By Gerald G. Mannikarote, MBBS MBA
When I first started selling, it was while I was still a child. I would draw mazes and get my dad to run copies of them at his workplace and I would sell the copies of the mazes at school. It was fun for me. At that time, it was just an enterprising kid making a bit of pocket change for fun.
Features and Benefits Selling
As I got older, I started a business that required me to sell my services to software companies. I did what I thought I was supposed to do.
I would try to tell them what I did and why it was a good idea to hire me. Little did I know that was ‘features and benefits’ selling. I still remember visibly shivering during one of my high profile proposal meetings.
Consultative Selling
When I got my first corporate sales job, I was trained in strategic and consultative selling. I learned the importance of asking questions and understanding the needs of the customer. I later learned this was ‘needs-based selling’. And as most people, I honed my skills and tailored them to suit my style.
I would ask questions to the customer that got them thinking. I would try to give them information that they didn’t have as opposed to wasting their time by telling them things they already knew. Most importantly I challenged their status quo.
The Challenger Sale
Much later in my career, I was introduced to ‘The Challenger Sale’. I learned this was a method to help your customer by asking them the right questions. These questions helped my customers learn something new about their business without wasting their time.
As I learned about The Challenger Sale I realized that it aligned with my skills as a salesperson. It was something that seemed to come naturally to me. It seemed to fit me like a glove!
I used to ask my customers tough questions. Questions that were not to annoy my customers, but to make them think. These questions challenged my customers’ status quo. Ultimately, my customers were thankful for my questions.
I felt this approach brought me closer to my customers. This has also led me to long term relationships with them. It also improved the businesses of my customers.
Eventually, I began teaching this approach to others. Helping others to understand the Challenger Sale. Those that followed this method also remarked having similar success.
Are you interested in learning about the Challenger Sale? The Challenger Sale is written by Brent Adamson and Mathew Dixon. I encourage you to pick up a copy of the book and learn about it.
If you are looking to learn more about this or are looking for training for your team, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me at jerrydmann@dmanntraining.com If you feel someone could benefit from this article, please feel free to share this article or tag them in the comments below.
