A Closer Look At Champions

36 snips

Apr 4, 2024

John McMahon and John Kaplan delve into champion building in B2B sales, stressing early identification, relationship development, trust building, and value provision. They distinguish between coaches and champions, emphasize the need for authority and influence, and discuss educating champions and aligning them with critical business issues. The conversation also touches on adding value throughout the sales cycle, measuring accomplishment, and setting clear criteria to prevent competition from changing the rules.

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INSIGHT

Champion Definition

Champions possess power, influence, and a vested interest in your success, granting access to economic buyers.
Economic buyers control discretionary funds, often requiring compelling justifications to reallocate budget.

ADVICE

Champion Identification

Prepare thoroughly for customer conversations by understanding their use case, pain points, and your product's differentiators.
Immerse yourself in the conversation and listen actively to identify potential champions and build trust.

ADVICE

Building Trust

Earning trust with champions involves precise questioning, like a lawyer in court.
Prepare questions in advance, focusing on uncovering critical business issues and potential solutions.

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In this episode, John McMahon and John Kaplan discuss the process of champion building in B2B sales. They emphasize the importance of identifying potential champions early in the sales process and developing strong relationships with them. They also highlight the need for sales reps to earn trust, educate champions, and provide value throughout the sales cycle. The episode explores various strategies for testing champions and collaborating with them to achieve successful outcomes.

Tune in to this conversation with John McMahon and John Kaplan on the Revenue Builders podcast.

HERE ARE SOME KEY SECTIONS TO CHECK OUT

[00:00:42] Definition and importance of champions in sales
[00:06:00] Definition of a champion: power, influence, and vested interest
[00:09:13] Indications of power and influence in a potential champion
[00:11:17] Building trust and uncovering information through precise questioning
[00:21:46] Differentiating between a coach and a champion
[00:23:33] Importance of authority and influence in the sales process
[00:29:19] Developing coaches by educating them, aligning them with critical business issues, and connecting them with executives
[00:34:11] Adding value to champions throughout the process builds trust and confidence
[00:37:21] Sales leaders should measure accomplishment, not just activity
[00:52:13] Setting clear criteria and expectations to prevent competition from changing the rules

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

Learn more about aligning customer-facing teams to improve execution: https://forc.mx/48o1jyP

HIGHLIGHT QUOTES

[00:58:47] "It starts to become really collaborative because they're now on your team, like we talked about, and they're part of your team. They have invested interest in it. They have personally winning it, whether it's recognition, approval, control, money."
[01:00:42] "If I truly have somebody that is the definition of a champion, where they have power and influence, they're actively selling on my behalf, and they have a vested interest in my success, and I understand that happens over time, but if I truly have the markings and the identification of somebody like this, I'm not alone."