing team makes decisions and have input into those processes long before salespeople enter the fray. To tap into this potential, teach your customers about what you’re selling, tailor your pitch for each customer’s needs and take control of the process by getting involved early on so that you can influence it as it progresses toward making a purchase decision.