CEB Challenger Messaging echallenge Key Lessons
Section 1: Message Pieces This section shows how the six steps of the Commercial Teaching Choreography fit together. Below you ll find the correct order for the industrial supply company example provided. Warmer We understand that today many operations managers are struggling with budget cuts and increases in freight costs Reframe Dealing with outages and repairs associated with these issues, many operations managers actually compound a problem they think is unavoidable unplanned purchases. Based on similar organizations, we estimate around 40% of your purchases are unplanned Rational Drowning Further, 75% of unplanned purchases are unique, one-time purchases, costing time and money to find the item and manage the purchase and repair process. Take a $17 ceiling fan, for example. For a one-off purchase you may incur close to $100 in process costs, including inventory, selection and ordering, and receipt and payment. Emotional Impact This happens all the time, right? The ceiling fan breaks down in an executive s office, so you send someone out for a new one. He goes to a couple stores and they don t have it in the right size. Finally, he finds one at the store across town. He buys three just in case it happens again. You fix the fan, and the extra two sit in storage, taking up space. New Way What if you could eliminate all unplanned purchases and have what you need when you need it? Many companies are saving thousands of dollars a year by eliminating unplanned purchases, thereby reducing inventory costs, using employee time more efficiently and aggregating spend on parts and repairs. Solution We have more stock-keeping units and the most extensive distribution network in the industry, all connected by a streamlined purchasing platform. This means that we can get you any part the fastest without incurring the costs or hassles of an unplanned purchase. Version 3.50
Section 1: Message Pieces (Continued) Warmer Purpose: Use a Warmer to build credibility by empathetically sharing familiar trends and issues, in this case, budget cuts and increasing freight costs. Reframe Purpose: Use a Reframe to expose an incorrect belief or assumption the customer has about their business. Here you challenge the customer's assumption that costs associated with unplanned purchases are unavoidable. Rational Drowning Purpose: Use Rational Drowning to build the business case for the full cost of the customer's current state of inaction. In this case, you show that a $17 ceiling fan might actually cost up to $100 when factoring in hidden costs. Emotional Impact Purpose: Use Emotional Impact to share stories and anecdotes to humanize the business issue. Here you paint a picture of how a simple fan purchase might balloon into significant effort and costs. New Way Purpose: Use the New Way to provide the customer with a new approach to address the issue. In this situation, you describe how the customer might join similar companies in reducing costs by eliminating unplanned purchases. Solution Purpose: Use the Solution to map how your offering can solely enable the desired course of action. Here you describe how your distribution network, number of stock-keeping units, and purchasing platform provide the best solution.
Section 2: Crafting a Message This section shows you how to craft a Challenger Message that leads with Commercial Insight and leads to a differentiated solution. Below you ll find some common mistakes to avoid when crafting your Challenger Message: Warmer Avoid Warmers that are too short because they don't give you the opportunity to build your credibility. The customer may also find it jarring if you try to move too quickly into the Reframe without properly warming them up. Avoid including issues for which you don't have a solution! If the customer latches onto one of these issues, they may take you off course and become annoyed. Reframe Focusing on missed opportunities or problems can make the customer defensive and stop listening. Ensure your tone is empathetic and not accusatory. Focus only on the facts that support your Commercial Insight. Extraneous data will dilute your message and confuse the customer. Rational Drowning Find a way to create a sense of urgency with your Rational Drowning. And, avoid including positive stats in this section as that makes the requested action appear to be an added bonus, not a lost opportunity or cost. Try not to overwhelm the customer with too many unnecessary facts. Instead, focus on showing how this will directly impact their business.
Section 2: Crafting a Message (Continued) This section shows you how to craft a Challenger Message that leads with Commercial Insight and leads to a differentiated solution. Below you ll find some common mistakes to avoid when crafting your Challenger Message: Emotional Impact Your story needs to be one that the customer finds realistic and can relate to. Leave out gratuitous, unrelated details and try to avoid the impression that you're exaggerating for the sake of making a sale. You have to help your customer visualize the problem. A mental picture makes your message memorable. Also, focus on a single user experience as opposed to using broad or generic examples. New Way You have to show and get your customer bought in to the idea of a new path forward before mentioning your specific solution. (Do not mention your solution or company in this section.) Avoid being too high level in your New Way. Otherwise, your customer won t be able to envision the call to action. Solution Be clear and concise by mentioning a solution that only applies to the specific problem (or missed opportunity) outlined in the Reframe. If the customer has to sort through a long list of support options, they may lose excitement about your solution. Be sure to lead back to your specific solution. Otherwise, the customer may decide to consult some of your competitors.
Section 3: Identifying Insights This section shows the five categories of information found in the Hierarchy of Commercial Information. Below you ll find information on the three highlighted layers. Accepted information is general information that is both credible and relevant. However, it's not interesting, because it doesn't tell customers something they don't already know. Thought leadership is accepted information that is also newsworthy. It's interesting information that the customer likely could not have thought of on their own. Insights are information specifically designed to disrupt the status quo. They explain how and why their customers' current actions are costing them time and/or resources. They challenge their customers' assumptions and make them re-examine their beliefs. Section 4: Insights vs. Commercial Insights This section shows the difference between a regular insight and a Commercial Insight. Commercial Insights have all the attributes of insights, but they also center on a better course of action based on your company's unique capability or strength. They are, therefore, more likely to result in sales for your company, because they play to your unique strengths, otherwise known as differentiators. Remember, the three criteria of a Commercial Insight include: Challenges your customer s assumptions Catalyzes action Leads to your unique strength
Section 5: Types of Differentiators This sections defines differentiators and explains how they are used. A differentiator must be: Unique: this capability outperforms competitor offerings. Valuable: it has economic impact and value for your customer. Proven: evidence of how/why this capability outperforms the competition exists. A common mistake is to think that your differentiator must be a feature related to your product. However, that is not always the case. A differentiator can be a product, service or a combination of product and service. Product Example: Incorporate Healthy Living food options into the menu for those travelers who are program participants. Healthy Living is the only food company that has been certified by a global physicians group to help reduce weight over time. Service Example: Provide quarterly health and fitness consultations virtually to those business travelers who are looking for more personal attention. This is the only program that seamlessly integrates into other social networks AND the Healthy Living mobile app. Product & Service Example: Provide remote monitoring of equipment utilization, including wear and tear, to proactively service equipment before it goes out of service.