Challenger Sale Profile Test

CEB (today Gartner) studied 6,000 sales reps and identified 5 sales profiles. The result: the Challenger wins — especially in complex B2B sales.

Matthew Dixon & Brent Adamson The Challenger Sale (2011)

The 5 sales profiles

  • Challenger — Teaches, provokes, takes control. 40% of top performers.
  • Lone Wolf — Follows their own rules, self-confident, hard to manage.
  • Hard Worker — Disciplined, diligent, follows the process.
  • Relationship Builder — Builds trust, avoids conflict, generous with time.
  • Problem Solver — Focused on details, reliable, reactive.

The surprising finding: The Relationship Builder — the traditional ideal — is the weakest performer in complex sales. The Challenger accounts for 40% of all star performers.

Profile test (10 questions)

How strongly does each statement apply to you? (1 = not at all, 7 = completely)

Not at all Completely 4
Not at all Completely 4
Not at all Completely 4
Not at all Completely 4
Not at all Completely 4
Not at all Completely 4
Not at all Completely 4
Not at all Completely 4
Not at all Completely 4
Not at all Completely 4

Inspiriert von Matthew Dixon & Brent Adamson — The Challenger Sale

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Trivia

  • The CEB study covered 6,000 sales reps across 90 companies worldwide.
  • In economically difficult times, the Challenger's lead grows even further — up to 54% of star performers.
  • The Relationship Builder was the weakest performer in the study — even though it is the traditional sales ideal.
  • Google, Microsoft, and Xerox train their sales teams using the Challenger model.
  • The follow-up study "The Challenger Customer" (2015) showed that there are Challengers on the customer side too — and they drive deals internally.