When your product is excellent - when quality, reliability, and support already rank high - the real difference between winning and losing increasingly lives in relationships, influence, and insight.

Last week, I had the honor of leading a workshop with the leadership team at John Deere in Moline. The mission was clear: help Deere leaders coach their distributors to shift from surface-level vendor relationships to deep, strategic partnerships inside their customers’ organizations.

A large and growing body of B2B insight backs this imperative. The authors of The Challenger Sale and The Challenger Customer taught us that top-performing teams don’t just sell. They challenge thinking, activate hidden influencers, and build consensus in complex decision environments.

📌 Why This Matters Now

1. Complexity is rising Decisions aren’t made in isolation anymore. Finance, operations, safety, compliance, sustainability - all have a voice. If a distributor interacts only with the familiar...