This document summarizes key lessons from "The Challenger Sale" on how to create tailored, insight-led conversations. It outlines a two-part process: 1) learning to guide a conversation through storytelling and establishing an element of drama, and 2) tailoring the conversation to different audiences like decision-makers and end-users. It provides a 6-step process for guiding conversations that builds credibility, catches the customer off-guard, quantifies insights, internalizes challenges, convinces customers to address challenges, and demonstrates solutions. It stresses tailoring presentations based on audience priorities and thought processes.

1. How to Create Tailored, Insight-Led Conversations
Lessons from “The Challenger Sale”
Date: June 26th, 2014

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Creating Tailored, Insight-Led Conversations
Is a 2-Part Process
1. Learning How to Guide a Conversation
2. Learning How to Tailor a Conversation

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To Guide the Conversation you need to
Tell a Compelling Story
Change how a customer views a problem
by introducing drama and suspense
then providing the solution
“No one ever sold anything off a spreadsheet alone”
– The Challenger Sale

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Make a strong introduction by
Building Credibility
I’m not here to waste your time
These are the challenges your competitors face
I already know your business – let’s chat
“Establish yourself as somebody worth talking to”
– The Challenger Sale

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Establish an element of drama to
Catch Your Customer Off-guard
Introduce a problem they haven’t thought of
Make them think of their business in a new way
Make them curious and want to learn more
“The Entire Conversation Pivots off of this”
– The Challenger Sale

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Target the rational side of the brain by
Quantifying Your Unique Insight
Show them the charts to make them think differently
Provide the ROI Calculator for the new challenge*
Convince them it’s a challenge worth solving
“You’ve got to show them something new and why it matters”
– The Challenger Sale

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Engage the emotional side of the brain by
Internalizing The Challenge
Make sure they see themselves in the story
Explain your experience with similar companies
Make it feel immediately familiar
“They see the challenge as own their own and are looking for a solution”
– The Challenger Sale

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Begin your pitch, but don’t sell “your” solution…yet
Convince Them to Address the Challenge
Explain the benefits of tackling your insight
Define what’s required to solve this problem
Inspire your customer to act differently
“Before they buy your solution, the customer has to buy into the challenge”
– The Challenger Sale

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Now it’s time to sell your wares….
Demonstrate How Your Solution is Different
Capitalize on your needs-based analysis
Cover the value-add which IHG offers
Do what you’ve been trained to do
“Don’t lead with your solution, lead to your solution”
– The Challenger Sale

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Quick Recap

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6-Step Process for Guiding The Conversation
1. Build Credibility
2. Catch the Customer Off-guard
3. Quantify the Insight You Just Offered
4. Internalize The Challenge
5. Convince Them to Address the Challenge
6. Demonstrate How Your Solution is Different
“Leading them first to a dark place before showing them the
light’“
- The Challenger Sale

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Now the charts cooked up by the Ph.D.'s

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Are Easy-to-Read Because We Have the Foundation

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Let’s Change Our Customer Presentations
Stop Sending PPT Decks Leading With:
Our Mission Statement
What IHG is capable of delivering
Colorful logos of our clients
Maps of our locations
“Are the first four pages of your sales materials all about you, or about the customer?“
– The Challenger Sale

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How do we use of this information?

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Let’s begin creating our own story by
Focusing on our Solution (Step 6)
What’s our positioning in the market?
What are our unique benefits?
What are we leading to?
“You can’t build a compelling story unless you first know what it’s building to”
– The Challenger Sale

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Once we know what we can offer, we need to
Deliver that “a-ha” moment (Step 2)
What’s costing our customers more than they realize?
Challenge customer thinking with new value
Focusing on underappreciated benefits
“Get customers to say - Wow, I never thought about it that way before.”
– The Challenger Sale

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After we know our value-add and our angle
Everything Else is the Details
Selling the Challenge – Just an extra layer to your spiel (Step 5)
Emotional Connections – You already do it (Step 4)
Building ROI Calculators – Easy Peasy (Step 3)
Credibility – Do Your Homework (Step 1)
“Packaging insight into compelling messages”
– The Challenger Sale

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Just to Review

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How to Tell a Compelling Story
1
Build
Credibility
2
Catch the
Customer
Off-guard
3
Quantify
Your Case
4
Internalize
Your Case
5
Addressing
Challenge
6
Offer Your
6
Your Value-Add
2
The “a-ha” moment
1, 3, 4, & 5
Introduction, benefits,
How to Create a Compelling Story

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We know how to tell a story and how to create a story, but….

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We haven’t talked about the audience…

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We can’t tell the same story to everybody because
Decision Makers & End-Users are not the same
We must present our case differently
because our audiences have different
priorities and thought processes

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Decision Makers don’t buy from Reps
Decision Makers Buy from Vendors
They require company-wide support and the
peace-of-mind that IHG is easy to work with
and open to collaboration before signing
“Senior Decision Makers aren’t willing to go out on a limb – at least not on their own”
– The Challenger Sale

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Now it’s time to sell your solution
Demonstrate How Your Solution is Different
Capitalize on your needs-based analysis
Cover the value-add which IHG offers
Do what you’ve been trained to do
Decision Makers Want Buy-In and Peace-of-Mind

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End-Users do not buy from organizations
End-Users Buy From People
They value professionalism, insight,
and your ability to teach them
something brand new
“Non-Decision Maker loyalty is less about discovering needs and more about teaching”
– The Challenger Sale

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End-Users Value Professionalism & Perspective

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Stop Pitching Directly to Decision Makers

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Pitch to the End-User - They’ll Influence the Decision Maker
Traditional Emerging

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Now that we know who we’re speaking to

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Let’s Tailor Our Approach
“The vast majority of sales messaging is not
tailored at any level… Typically, it’s about a
supplier.”
Speak to what your prospect is trying to
accomplish. Learn how they define success!
OR
Send them a PPT Deck with:
1. Our Mission Statement
2. What IHG is capable of delivering
3. Colorful logos of our clients
4. Maps of our locations
Layers of Tailoring

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Define Success With the Customer
1. Address goals and expectations
2. Create a detailed implementation plan
3. Earn company-wide buy-in
4. Meet the decision maker with the proposal
5. Close the sale!
Project Plan

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Now What?

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We can’t change our bad habits overnight but,
We Can Being Laying the Foundation
By reviewing our upcoming presentations
and comparing our approach with the
lessons we’ve covered

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And, of course, by reading the entire book…

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Based on “The Challenger Sale: Taking Control of the Customer
Conversation” | Nov 10, 2011
by Matthew Dixon and Brent Adamson
Details
ISBN-10: 1591844355
ISBN-13: 978-1591844358