The Reframe: April 2026

The Challenger Skills We’re Still Struggling with in 2026

Challenger research dates back to 2009. A lifetime ago, right? And yet, sellers in 2026 consistently tell us they’re struggling to slay the same deal-crushing beasts.

Here’s a sample of quotes from our most recent Selling Challenges survey, where we asked “what excites you the most—or worries you most—about the future of selling?”

• “Being able to add value and differentiate our solution in a crowded market.”
• “Managing complex organizations with large buying groups and relaying the value of our services to them amongst other competing projects that take budget.”
• “Changing landscape, change in buyer behaviors, global uncertainty and tough economic times.”
• “Global financial crisis and political landscape making buyers hesitant in investing.”

Although that final one is straight out of 2009 it’s somehow still on many sellers’ lists of future fears. In this edition of The Reframe, we dig deeper into the skills sellers worry will hold them back in the year ahead—and examine how Challenger tools can pull them out.

💬 Rational Drowning

Three stats driving home what Challengers struggle with in 2026

33% said tailoring is their biggest pipeline challenge.

Tailoring, a core Challenger skill, helps sellers differentiate themselves when delivering a commercial insight. It’s increasingly important in an era where buyers can access more vendor insight than ever before. Brush up on your Tailoring skills.

28% said they can’t identify or reach the right stakeholders.

Unwieldy buying groups cause chaos for sellers, but Challengers know how to take control of the sale. They find the Mobilizers who act as internal champions—and help them address the hard questions coming from inside the buying group. Learn more about identifying Mobilizers.

28% of sellers said they’re struggling with indecision and resistance.

Motivating buyers takes skill, and wielding tools like cost of inaction and constructive tension will be increasingly important in the year to come. When the real culprit is indecision, The JOLT Effect playbook, based on Matt Dixon and Ted McKenna’s book from 2023, helps Challengers build on existing skills to keep buyers from delaying indefinitely. See how The JOLT Effect addresses indecision.

📃 What’s New?

2026 Selling Challenges

Description: In our annual Selling Challenges Research Study, we asked more than 300 sales and enablement professionals about the biggest challenges they’re facing in today’s selling environment. This year’s results reveal something surprising: for all the AI noise, the biggest challenges in sales remain human. In this report, we explore the industry’s most pressing problems and offer ten shifts leading organizations can make to build confidence and win more in 2026.

Download the Report

“Buyers are under more pressure than ever to prove the value of every dollar they invest. This reflects some broader shifts in buying behavior. One is the increased influence of procurement at every stage in the buying process. The other—and I see this with a lot of our clients—is more C-level executives scrutinizing purchases that, five years ago, would have been made by a lower-level decision maker. This really puts a lot of pressure on sellers, because clients are pushing for discounts, concessions, and pushing on terms.”

1. The first way to equip your teams is to think about creating a value narrative as early as possible in the selling process, including quantifying the problem that you’re out to solve as early as possible.
2. The second is thinking about how you articulate value to every stakeholder in the buying committee. Business pain is personal to each individual stakeholder and the role they hold. How do you quantify the value to every stakeholder in a way that’s relevant to their role to ensure that they’re on board with you early in the process?
3. The third piece is quantifying the cost of inaction as well as the cost of the return on investment. How do you articulate the full cost of leaving a problem unaddressed? Or, even worse, what might be the risk of choosing the wrong solution?”

Watch the full replay for more insights from our 2026 Selling Challenges research.

📹 Webinars

Recording: Developing the Sales Capabilities That Cut Through Complexity

Our experts unpack findings from our 2026 Selling Challenges research and share practical strategies sales organizations can use to respond. You’ll learn how leading teams are improving prospecting, navigating buyer indecision, protecting value in negotiations, and using AI more effectively across the sales process.

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