champion-buildinglisted

# Champion Building ## Purpose Determine whether you have a real champion (not just a friendly contact), arm them to sell internally on your behalf, and test their actual power before you stake the deal on them. ## Inputs - The deal and its key contacts (names, titles, who you actually talk to) - What each contact has done *for you* so far — intros, meetings booked, info shared - The buying process: who signs, who else has to say yes - What you've given them and what they've given back ## Method ### 1. The champion vs coach test Two separate questions — a contact must pass **both** to be a champion: - **Do they have power?** Can they influence budget, get you to the economic buyer, or move the process? A friendly junior with no authority is not a champion. - **Are they selling for you when you're not in the room?** A champion advocates internally, defends your price, forwards your business case, and pushes the deal forward without you prompting. Classify each contact: - **Champion** = power + selling for you. Rare. Protect and invest. - **Coach** = no power, but feeds you intel and tells you the truth. Valuable, but cannot close the deal for you. Use them to *find* and *build* a champion. - **Supporter** = likes you, no power, not actively selling. A lead, not a champion. - **Blocker / no-decision** = neutral or against. Manage around, don't invest in. A coach who *gains* power, or a supporter you *enable* to advocate, becomes a champion. ### 2. Arm them — enab