Key takeaways
- A champion sells for you inside the account, in rooms you cannot enter.
- Friendliness is not championship; influence and action are.
- Test a champion by asking them to do something that costs them a little effort.
- When a champion leaves, rebuild at the account and follow them to their new company.
What does champion mean in sales
In sales, a champion is the buyer-side ally who has a personal reason to see the purchase happen and the influence to move it forward. The personal reason might be a problem that makes their week harder, a goal they own or a wish to be the person who fixed something.
A product champion is the same idea seen after the sale: the internal user who promotes the product to colleagues, trains new users and argues for renewal. Many good post-sale champions began as pre-sale ones.
How do you recognise an internal champion
You recognise an internal champion by what they do, not by how warm they are. A contact who enjoys your calls but never shares inside information or opens a door is a fan, not a champion.
- They tell you who else is involved and what each person worries about.
- They explain how purchases are approved and who could slow this one down.
- They arrange meetings with colleagues you could not reach yourself.
- They warn you early when something changes on their side.
- They have argued for your product in a meeting and can tell you how it went.
What is the difference between a champion and a decision maker
A champion argues for the purchase; a decision maker has the authority to approve it. Sometimes one person is both, but in most deals with a real budget the champion is a manager or senior user and the decision maker sits above them or in finance.
Treating a champion as the decision maker is a common reason forecasts slip. Ask your champion directly who signs, and ask them to help you meet that person before the proposal goes in.
What should you do when your champion leaves
When your champion leaves, act on both sides at once: rebuild at the old account and reach out to them at their new company. Neither can wait long, because the account forgets you quickly and the champion's first months in a new job are when they choose their tools.
At the old account, find who has taken over the champion's responsibilities and ask for a short call to hand over what was agreed. At the new company, congratulate the champion first and talk about their new goals before mentioning your product.
Where Pebbles Ai fits
- CapabilityProspecting & customer recordsWhen a champion moves on, name the account with the role they held and a location; Find fresh leads returns people in that role as contacts in the CRM (in Beta), with work emails where found and a confidence score.
- CapabilityOutreach contentAn assistant can write the note to a former champion in their new role, and with a connected Gmail or Outlook mailbox the email is saved as a draft for you to check and send.
Common questions
Can a deal have more than one champion?
Yes, and larger deals are safer with two. A second champion in another team keeps the deal alive if the first one leaves or loses influence.
How do you create a champion?
Help one person solve a problem they care about and make them look good for bringing it forward. Give them material they can reuse internally, such as a short summary for their manager.
Is a champion the same as a coach?
Not quite. A coach gives you inside guidance but may not argue for you in public. A champion does both.
About this page. Written by the Pebbles Ai team for people who run sales, marketing and growth. Last updated .
