Hey Niepodam,

A deal looked perfect on paper.

Great discovery.
Strong pain.
Budget confirmed.
A “super engaged” champion.

Then it died.

No drama.
No competitor.
Just… “We decided to hold off.”

After the post-mortem, it was obvious.

We didn’t lose to procurement.
We didn’t lose to pricing.

We lost to our champion.

Because in B2B sales, your champion is the most important person in the deal.

And the most dangerous.

The myth of the “friendly champion”

Most reps treat champions like allies.

They’re responsive.
They join every call.
They say things like:

• “I’ll push this internally.”
• “Leave it with me.”
• “I’ll talk to my VP.”

And reps relax.

Big mistake.

A champion who “likes” you but can’t sell internally is a liability.

Your champion isn’t valuable because they’re excited.

They’re valuable because they can influence power.

The shift: Stop protecting them

Here’s what I see all the time:

Reps avoid challenging their champion because they don’t want to damage the relationship.

So they don’t ask:

• “Who actually signs this?”
• “What objections will Finance raise?”
• “If this gets blocked, where will it come from?”

They stay surface-level.

Radical sellers don’t.

On early calls, I’ll say: “Be straight with me, if this dies internally, what will be the real reason?”

That question does two things:

1. Tests honesty
2. Surfaces political landmines early

If they can’t answer clearly, they’re not a real champion yet.

A real champion does 3 things

I don’t move a complex deal forward unless my champion can:

1. Articulate the problem in business terms
   Not “This tool is cool.”
   But: “This fixes X, which impacts revenue by Y.”
2. Map internal stakeholders
   Names. Roles. Influence level. Not “I think my boss will like it.”
3. Advocate without you in the room
   If they can’t sell it when you’re absent, the deal is fragile.

If one of these is missing, I don’t “hope.”

I coach.

How to challenge your champion (without burning them)

Instead of being their cheerleader, become their strategist.

Say: “If I’m not in the room, what slide are you using to justify this?”

Or: “What’s the toughest question your CFO will ask?”

Or even: “On a scale of 1–10, how much political capital are you willing to spend on this?”

That last one changes everything.

Because now you’re talking about risk.

And champions who won’t spend political capital don’t close deals.

Build them. Don’t babysit them.

One of the biggest mistakes you can make?

Doing all the heavy lifting yourself.

Radical move:

Make them do the work — with you guiding.

• Have them draft the internal email. You refine it.
• Have them explain the ROI back to you.
• Have them rehearse the exec pitch live.

I’ve literally said: “Let’s roleplay your CFO for 5 minutes. Convince me.”

If they struggle, you’ve just identified the real gap.

The uncomfortable truth

Your champion can accelerate the deal faster than anyone.

They can also quietly kill it.

Not because they hate you.

Because they’re scared.
Or politically exposed.
Or unconvinced.

If you don’t challenge them, you’re building a deal on emotion.

If you pressure-test them, you’re building on influence.

In complex sales, your champion isn’t your friend.

They’re your distribution channel into power.

Treat them like a partner.
Challenge them like a strategist.
Equip them like a closer.

Because the most dangerous deal is the one where your champion smiles…

…and can’t actually move anything.

Want me helping you and your team within your sales efforts? Let’s talk.

Or book me here directly for a Free Strategy Call

Alan "Modern Seller" Ruchtein.

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