I approach every sales pitch as an opportunity. I don’t just want them to buy our product or service. I want to make that prospective client better off simply because they took the time to meet with us. To do that, we use the Challenger Approach to connect with our prospects and lay a good foundation for the sale. Let’s talk about the anatomy of a Challenger Sales pitch.
The Warmer
Every good sales pitch starts with building credibility. Challenger reps use the warmer period to build credibility for why they have the right to be there and take up the prospect’s time. By lowering skepticism and optimizing customer confidence in the sales rep, prospects are more open to their pitch and more likely to make bigger purchase decisions
Reframing
Just like we use reframing articles on LinkedIn in follow-up messages to find and qualify great opportunities and new prospects, reframing is also an important part of the overall pitch. Reframing allows you to bring your unique key-insight driven perspective into the conversation. It challenges the prospect’s thinking and provides new perspectives that help them think about their problems in new ways.
Doing this right at the start of the pitch not only creates engagement but also helps set the Challenger rep apart from the crowd. When you’re pitching to the C suite, you’re likely to have competitors who are all there to discuss relatively the same thing. If you flip the script by focusing on reframing their problems and providing key insight-driven perspectives, it not only sets you apart from the crowd but further lays the foundation for your pitch.
Rational Drowning
Once you’ve offered them a different perspective on the problems they’re facing, you want to really ground that idea by backing it up with data. Challenger reps share the numbers behind their key insights that really demonstrate why what they’re presenting is the right way to look at the issues. They put numbers behind it, whether it is in the form of stats or case studies.
Emotional Impact
The best sales reps help their prospects make sense of information and understand how it relates to the problems they’re facing. They help connect the prospect to the pain points, and answer the question, “What’s that mean for me?” Challenger reps have an emotional impact on their prospects, continuing to build credibility by helping them reframe the problems they’re facing, and better understand the impact that it has on their business.
A New Way
This is where the Challenger rep finally talks about how they approach the problems the prospect is facing. What’s the approach we take to solving this problem? How does that relate to the specific thing we’re selling? A Challenger rep helps the prospect make sense of all the information coming their way and then helps them navigate the process to find the best solution for their problem.
Solution
This is where the Challenger rep finally presents their solution and demonstrates why it’s the right choice. It happens after they’ve done all the foundation work, which allows them to take control of the discussion. At this point, the prospect feels little to no skepticism in the sales rep and is confident in the information they’re basing their decision on. Discussing money or pressing to close the sale both feel organic because the Challenger rep has taken the time to lay a good foundation and demonstrate value.
These are the steps that make the Challenger Approach so successful. It’s one more step in enabling your sales team. By teaching your reps to utilize this process, you’re giving them the right steps to follow, along with the confidence that they have the right approach to create valuable conversations with their clients and prospects. That makes a huge difference for both your sales numbers and your references.
Learn more by listening to our B2B Word of Mouth Marketing podcast episode, Pillars of the Challenger Rep.
All the best,
Bill Bice
CEO
