Every sales rep remembers their first big deal. Some remember how many calls it took. Others remember the smile on the client’s face when they signed. And if you ask them how they did it, you will hear very different stories.
Some will say it was pure hustle. Others will say it was because the client liked them. A few will talk about “just going with their gut.”
But which approach really works most often, especially in today’s complex B2B environment?
That is the question researchers Matt Dixon and Brent Adamson set out to answer in their book The Challenger Sale. After studying thousands of reps, they discovered that salespeople tend to fall into one of five profiles. And only one of those profiles consistently comes out on top.
The study revealed five common archetypes that reps naturally lean toward:
The Hard Worker
This is the rep who never gives up. They make the most calls, put in the longest hours, and always chase one more lead. Their energy is impressive, but effort alone does not guarantee success.
The Challenger
Challengers thrive on pushing a customer’s thinking. They come prepared with insights, offer new perspectives, and are not afraid to steer the conversation. They are confident teachers who help buyers see their business in a different light.
The Relationship Builder
These reps want to be liked. They work hard to meet customer needs, smooth over tension, and maintain harmony in every conversation. Clients enjoy talking to them, but in high-stakes deals, likability is rarely enough.
The Lone Wolf
Independent and instinct-driven, Lone Wolves do things their own way. They resist structure, follow their gut, and sometimes land big wins. But their results are unpredictable, and their style is almost impossible to scale across a team.
The Problem Solver
Reliable and detail-oriented, Problem Solvers pride themselves on making sure every customer issue is addressed. They excel at keeping clients happy after the sale, but in the hunt for new business, their focus on details can slow them down.
The profiles are not just interesting labels. They come with hard numbers.
When Dixon and Adamson looked at high performers in complex B2B sales, one pattern stood out. 40% of top performers were Challengers. Relationship Builders, even though they were the most common type of rep, were rarely at the top. Lone Wolves showed up too, but their wins were inconsistent and difficult to repeat.
The message was clear: while each type has strengths, only the Challenger consistently excels when deals are complex, high-value, and consensus-driven.
Think about your own selling style. Do you see yourself as the tireless worker, the friendly connector, the independent closer, the meticulous problem solver, or the one who pushes customers to think differently?
For individual reps, knowing your type is like looking in the mirror. The real growth comes when you borrow from the Challenger playbook. That means teaching your buyers something new, tailoring the conversation to their exact needs, and taking control of the sales process instead of letting it drift.
For sales leaders, the takeaway is even bigger. You cannot just hire people who are “good with relationships” and expect to win. Modern buyers want insight, not small talk. Training and enablement need to focus on building Challenger skills across the team. When you can scale those behaviors, you build a sales force that wins more often, more predictably.
There are many ways to sell, but the data is hard to ignore. Hard Workers, Relationship Builders, Lone Wolves, and Problem Solvers all bring something valuable to the table. Yet in complex B2B sales, it is the Challenger who consistently wins.
The best part? Challenger behaviors are not fixed traits. They can be learned, practiced, and scaled. That means any rep, no matter where they start, can grow into a high performer.
👉 Next up in our Challenger Sale Series: Teach, Tailor, Take Control: The Challenger Trifecta Explained.
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