Champion building for the long haul (examples that have paid off)

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Figured this topic is pretty evergreen for most of us, and thought it could use some discussion around new and/or improved approaches to secure a roster of champions that will put you in the best position for long term results (the path to adoption and renewals.)

What are some recent champion success stories you all have had, and what were the key steps to get to those successes? Also any new learnings that have shifted the way you identify and build relationships with champions so far this year?

And how often are you meeting with champions in person vs remotely? Do you find it matters less to prioritize in person meet-ups these days?

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Hello @Rupert,

Love the topic and seems to be one that comes up often at the beginning of a fiscal year.

To adequately answer your question, it is important to clearly define a Champion. Unfortunately, I have seen many sellers flag people who they meet for the first time and/or like the pitch as a CHAMPION, later to find out they are working a COACH. As you may know there is a BIG difference between the two.

Definition:

They way I have been trained, a CHAMPION must met all 4 criteria (below) in order to earn the right to be flagged as a CHAMPION.

(1) Do they have access to power?

(2) Do they have a personal win?

(3) Are they selling on your behalf?

(4) Do they have political clout?

Of course you need to test each one of these questions to validate, but from my experience, this has never failed me.

You eluded to in your post, but the more CHAMPIONS you have the higher the probability of winning. In fact, I would argue we are in a race of CHAMPION building.

That said…If you have a TRUE CHAMPION, they will want to meet with you regularly. As an example, I meet with my CHAMPION 2x per week…why?

One of the questions/qualifiers to be a CHAMPION is “do they have a personal win”. Today, money is hard to come by and people are literally risking their job on an investment in your company. They SHOULD want to meet you to ensure they are successful with your solution. This helps with the renewal and expansion.

A CHAMPION will want to understand the VALUE your solution delivered. HE/SHE will want to wave that flag, which in turn will make the renewal process much easier.

I am not saying you need to meet 2x per week, but you should meet with them regularly. In person or virtual is dependent on a variety of variables, but if you are able to meet in person… you should.

Finally SUCCESSES of having a CHAMPION…

I am working on an oppty with the parent company my CHAMPION works for. Not only is he selling my solution on my behalf to the parent company, the Exec Team is also selling (ie Exec Champions). They are taking care of roughly 60-80% of the sales process for me.

If that doesn’t convince you a CHAMPION is key…not sure what will.

Hope this answers your question(s).

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This is a fantastic breakdown, Greg, and surely of top value to other sellers here. I really loved how you differentiated champions w/ your 4 points.

Had one follow up question for you: when you’re meeting with champions 2x a week, a) how long are you meeting for and b) do you have a set agenda or does it change each time? Wondering how you structure it and how you keep things fresh. Thank you.

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Thanks @Rupert!

We meet for 30 mins on Tuesday and Thursday afternoon. Sometimes we go over, but try to keep it at 30.

We don’t have a set agenda, however, we take action items during each call and share updates during the next. So the agenda fluctuates, but it has naturally structured itself into the following:

  • Rapport Building/small talk
  • Updates on Action Items
  • Updates on the sales motion with the Parent Company

Fairly straight forward and works well. I have been working with my CHAMPION for nearly 2 years so we have a flow that works.

The meeting name is simply touch point.

Every CHAMPION is going to be a bit different and may not want to meet as frequent as the CHAMPION I highlighted, so you will need to feel it out.

My recommendation:

(1) Schedule a standing touch point call for 30 mins. Weekly is typically the sweet spot. If something comes up, you can push to the next week. Monthly can be risky since events can occur which will force your CHAMPION to push it out.

(2) Meeting structure: DO NOT just send an invite without a note/reference in invite highlighting at least the objective of the meetings. It can be somethings as simple as “Quick Touch Point to ensure we are tracking on meeting expectations and delivering expected value” to something more complex and structured with a set agenda. Make sure at the end of the meeting you have a series of action items to complete, short term (before the next touch point) and action items to complete by your next touch point. This will keep your CHAMPION engaged and make the meeting valuable.

(3) Rapport Building: Use this time to strengthen Rapport with your CHAMPION. Spend 5-10 mins talking about stuff not related to work, or just simply ask how are things going? A good CHAMPION will share.

Super high-level but this is how I typically manage my touch point meetings with my CHAMPIONS.

Hope this helps!

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This is a great system you have going there, Greg. Thank you for being so thorough with your suggestions and sharing what works so well for you. Love the caps lock emphasis on CHAMPION!

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