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

By Ainhoa Carpio-Talleux

Published: July 23, 2025

The Challenger Sale method was theorized 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, dubbed the Challenger.

What is this profile? And in concrete terms, how can you use this method to boost your sales? We explain it all 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 pushing them. This means that a salesperson doesn't try to brush the customer off or build a relationship based on friendliness. Instead, he must bring a new perspective, one that the customer hadn't considered.

At first glance, the dirty challenger approach may seem counterproductive. However, Dixon and Adamson have found in their analyses that salespeople who adopt it achieve good results.

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

The 5 sales profiles identified by Dixon and Adamson

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

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;
the relationship builder : establishes a pleasant relationship with customers. However, this closeness becomes a trap in situations where the prospect is wrong;
the lone wolf: this salesperson follows his or her intuitions 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 : reassuring support, but intervening 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 him when he's on the wrong track.

The three principles of the Challenger sales technique

Principle 1: Teaching to trigger: the teaching salesperson

The challenger salesperson doesn't arrive in "product presentation" mode. Instead, he must teach the customer something. He can :

bring out data that the prospect doesn't know;
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 touting the resolution of his products, the challenger salesman will 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 features more relevant to his profile.

This teaching sales technique creates a moment of self-questioning. The customer says to himself "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 his daily life and lose their force. The challenger must therefore completely rethink his sales pitch in line with each prospect's specific issues. This sales technique requires a good understanding of the issues faced by each customer.

💡 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, he'll understand the sales pitch better if we mention colorimetric 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 captured what he or she needs.

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

This is where it gets tricky for many salespeople. The challenger approach doesn't suffer the rhythm imposed by the customer, it defines it. This sales method involves asking the right questions at the right time, even if they're upsetting.

💡 When a prospect says "I'll think about it and get back to you", don't reply "fine, take your time". Instead, retort: "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.

Step 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 he or she knows. This is not a confrontation, but a controlled trigger. The aim is to create a situation that prompts the prospect to reconsider his or her certainties. This tipping point is what differentiates the dirty challenger sale from a classic sales exchange.

Rather than validating an expressed need, the salesperson introduces a piece of data, an observation or an example that reveals a misperceived 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 precise expectations and objectives

Once doubt has 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 clarified. 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 salesperson helps the prospect to clarify what he or she really wants 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 business objective. This clarity avoids vague objections, end-of-cycle hesitations and post-sales misunderstandings.

Step 3: Convince by clearly presenting the benefits of the solution

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

The prospect can see that what is being proposed is a response to his or her situation. The sales pitch becomes personalized. Don't try to impress, but convince with a factual sales pitch. 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 strong emotional impression on the prospect's mind

Even in B2B sales, 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 poor choice. The aim is to get the customer out of his analytical posture. They need to feel what they stand to lose, or what they can gain.

💡 In the case of our high-definition screen example, you can tell him that an 8K model can slow down his PC if the graphics card and processor aren't right.

It's this controlled escalation that gives strength to the value proposition. It makes the solution more urgent, more desirable. Prospects are 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 he hadn't considered, and it changes the way he assesses the value of the solution.

This proposal is never a platitude. It's based on a reading of the context, the internal challenges 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's important is that the prospect feels we've thought of a solution for him or her. 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 contribute useful ideas.

Step 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 their distinct sales technique, they never leave the organization in the lurch once the deal has been signed. He builds a realistic implementation strategy with the prospect .

This plan cannot be improvised. It relies 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 solve each obstacle one by one. He reassures you by pointing out the resources available, such as coaching, dedicated training or technical support. It shows that the solution is designed for easy integration, not just to impress.