Implementing the Challenger Sales Model at Cars.com: a case study

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to review the recent implementation of the Challenger Sales Model (CSM) at Cars.com, an online automotive marketplace that generated $633m in sales in 2016 with a sales force of over 500 representatives, and to identify insights related to the implementation that may be relevant to sales researchers and other organizations considering similar implementations. A more specific aim is to determine whether establishing “constructive tension” between salespeople and their customers, which is a key tenet of the CSM, was perceived as a source of value for Cars.com. Design/methodology/approach The case study is based primarily on in-depth interviews with 15 employees spanning different sales and/or training responsibilities in the organization, from the current CEO (previously the former Senior Vice President of Sales) to sales representatives from different sales teams. Findings Five major insights emerged from this research: (1) Because it represents a change in the established norms governing interpersonal dynamics, constructive tension is often more difficult for salespeople to foster when interacting with existing (vs prospective) customers. (2) Whereas leading with insights is more difficult when interacting with prospective (vs existing) customers, sustaining meaningful insights over time is a major challenge when dealing with existing customers. (3 )Products that are more transactional or price-driven are ineffective at creating constructive tension and incompatible with the CSM. (4) Creating value from constructive tension requires the entire sales organization to share a common vision of what it means to be a Challenger and to adopt consistent nomenclature and formal programs for training and coaching. (5) Even more than other consultative sales models, the successful implementation of the CSM demands company-wide integration and makes it untenable for most indirect sales teams. Originality/value Although prior academic research has offered critiques of the CSM, the present paper is one of the first to use a discovery-oriented, qualitative research approach to provide a retrospective look at the actual implementation of the CSM within an organization. This approach results in novel insights, such as the identification of conditions when high-pressure versus low-pressure selling techniques are likely to be more successful, that may be of interest to sales researchers and to other companies considering a large-scale implementation of the CSM or related sales methodologies.