7 Challenges with The Challenger Sale

7 Challenges with the Challenger Sale

(and a sound alternative)

🟥🟥🟥 THE PROBLEM 🟥🟥🟥

The Challenger Sale sounds compelling.

I get why people want it..

→ 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝘄𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀

→ 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗱𝗼𝗻’𝘁 𝘄𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝗼𝗿𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲𝗿𝘀

→ 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝘄𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝗿𝗲𝗽𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗴 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘃𝗶𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻

→ 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗱𝗼𝗻’𝘁 𝘄𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝗵𝗶𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗯𝗲𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝗿𝗲𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽𝘀

❌ Yet, in the wild: it rarely sticks ❌

H͟E͟R͟E͟'͟S͟ ͟W͟H͟A͟T͟ ͟B͟R͟E͟A͟K͟S͟

1. 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗿 𝗶𝘀 𝗮 𝘀𝘁𝘆𝗹𝗲, 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗮𝗻 𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘀𝘆𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗺

No pipeline logic. No guardrails.

2. 𝗜𝘁 𝗮𝘀𝘀𝘂𝗺𝗲𝘀 𝗿𝗲𝗽𝘀 𝗮𝗹𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱𝘆 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝘀𝘄𝗲𝗿...

...before they understand the problem.

3. 𝗜𝘁 𝗰𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗮𝗽𝘀𝗲𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗾𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗼𝗿

Provocation along doesn't move deals.

4. 𝗜𝘁 𝗮𝘀𝘀𝘂𝗺𝗲𝘀 𝗲𝘅𝗰𝗲𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗿𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗶𝘁𝘀

The vast majority of reps just aren't wired for it.

5. 𝗜𝘁 𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘀 𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗸 𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗹𝘆 𝗶𝗻 𝗱𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘀

Challenging w/o context & trust kills momentum.

6. 𝗜𝘁 𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗹𝗼𝗮𝗱𝘀 𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗿𝘀

Insight creation belongs upstream, not with reps.

7. 𝗠𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗰𝗮𝗻’𝘁 𝗰𝗼𝗮𝗰𝗵 𝗶𝘁 𝗰𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗻𝗹𝘆

Too much subjectivity. Too little structure.

The result?

❌ You spent $500K+ on a great brand

❌ and may not even see $500K in return

🟨🟨🟨 THE ALTERNATIVE 🟨🟨🟨

The answer isn’t

“pick a better methodology.”

It’s 𝗯𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱 𝗮 𝗹𝗮𝘆𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝘀𝘆𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗺.

Here’s what actually works:

1️⃣ 𝗟𝗮𝘆𝗲𝗿 𝟭: 𝗤𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 (𝗠𝗘𝗗𝗗𝗣𝗜𝗖𝗖)

Clear gates. Clear truth.

Any rep can learn it. Fast.

2️⃣ 𝗟𝗮𝘆𝗲𝗿 𝟮: 𝗗𝗶𝘀𝗰𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 (𝗚𝗮𝗽 𝗦𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴)

Collaborative, not confrontational.

Buyers discover their own gaps.

3️⃣ 𝗟𝗮𝘆𝗲𝗿 𝟯: 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗿 (𝘂𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗹𝘆)

Challenge 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘢𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘤𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺.

Provoke w/ finesse 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘥𝘪𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘢𝘵𝘦.

Challenger isn’t wrong.

But it IS incomplete.

🟩🟩🟩 ACTION 🟩🟩🟩

If you’re a #CEO or #CRO

who wants confident, credible reps

but only know of Challenger by its brand...

▶️ LET’S TALK ◀️

Reach out to Macy Tanking or myself.

#Rev(X) will save you $100's K

with a layered approach

that actually sticks.

Stop buying expensive, well-branded philosophies.

Start installing effective, well-integrated systems.