Coach vs. a Champion

As you progress through your sales career, you must understand what a Champion and a Coach are, the part they play in your development, and also how to differentiate between the two.

One big mistake and common misconception that runs right through the sales industry is a lack of understanding about what a Coach is, what a Champion is, and why they are not in the same role at all.

This article is here to help you understand what each role is, how important each one is during the sales process and how you can avoid making the common mistake of mixing up the two.

What is a Champion?

It is very important to understand what a Champion is, and the role they will play as you use the MEDDPICC framework throughout your deals. 

A Sales Champion is someone who works within the potential customer organization or business and who will be ultimately selling your product or service on your behalf when you aren’t present. 

This can be done through internal stakeholder meetings that you are not present for, informal discussions around the water cooler, or budget decisions where the final contracts are being decided for a company. 

They will be a critical focal point for information, helping you understand the company’s internal decision-making process, who the important stakeholders and players are within the deal, and what you can do in case something goes wrong - another key and often overlooked advantage of a Champion is their access to Paper Process, they can give you the heads up on the final stage of a deal ahead of time and allow you to control it so much more smoothly than without it. 

The Sales Champion is comfortably the most important person within your deal and the customer organization - they have a vested interest in your success and seeing you find victory in the deal. 

The best power of a good Champion is the way they can alert you when a deal may be going sideways - they can keep you informed and in the loop on how the customer business is feeling about your solution, keeping you one step ahead of the game. 

A strong Sales Champion can also give you a key insight into the customer’s pain points - by doing this; you will ultimately understand where your product fits in as an ailment to this pain. The most elite sellers understand how they can procure potential Champions from within customer organizations and mold them into great Champions - here is a great blog post about the relatability between an NFL quarterback and a Sales Champion. 

How to Identify a Champion?

A Sales Champion must first and foremost have skin in the game when it comes to your product, service, or solution and the function it performs within a customer organization. Maybe their job is related to the ailing of the pain point, or their direct job is affected by the pain, and your solution makes their working day so much easier. 

You should always look at the Champion’s auto sales power, influence, and the way they can work your deal - they do not need to have some made-up seniority title but have some credibility within their organization. 

What is a Sales Coach?

A Coach is a polar opposite of a Sales Champion - it can be someone who does not fill the Champion role or might be way off, missing multiple characteristics or features. They are usually someone who is a skilled salesperson and can sell for you internally whilst also being invested in seeing you succeed. 

A key identification or qualification moment should be the one in which you recognise them as not being malleable into a Champion role. Typically, a Sales Coach is just that, and their role cannot be changed or developed in a sales process like the way a Champion can be. 

In a sales process, you might spot someone from a customer organization and build and develop a relationship where they slowly become someone who is selling for you on the inside. They can also be someone who your solution has a great benefit for - this is not the same for a Sales Coach. A Coach will be someone who has a lot of time for you, someone who can help you sell and direct you, but will not ultimately fulfill the complete package the way a Champion does. 

What is The Key Difference Between a Coach and a Champion?

What you will come to learn as the biggest differentiator between a Sales Coach and a Sales Champion will only become evident as you learn more about the person’s power and influence. Just how much are they going to be impacted by your product or service? If you can find out that they will be greatly affected by your solution once the deal is signed, it is almost a given that they are a Sales Champion.

You should look to the person and see someone who understands the company decision process to a tee, someone who can adequately relay to you how their organization makes important decisions, like, for example, how to pick a vendor for their services. 

They should also be someone who has a lot of credibility and respect in their company - are they one of the key people that come to mind for not just you but everyone else in their business? By them having this influence, they can get access to the key stakeholders within a deal and internally sell for you with high rates of success.

Can they keep you updated on progress and allow you to maneuver the deal if things go wrong? With their power and influence, they will be in the loop on a deal and know when to get you involved if they feel it tipping over. A coach can do a lot for you as a salesperson, but they are not on the same level of importance as a Sales Champion.

For your development as a salesperson, you should be in tune with your Sales Coaches and Sales Champions, understanding how each group benefits you holistically but also how you identify, qualify and cultivate each one.