5 Ways Your Customer Champions Will Help You Win

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Remember those friends who stood up for others back in the day at school? Who’s doing that today for you? Now imagine if your customers did the same.

These are your Champions.

Champions? Let’s break it down.

A champion is an advocate for you, your business, and your offerings. They support you even when you’re not in the room, conveying to customers that you have their best interests at heart.

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Imagine walking into a room, or being on a phone or Teams call, and having everyone there not only know your offerings, but your market expertise, understand your commitment to the customer, and passionately vouch for it too. That’s the power of customer advocacy.

In today’s hyper-competitive marketplace, the most trusted voices aren’t those of celebrities or slick advertising campaigns, but of genuine customers and partners who have experienced and loved what you offer.

How do I find them? How do I make sure I have them when I need them? That’s what this issue is all about.

Let’s dance.

Why Champions Matter

A lot of time, energy, effort, and financial commitment goes into winning bids, building relationships, strengthening your accounts, and earning trust among your clients. Whether you’re building a relationship with customers, partners, subcontractors, legislators, and/or lobbyists, you want to make sure you are always at the forefront of your customers.

Even when you’re not in the room. You can’t be everywhere.

The bigger the deal, the more people involved. If a deal might have significant political and financial consequences, the more eyeballs are on it. Not feeling completely understood by the customer’s point of view or even your own team, your champion(s) are there to support you and back you up.

Without champions, you’re shooting in the dark, unaware of what’s happening in the decision-making room.

Champions reduce this risk by providing insights and ensuring your presence is felt even when you’re not there.

Champions are especially impactful in the times when you need their support

Building customer champions is crucial for your business's success. Champions act as advocates for your brand, providing credibility and support even when you’re not present.

They help reduce the perceived risk for potential customers, making it easier to secure contracts and new business opportunities.

Not sure about your customers and their stakeholders? Check out my recent post on client stakeholders and my free eBook if you want to review it here.

Find Your Champions

To identify and find champions for your business, start by analyzing your customer base to identify those who are highly satisfied with your products or services and who consistently provide positive feedback.

Look for customers and partners who are active in your industry, can diffuse conflict if there is tension, understand and can navigate internal and external politics, know and are good at being in front of the customer.

These individuals are often passionate about your offerings and willing to advocate on your behalf. Build a customer advocacy program that you can tap into, but not abuse, so you know which customers are the strongest.

Goals to Consider to Identify Your Champions:

1. Influence

   1. Champions have the respect of their colleagues, they have senior-level decision-making responsibilities and when they speak, colleagues respect them and find their knowledge valuable

2. Network

   1. Champions are established in their respective industries, they know key players, companies, decision-marking, who’s who, and where pivotal meetings where be. Be there.

3. Adaptability

   1. Business isn’t always sunshine and rainbows. It gets tough, but the Champion can adjust their approach, and lend guidance and support under any unique circumstances within the organization.

4. Persistence

   1. They have an internal drive that is firing on all cylinders. They want to push your solution, they believe in you, and they know you can overcome internal obstacles, and deliver customer value.

5. Trust

   1. This is not a 1-hit wonder, this is an investment. Invest the time with your champion, build with each other. The more you trust each other, the more the Champion will vouch for you.

Once identified, nurture these relationships by offering exclusive insights, early access to new products, or special recognition to solidify their role as your business champions.

Improve Your Positioning

Think about it: Why would someone give you a contract if they don’t know you, don’t trust you, and have never heard of you?

By cultivating customer champions, you build trust and familiarity. This significantly reduces the perceived risk, making it easier for clients to choose you over competitors.

Cultivating customer champions strengthens your market position and your overall position with the customer too. These advocates build trust and familiarity, which are essential for reducing perceived risk and attracting new business.

To effectively engage and leverage a Champion, focus on cultivating a relationship rooted in trust and mutual benefit. Here’s how to do it:

How to Effectively Utilize Your Champions

1. Identify Early Advocates: Pinpoint potential Champions at the outset by looking for those who show enthusiasm, influence, and a vested interest in your offerings.

2. Align Objectives: Spend time understanding the Champion’s goals. Ensure your offerings align with their objectives to create a compelling case for their advocacy.

3. Equip with Resources: Arm your Champion with key resources—case studies, product demos, and expert support—to bolster their ability to promote your offerings.

4. Maintain Supportive Communication: Keep open lines of communication. Regularly check in and offer support to ensure your Champion feels empowered throughout the sales process.

Champions can also provide valuable feedback, helping you refine your products and services. By building a robust relationship with Champions, you create influential advocates within your target organizations, driving success through strategic collaboration.

Never assume you have all the tools in the toolkit. Or your voice is strong enough when you are in the room…or have left the room.

Building your list of champions, not only for yourself but also for your company, is the ultimate game changer for growth.

Acquiring a Champion in your deal can boost your potential for success tenfold, giving you the chance to elevate your potential revenue, increase your probability of winning, solve internal problems, and establish a more structured approach to growth by a huge margin.

I mentioned time and time again, in sales, and business growth, you are in the relationship business. People want to do business with the people they like and trust.

Build out your trust tree.

I leave you with this…who’s championing for you…when you’re not in the room?

No idea? Not sure? Start building. It’s never too late to start.

See you next week.

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