In the fast-paced world of technology, change is the only constant. More fascinating, is how the evolution of technology in the last 10 years has greatly influenced the sales funnel. New technologies such as artificial intelligence and machine learning are quickly becoming mainstream and businesses that invest in these technologies can reap significant benefits in terms of increased efficiency and productivity.
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According to a research done by the McKinsey on B2B sales, 70% of businesses will wholeheartedly change service providers if their core expectations are not met during the sales journey or if the experience is poor.

The technology industry is particularly well suited for B2B sales, as it offers a wide range of products and services that can help businesses optimize their operations.

Many technology solutions require a deep understanding of the customer’s business operations and goals in order to be effectively implemented. Knowing this, sales professionals have employed two major techniques since time immemorial.

THE RELATIONSHIP BUILDER
The foundation of the relationship sales approach is built on earning the customer’s loyalty and trust by offering them value propositions and personalized experiences that suit their needs.

A relationship builder banks on building strong personal and professional relationships with customers and so, they must be excellent communicators.
They must also be able to build strong rapport with their customers and establish a sense of trust and credibility.

So why then do Forbes and other sales experts rank this approach as the worst performing technique in the industry?

The answer is simple. B2B relations come with its own struggles. For one, in order for relationship marketing to be effective, it’ll take time. Time and resources that could be better utilized in reaching and pitching to new customers.
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Also, a strong relationship building strategy aims for customer retention and growth. But a business cannot succeed without the inflow of new customers and so the neglect of new customers in favour of older, long-standing customers is not the best plan.

So, what other approach can be utilized.?

THE CHALLENGER
Established players in any given market are often faced with new entrants that aim to challenge the status quo and disrupt the established order. These new players are often referred to as “challengers,” and their approach is often characterized by a focus on innovation, agility, and a willingness to take risks.

Challenger sales professionals bring something new and creative to the table. They invite buyers to leave their comfort zones and test out a more innovative approach to technological problems. They focus on unmet customer needs and leveraging technology to bring in much needed innovative solutions to problems.

Since they’re not afraid to share even possibly controversial views and are assertive, they have the biggest potential to experience exponential growth and yield explosive results. It’s no surprise then that Dixon and Adamson allege that 40% of high sales performers primarily use a Challenger style.

With all this to consider, the question that must be asked therefore is, when is the best time to utilize the challenger approach?

In truth, the challenger sales approach can be used at all levels in the sales process.

It typically involves making adequate research to be able to accurately identify the prospect’s pain-points and reframing them as opportunities for growth by bringing decisive solutions to those problems.

THE WINNING SOLUTION
Though relationship builders and challengers have distinct sales qualities, they’re not mutually exclusive.

While challengers begin the tech sales process by pushing customers outside their comfort zone, relationship builders are focused on being accepted into it and getting in the inner circle. They do this by being generous with their time and building human connections. They aim to get an advocate in their clients inner circle that’ll wholeheartedly campaign their agenda.

Also, remember that in imploring both techniques, you should neither provoke your customers to make too many decisive actions that they walk out the door and take their business with them as a challenger salesman or mollycoddle them to the extent that they neglect to take necessary risks to surmount obstacles as a relationship builder.
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Infact, my years of experience as a successful sales solution executive in the technology industry has taught me one thing, that a hybrid of both techniques is the golden elixir.

A healthy mix of the relationship builder and challenger sales approach can help you refine specific steps of your sales process, take charge of your sales pitch and help you close more deals and improve the overall client relations, as well as the bottom line of your company.

Olaitan Uche is a B2B Technology solutions sales expert. She writes from Lagos, Nigeria.
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