The Challenger Sale turns traditional sales wisdom on its head. Based on extensive research by Matthew Dixon, Brent Adamson, and the Corporate Executive Board, this groundbreaking book reveals that the top-performing sales reps are not relationship builders — they are Challengers. These reps win by teaching customers something new, tailoring solutions to their needs, and taking control of the conversation. Packed with data and practical insights, this book shows how you can develop Challenger traits in your team and drive stronger customer loyalty, bigger deals, and faster growth.
Chapters of The Challenger Sale
The Challenger Sale: Taking Control of the Customer Conversation by Matthew Dixon and Brent Adamson is structured into nine chapters, each focusing on a key aspect of the Challenger sales model.
Each chapter builds on the last, guiding readers from understanding why sales must change, through the Challenger methodology’s core skills, to practical steps for embedding and managing this approach within an organization.
Chapter 1. The Evolving Journey of Solution Selling
Explains the shift from traditional relationship-based sales to the need for a new approach in a changing sales environment.
- Explores the shift from traditional solution selling to a new sales approach.
- Highlights research showing that most customer loyalty is driven by the sales experience, not just product, price, or brand.
- Introduces the need for sales reps to evolve and adopt new skills to meet changing buyer expectations
Chapter 2. The Challenger: A New Model for High Performance
Introduces the Challenger sales rep profile and discusses the skills, behaviors, and attitudes that distinguish high performers.
- Identifies five types of sales reps: The Hard Worker, The Lone Wolf, The Relationship Builder, The Problem Solver, and The Challenger.
- Presents research findings that Challenger reps consistently outperform others, especially in complex sales.
- Details the skills, behaviors, and attitudes that define high-performing Challenger reps, such as teaching customers and pushing them to think differently
Chapter 3. Exporting the Model to the Core
Focuses on how to embed the Challenger model within the broader sales organization and highlights the core skills: teaching, tailoring, and taking control.
- Explains how to embed the Challenger model throughout the sales organization.
- Focuses on the three core skills of Challenger reps: teaching, tailoring, and taking control.
- Discusses the importance of leveraging constructive tension in sales conversations
Chapter 4. Teaching for Differentiation
Details how Challenger reps teach customers something new and valuable about their business and market, creating loyalty through insight.
- Emphasizes the Challenger’s ability to teach customers something new and valuable about their business.
- Shows how providing insight and reframing the customer’s thinking builds loyalty and differentiates the sales rep from competitors.
- Stresses that customers are looking to learn, not just buy
Chapter 5. Teaching for Differentiation and How to Build Insight-Led Conversations
Outlines a six-step process for building conversations that lead customers to new insights:
- The Warmer: Establish rapport and identify challenges.
- The Reframe: Present an unexpected insight to shift the customer’s perspective.
- Rational Drowning: Use data and logic to highlight the problem’s significance.
- Emotional Impact: Make the issue personally relevant to the customer.
- A New Way: Introduce a new approach or solution.
- Your Solution: Demonstrate how your offering uniquely addresses the problem
Chapter 6. Tailoring for Resonance
Emphasizes the need to tailor sales messages to the specific values and motivations of each customer stakeholder.
- Focuses on customizing messages to align with the specific values, motivations, and needs of each stakeholder.
- Teaches reps to understand the customer’s company, industry, and individual goals to make their message more compelling
Chapter 7. Taking Control of the Sale
Explores how Challenger reps assert control over the sales process, maintain momentum, and confidently discuss financial aspects, including pushing back on discounts.
- Describes how Challenger reps assertively manage the sales process and confidently discuss money.
- Explains the use of constructive tension to keep the sale moving forward and to challenge customer assumptions.
- Stresses the importance of not automatically conceding to customer demands, such as discount requests
Chapter 8. The Manager and the Challenger Selling Model
Discusses the critical role of managers in coaching and supporting Challenger reps, and how management practices impact performance.
- Highlights the critical role of sales managers in coaching and supporting Challenger reps.
- Introduces the PAUSE framework for effective coaching: Preparation, Affirmation, Understanding, Specifying, and Embedding new behaviors.
- Stresses that quality coaching is essential for embedding the Challenger approach in the sales team
Chapter 9. Implementation from the Early Adopters
Provides real-world examples and case studies from organizations that have adopted the Challenger model, focusing on lessons learned and practical application.
- Shares real-world examples and case studies of organizations that have successfully adopted the Challenger model.
- Discusses practical lessons, challenges, and best practices for implementing the model at scale