6 steps to using the Challenger sale method, or the art of skilfully educating your prospects

By Ainhoa Carpio-Talleux

Published: 23 July 2025

The Challenger Sale method was theorised by Americans Matthew Dixon and Brent Adamson in their eponymous book published in 2011. Their analysis of over 6,000 salespeople in various sectors reveals that those who close the most business belong to a specific profile, known as the Challenger.

What is this profile? And in practical terms, how can you use the method you've developed to boost your sales? We explain everything in this article.

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What is the Challenger Sale method? Definition

This sales method is based on not simply validating the buyer's ideas, but challenging them. This means that a salesperson does not try to butter up the customer or build a relationship based on friendliness. Instead, they need to bring a new perspective, a point of view that the customer hadn't considered.

At first sight, the dirty challenger approach may seem counter-productive. Dixon and Adamson have noted in their analyses that salespeople who adopt it achieve good results.

☝️ In reality, when a salesperson dares to challenge a customer in a well-argued manner, he automatically places himself in the position of an expert. He demonstrates that he has a knowledge of the market that a layman does not have. The customer no longer sees him as someone who wants to squeeze money out of them, but as an advisor.

The 5 salesperson profiles identified by Dixon and Adamson

The authors identified five typical salesperson profiles, each associated with a specific modus operandi. There are :

the hard worker : relies on repetition and personal commitment. They produce solid results in the short term, but hit a glass ceiling when it comes to raising the bar;
relationship builders : they establish a pleasant relationship with their customers. However, this closeness becomes a trap in situations where the prospect is wrong;
the lone wolf: these salespeople follow their intuition without worrying about imposed methods. He succeeds thanks to his instinct and charisma, but his success is difficult to transfer to a team;
the problem solver : their guidance is reassuring, but they intervene too late in the cycle to really change the course of a decision;
the challenger: this profile questions the customer's thinking and doesn't hesitate to tell them when they're on the wrong track.

The three principles of the Challenger sales technique

Principle 1: Teaching to get people interested: the teaching salesperson

The challenger salesperson does not arrive in "product presentation" mode. Instead, they have to teach the customer something. They can :

use data that the prospect is not familiar with ;
point out a problem that nobody saw coming;
reveal an unexpected point.

💡 Let's take the example of a computer equipment salesman faced with a graphic designer who wants to buy an 8K screen. Instead of boasting about the resolution of his products, the challenger salesperson is going to teach him that beyond 4K, the eye no longer picks up any difference at normal distance. He can then steer the customer towards models with characteristics that are more relevant to his profile.

This teaching sales technique creates a moment of self-questioning. The customer says to himself "well, I hadn't thought of that" and becomes receptive.

Principle 2: Adapt the message to the prospect

Without a precise adaptation to the customer's reality, sales recommendations seem disconnected from their daily lives and lose their force. The challenger therefore needs to completely rethink his sales pitch in the light of the specific challenges faced by each prospect. This sales technique requires a good understanding of the issues faced by each contact.

💡 If it's a gamer who wants a high-resolution screen, the salesperson can talk about high refresh rates and low latency. If it's a graphic designer, they'll understand the sales pitch better if we talk about colour fidelity and coverage of the Adobe RGB space.

This adaptation strategy creates the emotional impact needed to close the sale and makes the prospect feel that the salesperson has grasped what they need.

Principle 3: Take control of the sales process without damaging the customer relationship

This is where it gets complicated for many salespeople. The challenger approach does not follow the rhythm imposed by the customer, it defines it. This sales method involves asking the right questions at the right time, even if they are upsetting.

💡 When a prospect says "I'll think about it and get back to you", don't reply "fine, take your time". Instead, rephrase: "I understand that you need to digest this information. To help you, what are the points you're still wondering about? Why don't we schedule a meeting in a week's time so that I can provide you with additional information?

This sales approach means you don 't let the customer dictate the sales process.

The 6 stages of the Challenger conversation

Dixon and Adamson estimated that the challenger salesperson goes through 6 stages before closing a sale.

Stage 1: prepare the ground by challenging the prospect's preconceptions

Right from the start of the conversation, the challenger salesperson must gently challenge what the customer thinks they know. Be careful, this is not a confrontation, but a controlled trigger. The aim is to create a situation that prompts the prospect to reconsider his certainties. This tipping point is what differentiates the dirty challenger sale from a traditional commercial exchange.

Rather than validating an expressed need, the salesperson introduces data, an observation or an example that reveals a poorly perceived problem. This triggers a new dynamic in the sales process. The customer moves from "I know what I want" to "Am I sure I've made the right diagnosis?

Step 2: redefine the customer's expectations and objectives precisely

Once the seeds of doubt have been sown, the sales person doesn't jump at the solution. They restructure the need with the customer. This step in the challenger sales process enables the real priorities, often poorly formulated at the outset, to be reviewed. The aim is not to fill in a grid, but to guide the customer in a more precise reflection. And that changes everything for the future.

By asking targeted questions, the sales assistant helps the prospect to clarify what they really want from an offer: what result? what impact? This approach repositions the value proposition. We're no longer selling a feature, we're responding to a clear commercial objective. This clarity avoids vague objections, hesitations at the end of the cycle and misunderstandings after the meeting.

Stage 3: Convincing by clearly explaining the benefits of the solution

At this stage, present a concrete solution, aligned with the objectives that the customer has clarified. Avoid superlatives and vague promises.

The prospect can see that what is being offered is a response to their situation. The sales pitch becomes personalised. Don't try to impress, but to convince with a factual argument. Your value proposition becomes clear and makes people want to act. Selling is no longer based on pressure or enthusiasm, but rather on logic.

Step 4: Leave a lasting impression on the prospect by eliciting a strong emotional response

Even in a B2B sale, reason alone is not enough. A good sales challenger must be able to trigger an emotional reaction. He can, for example, show the consequences of a bad choice. The aim is to get the customer out of their analytical posture. They need to feel what they stand to lose, or what they stand to gain.

💡 In the case of our example on the high definition screen, you can tell them that an 8K model can slow down their PC if the graphics card and processor are not adapted.

It's this controlled build-up of tension that gives strength to the value proposition. It makes the solution more urgent, more desirable. The prospect is no longer simply looking at a product, but at a concrete solution capable of improving their current situation.

Step 5: Open up a new perspective with an original proposal

The sales challenger proposes a new perspective that goes beyond the initial request. This is often where the customer discovers a point they hadn't considered, and it changes the way they assess the value of the solution.

This proposal is never a platitude. It is based on a reading of the context, the internal issues and the company's environment. It may take the form of a complementary tool, an adapted implementation method or a service designed to anticipate a future problem. What matters is that the prospect feels that we have thought about a solution for them. This challenger approach transforms the exchange. We're no longer in a traditional sales cycle, but rather in a lasting business relationship based on trust, expertise and the ability to come up with useful ideas.

Stage 6: guiding the operational implementation of the solution

Even if the customer buys into the value proposition, a sale remains incomplete until the offer is actually activated. This is where the Challenger profile comes into its own. Thanks to a very distinct sales technique, they never leave the organisation in the lurch once the deal has been signed. He builds a realistic implementation strategy with the prospect .

This plan cannot be improvised. It is based on real knowledge of the teams and tools already in place. The sales challenger anticipates, cuts out the stages and clarifies the sensitive points. He doesn't promise that everything will be easy, but shows how to resolve each obstacle one by one. They reassure you by pointing out the resources available, in particular: support, dedicated training or technical support. It shows that the solution is designed to be easily integrated, not just to impress.