It’s irrefutable that having a champion on an account can send you into the sales stratosphere. Two or three champions pushing on your rope across multiple accounts can propel you into the Hall of Fame for any given year.

Ahhh, if it were only that easy.

There is no formula for developing a champion because every one of your prospects and clients is a unique individual who wants different things and is driven by different motivations.

Having said that, four constants exist around champion development:

1. Play the incrementality game. Start by asking for small favors.

2. Payback in spades. Concert tix and meals are good rewards, but making the champion shine inside their org is ideal. Do things that make them look good! Make them feel good…and smart.

3. Determine relationship strength and limits: if you don’t ask, you never know if that buyer can grow into a champion.

4. What do you want? Have a specific plan about what you need from the champion… there are only a handful of things, and the list probably looks like this…
– help to get other company officers to put their pens in their hands and sign the contract
– information
– unlocking internal problems and obstacles
– introductions

Don’t ever stop champion development…you need all the heavy hitters on your side that you can get.