Sell yourself first, If you want to sell anything

 The research claimed that salespeople fell into one of five distinct profiles:

1) The Hard Worker

2) The Challenger 

3) The Relationship Builder 

4) The Loan Wolf 

 5) The Reactive Problem Solver 

The research showed that Relationship Builders were unlikely to be star performers. In contrast, who are awkward to manage and assertive with customers and with their managers, came out on top. Challengers won out not by a small margin but a massive one. And the margin was far greater in complex sales.

The Challengers are the debaters on the team. They have got a thorough understanding of the customers business and use that knowledge to push the customers thinking and teach them something new about how their company competes more effectively. They are not afraid to share their views, even when they are different and potentially controversial. Challengers are assertive they tend to press customers a little both on their thinking and around things like pricing. They tend to push their managers and senior leaders within their organizations as well. Not in an annoying or aggressive manner.

Selected from The CHALLENGER SALE, Taking control of the customer conversation By Neil Rackham

Mani Khaghani