December 13, 2025 | Read online​

I lost a deal recently because I relied too much on my “Champion” to sell internally for me.

I didn’t do a good enough job engaging with the other stakeholders or empowering my Champion to sell for me internally so I thought I’d refresh my own memory and share a few tips on how to do a better job next time.

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SALES TIPS/TECHNIQUES: Champions and Multi-Threading

SALES TOOLS/RESOURCES: Selling When You’re Not in the Room

SALES FROM THE STREETS: My Surfing Learning Journey

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SALES TIPS/TECHNIQUES:

Champions and Multi-Threading

First, let’s take a minute to define the word “Champion.” I think it’s the 3rd most overused word or phrase in Sales (behind “touching base” and “checking in”).

Everyone talks about getting or having a Champion, but when I ask how they define a Champion I get wildly different answers.

I don’t think there’s a universally accepted definition of a Champion that we all should go by but I do think every sales org should have their own definition of what it means to them so they know what it means when everyone references it internally.

A few characteristics that I look for in Champions are:

1. Influence
   1. They don’t have to be the decision maker but they do need to have influence on the decision and be “in the room” when the decision is made so they can fight for me.
2. Responsiveness
   1. They usually get back to me with what I need in a timely manner and proactively reach out to me with updates.
3. Rule Breaker
   1. They know how to get things done internally and sometimes break the rules to do so.
4. Impact
   1. The success/failure of the decision to invest in whatever the solution is, has a meaningful impact on their role

Regardless of the criteria you use, make sure you have one so everyone understands what it means when you say it.

Now, let’s talk about a tip on how to multi-thread with or without your Champion.

A real Champion is someone who will make the right internal introductions for you at the right time but usually they’re too busy to make many of those introductions or they get distracted and forget.

Regardless of whether or not they proactively make introductions, you still need to earn them in my experience.

That’s why I go into prospecting mode again as soon as I can tell it’s a real deal, usually after the initial discovery call.

I map out all the different stakeholders I know need to be involved in the decision, build an org chart (Account Map) on my LinkedIn Sales Navigator page and then start researching each of them to see if i can find relevant reasons (i.e. “trigger events”) I can use to reach out to them with.

Once I find a relevant and recent trigger event I usually write the email to my Champion and ask them to make the introduction. It usually sounds something like this (context: Jim is in Sales and Jenn is in Marketing):

Now, if I’m worried that Jim will block you (i.e. NOT a Champion) you can do the same thing, just keep Jim out of it. It would sound something like this:

The key to both of these is to have a different “reason” to reach out to different individuals or departments that aren’t something your Champion has a lot of insight into. If it’s something your Champion can help you with then it could cause some friction.

Also, notice the phrase I highlighted in red: “As I learn more about your business…”

This is one of my favorite ways to show the client that I’m staying on top of their business, continuing to learn more about them and have a legitimate reason to reach out.

Try it out and let me know what you think.

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SALES TOOLS/RESOURCES:

Selling When You’re Not in the Room

Another way we get caught relying too much on our Champion is to assume they know how to present the right material to the right people internally.

We’ve all had that “Champion” who tells us they “got this” when it comes to presenting the value of our solution to other internal stakeholders only to be told later that “they didn’t think it was the right fit” or get ghosted all together.

No one can present the value of your solution better than you can.

Also, no internal resource wants to sit through an hour-long recorded Zoom call to see what we went over and find the part that’s most relevant to them.

People need bite-sized content that sells to the 20% of the solution/problem they care about and how it fits into the bigger picture.

That’s why I’ve partnered up with Consensus (sponsor) and use their AI-powered Product Experience Platform to help control the narrative more and gain insights throughout the sales process of who is engaging with what content and when.

You can create a specific path for each member of the internal buying committee so they only see the content, including role specific presentations and resources, that are relevant to them.

Then you can track who's watching what and develop specific game plans to approach each stakeholder and get everyone aligned.

According to Consensus’ 2025 B2B Buyer Behavior Report, most sellers only see 17% of the buying journey.

That means the VAST majority of the buying process is happening without you. It’s also why you need to control as much of the content they see as you can to make sure it’s selling when you’re not there and that’s why I’ve teamed up with and use Consensus. Check it out and let me know what you think.

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SALES FROM THE STREETS:

My Surfing Learning Journey

I took a break over the Thanksgiving week to relax and spend some time with my family at our place in Costa Rica (AirBnB rental if anyone is interested).

Costa Rica’s “Pura Vida” mantra means more than just its literal English translation of “pure life.” It's a lifestyle, a feeling, a perspective, that encapsulates how Costa Ricans cherish life's simplest pleasures and find joy in the little things.

On this trip I decided to enjoy one of life’s “simple” pleasures and learn how to surf with my daughter since one of the beaches close to us in Tamarindo is rated as one of the top 10 places to learn how to surf in the world.

Have you ever heard of the Four Stages of Competence or the Conscious Competence Learning Model?

When trying something new, you go from Unconscious Incompetence (you don’t know what you don’t know) to Conscious Incompetence (you know what you don’t know) to Conscious Competence (you know what you know) and then finally to UNconscious Competence (you just know).

Surfing is a perfect example of this learning curve for me.

I was Consciously Incompetent when I showed up to the surf show with my daughter. I had no idea how to surf or even how to hold the board and carry it to the water.

Then we had a quick lesson on the beach on the steps necessary to get up on the surf board and ride the wave. This is where I THOUGHT I became Consciously Incompetent and figured out what I needed to learn.

Then we got into the water and I realized I was Unconsciously Incompetent again, especially with a lot of other beginner surfers around me.

I couldn’t get up on the board and I even got hit by a few boards from other beginners that wiped out around me.

I was eventually able to find my way up on the board and stay on it for a few seconds and then finally got to ride a way all the way back to the beach which was my goal.

I’m now still firmly in the Consciously Incompetent zone in surfing and looking forward to our next trip where I can find my way close to Consciously Competent.

Here’s a few pictures for a visual representation of my learning journey when it comes to surfing:

I bring this up because we all need to learn new things and evolve or else life gets pretty boring and we get left behind.

What section of the learning curve are you at with Sales? Most of us who have been in Sales for a while think we’re either in the Consciously Competent or Unconsciously Competent in our Sales abilities.

I don’t think that’s true for the majority of us right now. I think we all need to get back to the fundamentals and remind ourselves of what got us here and then learn new things (specifically related to AI) to help us evolve.

That’s why I’m kicking off a FREE 3 Day workshop this week where I’ll be giving away some of my best content to help close out the year strong and start the new one even stronger. There will be a VIP option to join me after each session for a direct Q&A on the topic and get all the resources and then a special offer to join the full membership.

Join me this week and let’s Make it Happen!

How did I do with this edition? Amazing - can't wait till next week It was okay Needs work