5 Distinct Profiles

Timmy from the Sandlot knows that the sales method that most companies still teach today our outdated. Evan Adams talked about The Challenger Sale and the five different profiles that categorize B2B sales reps. He emphasized that the sales method that we should be using is far different than what the past generation of sales reps used. One of the studies cited in the book said that 53% of customer loyalty is based on sales experience not on price, quality, or branding, which would mean that the sales rep you hire determines your brand/product success. The book categorizes salespeople into 5 types and here is brief explanation.

1. Relationship Builder

The first type could be seen as possibly the most basic or one that should be second nature to a salesperson and according to the book it is the least effective.

2. The Reactive Problem Solver

With this type the salesperson thrives off of solving the customers needs and will do whatever it takes to make sure that the customer is satisfied with their service. Another trait of this type is their focus on post-sales follow-ups. Follow-ups may seem like a no-brainer, but they affect customer experience and can influence future sales.

3. The Hard Worker

They have that internal drive that pushes them to strive to be the best salesperson on the team. They will be the ones with most calls and meetups with potential customers.

4. The Lone Wolf

These salespeople are going to do it their own way and not really care about what their manger has to say about “the process” they should be using. They work on their own and have confidence in themselves to get the job done. Lone Wolves are the least common type, but they are only second to the Challenger type in terms of performance.

5. The Challenger

I think the challenger is that salesman that you really don’t like in the beginning because of the pushback they give you, but in the end you’re glad that you dealt with them. They really understanding the customers business and take pride in meeting the customers needs.

Here are some interesting stats from the study.

• 40% of top Sales performers primarily used a Challenger style, rather than one of the other four Sales styles the book identified.
• Top performers were more than two times likely to use a Challenger approach than any other approach.
• Over 50% of all-star performers fit the Challenger profile in complex Sales.
• Only 7% of high Sales performers took a Relationship Building approach, the worst performing profile.

Hopefully this makes you think more about what type of salesperson you are, like we did in class, and make you want to develop challenger type qualities in your role as a salesperson. I think by learning these types we can set ourselves apart other salespeople and come at the sales method the right way.

Info from –

https://www.impactbnd.com/blog/the-5-types-of-sellers-of-the-challenger-sale