Your Champion Likes You. But Can They Sell You Internally?

 Your Champion Likes You. But Can They Sell You Internally?

I watched a senior sales rep lose a ₦500,000 deal last year.

Not to a competitor.

Not to price.

To silence.

And it broke him.

Because he did everything right.

Or so he thought.

The Champion Trap

He had a great champion.

Let's call her Ada.

Ada was enthusiastic from day one.

She responded to every email within minutes.

She forwarded his proposals to her team.

She introduced him to colleagues.

She said things like "this is exactly what we need" and "I can't wait to get started."

He treated every signal from Ada as progress.

Custom demos. Reference calls. Detailed proposals.

Nine months of work.

Nine months of hope.

Then the silence came.

What He Missed

Ada was the Head of Operations.

She managed a team of twenty.

She had influence. She had passion. She had enthusiasm.

She did not have budget authority.

The CFO who the rep never met, never spoke to, never asked about controlled the capital expenditure.

Ada's enthusiasm was real.

Her ability to approve ₦500,000 was not.

In month nine the CFO killed the deal.

Not because he didn't like the solution.

Because he had never properly heard about it.

Ada had mentioned it in passing.

He had nodded.

She interpreted the nod as support.

It wasn't.

The Real Problem

Most salespeople make the same mistake.

They find a champion who likes them and stop there.

They confuse being liked with being supported.

They confuse enthusiasm with authority.

They confuse a champion's excitement with organizational momentum.

None of these things are the same.

Here's the truth:

Your champion liking you is not enough.

Your champion needs to be able to SELL you internally.

To their CFO.

To their COO.

To their procurement committee.

To whoever makes the final decision.

And most champions  even enthusiastic ones  don't know how to do that without your help.

How to Help Your Champion Sell Internally

Here's what most reps never do:

They never give their champion the tools to fight for them.

They assume the champion will figure it out.

They won't.

Here's what you need to give your champion:

1. The business case in numbers:

Don't just tell them your solution is great. Give them the ROI calculation. The cost of doing nothing. The projected savings or revenue impact. Numbers they can put in front of their CFO.

2. The language to use:

Your champion knows your solution but doesn't know how to present it internally. Give them the exact words. "Here's how I'd position this to your leadership team..."

3. The objection responses:

What will their CFO push back on? Price? Timeline? Risk? Prepare your champion for those objections before the internal meeting happens.

4. A one page summary:

Create a simple one pager they can share internally. Problem. Solution. ROI. Next steps. Something they can forward without explanation.

5. An offer to brief leadership directly:

"Would it be helpful if I joined a call with your CFO to walk through the business case?" Most champions will say yes. And that one call can save the deal.

The Questions You Should Be Asking

Before your next proposal ask your champion these questions:

"When you brief this internally who gets the summary?"

"What does your CFO care most about — cost savings, risk reduction or revenue growth?"

"What objections do you anticipate from your leadership team?"

"What would you need from me to make this an easy yes internally?"

Their answers will tell you everything about whether this deal is real.

And give you exactly what you need to help them win internally.

The Lesson

The rep I mentioned at the beginning?

He lost that deal because he never asked Ada one simple question:

"What do you need from me to sell this internally?"

He assumed Ada could handle it.

She couldn't.

Not because she didn't want to.

Because she didn't have the tools.

Your job as a salesperson doesn't end when your champion says yes.

It ends when their organization says yes.

Until then  keep arming your champion.

Keep giving them language.

Keep giving them numbers.

Keep giving them confidence.

Because when you're not in the room 

Your champion is the only one fighting for you.

Make sure they're ready.

Get The Precision Close — the complete field manual for B2B sales professionals: [Complete field manual for business professionals ]

Free PDF — 3 Questions I Ask After Losing 14 Deals: [Download for free ]