Challenge sales stages
Posted: Wed Jan 22, 2025 5:47 am
This sales technique was developed by Brent Adamson and Matthew Dixon for the B2B market. It differs from the traditional stages of the sales cycle in its non-standard approach. The basis of this technique is only three components - training, adaptation and control. All these components are sequential steps of sales:
At the training stage, the manager demonstrates his knowledge of the purpose and characteristics of the product, which results in its approval in the eyes of the buyer.
At the adaptation stage, the seller is tuned into the same wavelength as the client to find out his problems, needs or create the appearance of these needs. In other words, it is necessary to "instill" in the visitor that there is an existing solution to the real problem.
Control stage. The manager dentist database completely controls the negotiation process and the course of the deal. Also at this stage, you can exert a little pressure on the buyer or impose your opinion, which has a positive effect on the level of sales.
The term “challenge selling” has an interesting history of its origin. In 2009, during the economic crisis, Brent Adamson and Matthew Dixon wrote the book “Sales Champions”. The main goal they pursued was to find a way to stay afloat during the difficult time of crisis for salespeople. In their book, they identify five types of salespeople:
Seller type Sales ratio in % for 5 types of sellers if they work together in 5 in 1 salon/store Percentage of efficiency if the seller works alone Behavioural features
Champions 39% 27% always has his own views, different from others, is not inclined to give up easily, has a broad outlook, likes to argue, pushes the client to make a decision
Lone Wolves 25% 18% guided by instincts, self-confident, arrogant, difficult to control
Workers (laborers) 17% 21% always willing to do more than required, not prone to give up easily, self-motivated, interested in feedback, prone to self-development
Problem Solvers 12% 14% reliable, organized, always responsive to customer requests, makes efforts to ensure that all problems are resolved
Relationship Builders 7% 27% easily finds a common language with everyone, wins people over, inspires trust in clients
From an organizational perspective, it is most beneficial to have "relationship builders" in the team. In terms of personal sales effectiveness, "champions" are always ahead. By the way, they are also the most profitable in terms of sales results.
3 Modern Sales Techniques
Marketing technologies are subject to constant development and improvement. This is related, among other things, to the sphere of sales of goods or services. In this regard, today there are several more relevant sales techniques.
AIDA
The key steps are four sequential ways to focus a potential client's interest in a product:
Attention . This step arouses the buyer's curiosity about the product, even if he or she was not planning to buy anything .
Interest . Forming the visitor’s opinion that the offered product/service fully meets his needs.
Desire . The buyer's information awareness that allows him to evaluate all the benefits of the purchase.
Action . Leading the client to the conclusion of the transaction.
AIDA Sales Technique
This method with such stages of sales organization has been used for quite a long time. This is due to its effectiveness, which has been proven many times in practice.
FAB
At the stage of presentation of a commercial proposal, one of the most relevant is the FAB sales technique. It focuses attention at various stages of sales on the following three key points:
Characteristics (Features) .
Advantages .
Benefits .
Since there is an exact translation of each English term in Russian, you can often come across the following name for this sales technique – HPV. All three stages are quite clear, based on their name.
The effectiveness of this method depends on the manager's abilities. He must perfectly know the offered product and be able to present the information.
At the training stage, the manager demonstrates his knowledge of the purpose and characteristics of the product, which results in its approval in the eyes of the buyer.
At the adaptation stage, the seller is tuned into the same wavelength as the client to find out his problems, needs or create the appearance of these needs. In other words, it is necessary to "instill" in the visitor that there is an existing solution to the real problem.
Control stage. The manager dentist database completely controls the negotiation process and the course of the deal. Also at this stage, you can exert a little pressure on the buyer or impose your opinion, which has a positive effect on the level of sales.
The term “challenge selling” has an interesting history of its origin. In 2009, during the economic crisis, Brent Adamson and Matthew Dixon wrote the book “Sales Champions”. The main goal they pursued was to find a way to stay afloat during the difficult time of crisis for salespeople. In their book, they identify five types of salespeople:
Seller type Sales ratio in % for 5 types of sellers if they work together in 5 in 1 salon/store Percentage of efficiency if the seller works alone Behavioural features
Champions 39% 27% always has his own views, different from others, is not inclined to give up easily, has a broad outlook, likes to argue, pushes the client to make a decision
Lone Wolves 25% 18% guided by instincts, self-confident, arrogant, difficult to control
Workers (laborers) 17% 21% always willing to do more than required, not prone to give up easily, self-motivated, interested in feedback, prone to self-development
Problem Solvers 12% 14% reliable, organized, always responsive to customer requests, makes efforts to ensure that all problems are resolved
Relationship Builders 7% 27% easily finds a common language with everyone, wins people over, inspires trust in clients
From an organizational perspective, it is most beneficial to have "relationship builders" in the team. In terms of personal sales effectiveness, "champions" are always ahead. By the way, they are also the most profitable in terms of sales results.
3 Modern Sales Techniques
Marketing technologies are subject to constant development and improvement. This is related, among other things, to the sphere of sales of goods or services. In this regard, today there are several more relevant sales techniques.
AIDA
The key steps are four sequential ways to focus a potential client's interest in a product:
Attention . This step arouses the buyer's curiosity about the product, even if he or she was not planning to buy anything .
Interest . Forming the visitor’s opinion that the offered product/service fully meets his needs.
Desire . The buyer's information awareness that allows him to evaluate all the benefits of the purchase.
Action . Leading the client to the conclusion of the transaction.
AIDA Sales Technique
This method with such stages of sales organization has been used for quite a long time. This is due to its effectiveness, which has been proven many times in practice.
FAB
At the stage of presentation of a commercial proposal, one of the most relevant is the FAB sales technique. It focuses attention at various stages of sales on the following three key points:
Characteristics (Features) .
Advantages .
Benefits .
Since there is an exact translation of each English term in Russian, you can often come across the following name for this sales technique – HPV. All three stages are quite clear, based on their name.
The effectiveness of this method depends on the manager's abilities. He must perfectly know the offered product and be able to present the information.