What a champion is
A champion, or internal champion, is the person inside the buying company who wants the project to happen and works for it when the salesperson is not around. They have a personal stake in the outcome and enough influence to move the decision.
A champion is different from a friendly contact, because someone who replies fast and likes the demo may have no power at all. A champion opens doors, explains the internal politics and defends the project in front of the economic decision maker.
A champion example in complex sales
At Metalúrgica Serra Azul, a fictional company, the planning manager struggles every month with closing production numbers in spreadsheets. She wants a new system, knows the purchasing process and has the trust of the industrial director.
In the first conversation, she says who else needs to be heard: IT, purchasing and finance. In the second, she warns that the director only approves with a cost comparison. She is the champion: without her, the salesperson would find all this out too late.
How to find and test a champion
- Look for the person who feels the pain every day and has something to gain from the solution, such as recognition or less rework.
- Ask for access. A champion introduces you to other people in the company.
- Ask for information. They explain how the decision will happen, who can veto it and what the timeline is.
- Equip your champion. Give them the material and the numbers they will defend internally.
- Have more than one. If your only champion leaves the company, the project stops.
Common mistakes
The most expensive mistake is confusing the champion with the decision maker. The champion wants to buy; the decision maker decides whether they can. Another mistake is betting everything on someone who likes the solution but has no influence. The third is not testing: if the person never introduces anyone or explains anything about the process, they are not a champion yet.
Related terms
The champion is the C in MEDDIC and the first C in MEDDPICC (the second is competition), both in the glossary. It appears on the power map next to decision makers and influencers. Buying signals and the sales trigger help you find who feels the problem now, and the ICP and the fit score tell you which companies to look at.
How the champion shows up in the GoSeek dossier
In the GoSeek dossier, the power map separates decision makers, champion, influencers and entry points, with an org chart by area and level. The Stakeholders section shows each person's role in the purchase, and the MEDDPICC section organizes qualification. The salesperson confirms who the champion is in the conversation, using the tests above.
What comes out about the company
The champion shows up in Stakeholders and buying center, and again in MEDDPICC
What people ask about champions
What is a champion in sales?
It is the person inside the buying company who wants the project to happen and defends it internally. They have a stake in the outcome and influence to move the decision.
What is the difference between a champion and a decision maker?
The champion wants to buy and works for the deal. The decision maker releases the budget. Sometimes they are the same person, but in complex sales almost never.
How do you test whether someone is a champion?
Ask for access to other people and for information about the decision process. Whoever delivers both is a champion; whoever only praises is not there yet.
What should you do if your champion leaves the company?
Find another one as soon as possible, starting with the people they introduced you to. That is why it pays to have more than one supporter at each company.
Founder of GoSeek. Specialist in market intelligence and consultative B2B sales for the enterprise market.
Keep reading
Power map in sales
Power map in B2B sales: decision maker, champion, influencer, entry point and user, how to map them at a large company and the questions that validate it.
How to sell to the CFO
How to sell to the CFO: what the finance chief wants to hear, how to prepare with the company's public numbers, the typical objections and a meeting agenda.
Everything the team needs to know before the meeting
What comes in the GoSeek dossier: diagnosis, dated triggers, stakeholders, battlecard and score for each company.