How do you qualify a champion, and if they are deemed unqualified, how do you enable introductions to others in the organisation?

Effective champions are crucial to securing a deal, especially when there isn't a direct path to an executive sponsor.

However, if your champion is too junior or lacks the necessary influence, it becomes imperative to elevate the conversation quickly. To make meaningful progress, you need to amplify the perceived urgency around the pain points and advocate for expanding the evaluation committee as soon as possible.

An unqualified champion can still be valuable if they can help secure introductions or arrange additional meetings with other stakeholders. Your objective is to empower your champion to be effective even when you are not present. This requires a deep understanding of how the executive team views their own strategic initiatives, particularly identifying any key initiatives that align with your solution. Positioning your offering as directly relevant to the company’s strategic goals can make your champion a more effective advocate within their organization.

To achieve this, begin by uncovering the language, priorities, and key initiatives that resonate at the senior levels of the business. During your discovery phase, encourage your champion to orient you on the strategic imperatives that matter most to the executive team. Use this insight to craft customized value assets and pain-focused narratives that speak to broader organizational goals. Equip your champion with these tailored materials to help them socialize your solution effectively.

The goal is to position your solution as an answer to the company’s most pressing challenges, ensuring that your champion can articulate its value in a way that resonates with senior decision-makers. By guiding your champion to align your solution with key strategic initiatives, you turn them into a conduit for executive-level engagement, significantly increasing your chances of success.