B
A statement or question from the buyer that indicates movement toward a decision: timeline questions, pricing re-engagement, bringing a colleague, asking about implementation.
On the call: The moment to advance, not to keep pitching. Ask who else should be in the next conversation.
See in context →C
A person inside the buyer’s organization with influence, a personal stake in the outcome, and the willingness to sell for you when you are not in the room. Access alone does not make a champion.
On the call: Test it: “When I’m not there, who’s making the case for this?”
See in context →Leading the buyer to a new insight about their own business that reframes the problem in a way your solution uniquely solves. The core of the Challenger approach.
On the call: Early in the call. If you are still teaching at minute 25, you have lost control.
See in context →A date or consequence on the buyer’s side that forces a decision: a contract expiry, a product launch, a regulatory deadline, a board meeting. Without one, deals slip indefinitely.
On the call: “What happens on your side if this isn’t solved by the end of the quarter?”
See in context →A full picture of how the buyer operates today: the process, the tools, the people, the root cause of the problem, and what it costs. GAP Selling holds that most reps leave this half-finished.
On the call: Go deeper before you describe the future. “Where does it actually break?”
See in context →D
The technical and commercial standards the buyer will use to judge vendors. Often unstated until asked, and often different from what the demo assumed.
On the call: “If you had to rank what matters most in this decision, what’s first?”
See in context →The sequence of steps, people, and dates between this call and a signature. Distinct from paper process, which covers the legal and procurement mechanics.
On the call: Before you leave the call: “Walk me through what happens next on your side.”
See in context →E
The individual with the authority to approve the spend without asking anyone else. Not the person who likes you most; the person who can say yes.
On the call: Identify by minute 20 of discovery, or get a path to them.
See in context →I
The business consequence of the pain, in numbers. Hours, dollars, deals, headcount, risk. Pain without impact is a complaint; pain with impact is a business case.
On the call: “When you say slow, what does that cost you in a quarter?”
See in context →M
The quantified value the buyer expects from solving the problem. The number the economic buyer will approve against.
On the call: Get the buyer to say the number out loud, not the rep.
See in context →Building relationships with several stakeholders in the account so the deal does not depend on one contact. The opposite of single-threading, the most common cause of late-stage stalls.
On the call: “Who else would need to weigh in on a decision like this?”
See in context →P
The legal, security, and procurement steps required to get a signed contract. Discovered late, it adds weeks to a deal that was otherwise closed.
On the call: Ask early: “Has your team bought something like this before? What did legal need?”
See in context →The measurable result the buyer wants for the business, as distinct from a feature they want from the product. The anchor the whole conversation should return to.
On the call: If you have spent six minutes on features, pull it back to the outcome.
See in context →R
What the buyer must be able to do to achieve the positive business outcome. The bridge between their goal and your differentiation.
On the call: Name it in the buyer’s words before you name your feature.
See in context →T
The third Challenger behavior: steering the conversation, creating constructive tension, and holding the line on value when the buyer pushes on price or process.
On the call: When engagement drops or the buyer defers, ask the uncomfortable question.
See in context →The share of the call the rep speaks versus the buyer. A crude signal on its own, but a reliable warning when the rep passes 60% in discovery.
On the call: If you have been talking for two minutes straight, stop and ask.
See in context →Knowing the term is the easy part. Kairos surfaces the move when the moment lands, calibrated to whichever of these frameworks your team runs.