Process

Building a champion, the person who sells you when you are not there

Published 7 November 2026 · 5 min read · By Ripe Leads

The short answer

A champion is someone inside the account who wants your solution and will argue for it internally. Most deals need one, because the real selling happens in meetings you are not in. Find the person with a stake in the outcome, help them win personally, and arm them with what they need to make your case. A well-equipped champion is worth more than any pitch you deliver yourself.

You are not in the room when the decision gets made. Someone else argues for you or the deal quietly loses, and who that person is, and how well you prepared them, decides more outcomes than your own eloquence ever will.

Why you need a champion

B2B decisions happen in internal conversations you cannot attend. However good your pitch, it is repeated second-hand by someone inside the company, and if nobody is willing to repeat it well, the deal stalls.

The champion is that someone: an insider motivated to push for your solution. Without one, you are an outsider hoping a committee agrees with you unprompted.

A champion has a stake

Real champions are not just friendly contacts; they have something to gain from the change succeeding. It solves their problem, advances their goal, or makes them look good. That personal stake is what turns a pleasant conversation into genuine internal advocacy.

1One motivated champion who gains from the deal outsells any pitch you deliver, because they are in the rooms you are not.

How to find and develop one

Look for the person who feels the problem most and benefits most from solving it.

Who has the pain, the person living with the problem daily.
Who gains from the fix, in outcomes, credit or relief.
Who has some influence, enough to be heard internally.
Who engages, the one already leaning in on your calls.

Help them win, personally

A champion advocates hardest when the deal helps them, so make that link explicit. Understand what success looks like for them personally, not just for the company, and position the solution as their win. People fight for outcomes they own, not for a vendor's revenue.

Arm them to make your case

Your champion is only as effective as what you give them to work with. Equip them with the one-pager, the numbers, the answer to the obvious objection, the enablement content that lets them argue your case without you.

Anticipate the internal objections they will face and hand them the responses. You are preparing them for a meeting you cannot attend, so give them what they need to win it.

Do not rely on only one

A single champion is a single point of failure: they can leave, get overruled, or lose interest. Building a champion is part of the wider job of mapping and reaching the buying committee, so the deal rests on more than one relationship. Develop your strongest advocate, but never let the whole deal hang on them alone.

Frequently asked

What is a champion in B2B sales?

A champion is someone inside the target account who wants your solution and will argue for it internally, in the meetings you cannot attend. Most deals need one, because the real selling happens second-hand in internal conversations. A genuine champion has a personal stake in the outcome, something they gain from the change succeeding, which is what turns a friendly contact into a real advocate.

How do I find a champion inside an account?

Look for the person who feels the problem most and benefits most from solving it: who lives with the pain daily, who gains from the fix in outcomes or credit, who has enough influence to be heard, and who is already engaging on your calls. Then develop them by making the deal their personal win, since people advocate hardest for outcomes they own rather than a vendor's revenue.

How do I help my champion sell internally?

Arm them with what they need to argue your case without you: a clear one-pager, the numbers, and answers to the objections they will face internally. Anticipate those objections and hand them the responses, since you are preparing them for a meeting you cannot attend. And never rely on a single champion, because they can leave or be overruled, so build support across the buying committee too.

Rather not build this yourself?

We run the targeting, data, copy and follow-up as a done-for-you service, and send the interested replies straight to your inbox. You bring the close.

Book a strategy call