How to Build Champions and Shape Internal Narratives

Salespeople: If you sell B2B, B2G, K-12, or whatever, here’s one of the world’s most underrated skills: Coaching your champions to have internal conversations when you’re not in the room. Most salespeople let these conversations happen without their influence. The champion says: “I’m talking to my boss on Friday to present this and ask for budget.” The novice salesperson responds: “Great! Let me know how it goes. Let’s talk Monday.” Weak. If I were running a forecast call, I'd predict you lose that deal. Most champions do not have these conversations effectively without guidance. Even senior ones. After all, they’ve never bought your solution before. Why do you expect them to be an expert on selling it? Here’s what great salespeople do instead: The champion says: “I’m talking to my boss on Friday to present this and ask for budget.” The great sales pro responds “How are you thinking about structuring that conversation?” “Is our problem statement framed in a way that will resonate with your boss?” “I know you said he probably won’t have any resistance. But if he did, what do you think that would look like? How would you respond?” TLDR: Great salespeople ask their champion QUESTIONS that force them to think through the conversation in advance. That way, they have a plan that goes beyond this: Champion: “Hey boss! Here’s this cool solution. It costs $50k and I think it will really help. Can we consider moving forward?” Boss: “No budget sry.”

Your C-suite meeting request just got deleted (again). The uncomfortable truth: C-level execs aren't taking meetings with your CSM team when they have 70+ SaaS vendors in their tech stack. After conducting hundreds of renewal conversations, I've found a far more effective approach: transform your champion into your most powerful asset. These frontline advocates already have what you'll never have – internal credibility, established relationships, and a seat at the decision table. Here are 3 strategies that turn good champions into renewal-securing weapons: 1. Equip them with bulletproof ROI defense Don't just share usage metrics. Build an airtight business case they can defend when you're not in the room: --> Connect your solution directly to their specific KPIs and metrics --> Provide comparative benchmarks showing they outperform industry peers --> Document both hard-dollar savings and productivity gains with concrete examples --> Create a simple, executive-ready format they can forward without modification 2. Arm them with the "cost of inaction" narrative The most compelling renewal argument isn't about features – it's about business risk: --> Quantify exactly what happens if they revert to previous solutions --> Calculate productivity losses in actual revenue terms --> Document how competing priorities would suffer without your solution --> Frame the discussion around opportunity cost, not just benefits 3. Position them as ecosystem connectors, not just product users The C-suite values strategic thinking. Help your champion demonstrate it: --> Show how your solution enhances their existing tech stack investments --> Connect them to your customer community for peer validation --> Provide industry insights that extend beyond your product --> Illustrate data flows that improve critical business systems The multiplier effect: When champions have all three elements – Numbers, Narrative, and Network – they don't just protect your renewal. They build their own internal reputation as strategic thinkers. Most CSMs spend their energy pursuing executive relationships they'll never maintain. The elite ones build champions who fight for renewal when they're not even in the building. What's your champion enablement strategy?

Your deal probably stalled because you mapped org charts instead of influence. There are lots and lots of AEs out there who think multithreading means collecting contacts. I mean, contacts are great, but what you really want to focus on is building advocates. Advocates are the folks who sell for you when you're not in the room. Those are the folks who help you win deals. Here are a few priorities: 1. Build one champion who texts you about the deal. When your contact starts calling your cell with questions, texting about upcoming meetings, asking for quick favors - your close rate just jumped 60%. You've got an internal salesperson. That's the holy grail. 2. Map influence, and remember that titles do NOT = influence. The CFO's assistant might have more pull than the VP of Operations. Ask discovery questions that reveal the real power structure: - "Walk me through how you made your last vendor decision" - "Who typically needs to sign off on initiatives like this?" - "What happened when [competitor] pitched you last year?" Pay attention to names that keep coming up, not titles on LinkedIn. 3. Create advocates at multiple levels, not just contacts. Turn every stakeholder into someone who WANTS you to win: - Send them relevant case studies before meetings. - Ask: "What would success look like for your team specifically?" - Follow up with insights tied to their individual goals. - Copy them on wins: "Thought you'd want to see this benchmark data." One person fighting for you beats five people tolerating you. 4. Use internal referrals to unlock new threads. Get your champion to open doors for you: - "I'd love to understand how finance typically evaluates ROI on solutions like this" - "Who should I connect with in legal about contract terms?" - "Could you introduce me to whoever handles vendor onboarding?" - Then: "Would you mind making that introduction?" Champion-driven intros convert 10x higher than cold outreach. Here's an exercise to try out. Pick one of your deals, and think about the possibility that your main champion goes quiet. Now ask yourself: how many people inside that company would proactively reach out to you? If the answer is a goose egg, you're spam-threaded. Remember that deals don't go dark because you missed a stakeholder. They go dark because nobody inside really cares enough to keep them alive. Stop counting contacts and start counting advocates.