How many times have your reps lost deals they were sure were going to close? The harsh reality is this is one of the most common (and costly) patterns in B2B sales.
How many times have your reps lost deals they were sure were going to close?
The harsh reality is this is one of the most common (and costly) patterns in B2B sales.
And the frustrating part is that it’s not because meetings go off the rails, or the primary contact is disengaged. More often, discovery uncovers a compelling business problem, the demo resonates, stakeholders seem aligned, and momentum builds throughout the sales cycle.
Then procurement raises new concerns. Budget priorities shift. An executive no one has spoken to enters the conversation. Or the deal quietly stalls because no one inside the organization is driving it forward.
Usually, the root cause of this boils down to two qualification mistakes:
In this article, we'll walk through what deal-closing Champion development looks like, how to coach reps to build one intentionally, and how to know whether they've really identified the Economic Buyer (or are simply making an educated guess).
Let's get started!
One of the biggest qualification mistakes in B2B sales is treating a Coach, Influencer, Champion, and Economic Buyer as if they're interchangeable.
They're not.
Each role serves a different purpose in the buying process, and confusing them often leads to stalled deals, inaccurate forecasts, and missed opportunities.
In this section, we'll define each role so you can confidently distinguish a Champion from a Coach, Influencer, and Economic Buyer, and qualify opportunities more effectively.
A Coach gives your rep information.
They help you understand internal dynamics, explain organizational priorities, identify potential roadblocks, and point you toward the right stakeholders.
Coaches make your sales process easier, but they don't necessarily advocate for your solution.
An Influencer shapes the buying committee's opinion.
Their recommendation carries weight with other stakeholders, but they typically don't have the authority to approve funding or make the final purchasing decision.
A Champion actively sells your solution when you're not in the room.
They build internal consensus, navigate organizational politics, overcome objections, and use their credibility to move the opportunity forward. Most importantly, they have a personal or professional reason to see the deal succeed.
The Economic Buyer (EB) has the authority to approve, or significantly influence, the budget for the purchase.
They decide whether solving the business problem is important enough to invest in. While they may not sign the contract themselves, they ultimately determine whether funding is approved.
In enterprise sales, these four roles often belong to four different people. That's why qualification frameworks like MEDDIC and MEDDPICC place so much emphasis on Champion development and Economic Buyer identification.
Unfortunately, reps often make assumptions instead of validating these roles. Comments like, "He's really engaged, so he's definitely my Champion," or "My contact said leadership is aligned," may feel like progress, but they rarely confirm who actually has influence or buying authority.
Successful Champion development and accurate Economic Buyer identification directly impact win rates, forecast accuracy, and deal velocity.
When reps misidentify either role, the consequences often don't appear until much later in the sales cycle when they're far more expensive to fix.
A false Champion rarely kills a deal with a hard "no." Instead, the opportunity slowly loses momentum.
Here's why: while your rep believes someone is selling the solution internally, that person isn't actually influencing the buying committee. They may love the product, attend every meeting, and respond quickly, but they aren't building consensus, navigating internal politics, or pushing the initiative forward when your sales team isn't in the room.
Without an internal advocate driving the deal, momentum fades. Meetings become harder to schedule, follow-ups take longer, and internal conversations stall. Eventually, the opportunity quietly slips into the dreaded "no decision" territory.
Misidentifying the Economic Buyer creates a different problem. The opportunity appears healthy until procurement raises new concerns, budget priorities shift, or an executive your team has never met questions the investment.
These are some of the most expensive deals to lose because they've already consumed months of selling time and forecasting.
Champion development and Economic Buyer identification shouldn't be treated as qualification checkboxes. They should be evidence-based milestones.
When managers accept statements like, "We have a Champion," or "We've identified the Economic Buyer," without asking for proof, forecasts become based on confidence rather than qualification.
The point we’re getting at? Lead with evidence, validate everything, and assume nothing.
Now that we've defined the difference between a Coach, Influencer, Champion, and Economic Buyer — and why getting them wrong can derail an opportunity — let's look at how to identify, develop, and validate each one throughout the sales cycle.
Anyone can say they love your product during a demo. But a real Champion proves it after the meeting ends.
While your sales team is focused on the next opportunity, your Champion is building consensus, answering objections, reinforcing the business case, and keeping momentum alive inside the organization. They're selling your solution when you're not in the room. And that's the difference between a Champion and a supportive contact.
An easy way to determine whether someone is a Champion is to look at what they've done, not what they've said.
During your next deal review, ask your reps: “What has your Champion done to move this opportunity forward in the last two weeks?”
If the answer is, "They attended our calls," keep digging.
If they've done things like:
. . . you're seeing Champion behavior.
People don't become Champions because they like a certain vendor; they become Champions because solving the problem helps them achieve something meaningful.
That could mean:
Whatever the motivation, there needs to be personal investment. A Champion has something to gain if the initiative succeeds, and something to lose if it doesn't.
One great discovery call doesn't create a Champion. Neither does a successful demo. Instead, Champion development happens over time through trust, credibility, and a series of small commitments that demonstrate both willingness and influence.
After every customer interaction, your rep should leave with a better understanding of that stakeholder's influence and willingness to advocate internally.
For example, ask your contact to:
Then watch what happens. And as you’re watching, keep in mind that Champion development isn't about finding the loudest advocate in the room. It's about developing someone who is both willing and able to move the opportunity forward when your sales team isn't there.
Once your reps have developed a Champion, the next step is identifying and validating the Economic Buyer.
Reps often assume they've found the Economic Buyer because their primary contact has a senior title, controls a budget, or says leadership is aligned. But assumptions don't move deals forward.
The Economic Buyer is the person who decides whether the organization is willing to invest in solving a business problem. That doesn't always mean they're the most senior person in the buying committee or the person signing the contract.
Depending on the organization, the Economic Buyer may be a department leader, a business unit executive, or someone responsible for approving funding above a certain threshold.
Seniority doesn’t always equal purchasing authority.
For example, a VP may own the initiative but not the budget, a director may control discretionary spending, finance may approve funding, and the CFO may only become involved once the investment exceeds a certain amount.
Every organization allocates budget differently, which means your reps need to understand how buying decisions are made. To get to the bottom of budget allocation, coach your reps to ask: “Who decides whether solving this problem is important enough to invest in?”
That's the question that uncovers the real Economic Buyer.
Identifying the Economic Buyer isn't enough, you also have to validate it.
During deal reviews, ask your reps:
If most of those answers are "no," your rep probably hasn't identified the Economic Buyer yet.
Keep in mind, an Economic Buyer isn't identified through assumptions, job titles, or hearsay. They're identified through direct conversations, validated budget authority, and a clear understanding of how investment decisions are made inside the organization.
No sales process is perfect. Even when your reps understand the difference between a Champion and an Economic Buyer, they'll encounter situations where qualification isn't as straightforward. Here are a few of the most common challenges and how to coach through them.
If there isn’t a clear Champion yet, coach your reps to develop one over time. Look for someone who owns the business problem, has credibility with other stakeholders, and has something to gain if the initiative succeeds. Then begin testing that relationship through small commitments, executive introductions, and internal advocacy.
Remember, Champion development isn't about identifying the right person on day one. It's about helping the right person become your Champion throughout the sales cycle.
In many enterprise organizations, there isn't just one Economic Buyer.
Budget ownership may span business units, departments, or geographic regions. One executive may sponsor the initiative while another controls funding, and finance may have final approval for purchases above a certain threshold.
Rather than trying to identify a single Economic Buyer immediately, coach your reps to understand how investment decisions are actually made.
Answering those questions is often more valuable than finding one person with the highest title.
Champion turnover happens; people get promoted, roles change, or they leave the company.
And if your entire opportunity depends on one internal advocate, you’re in trouble. That’s why it’s important to teach your reps how to multi-thread from the start. Encourage them to build relationships across the buying committee rather than relying on a single contact.
Ultimately, the more people who understand the business case, the more resilient the opportunity becomes if organizational changes occur.
Every organization makes purchasing decisions differently. In some companies, department leaders control discretionary budgets. In others, finance plays a much larger role. Global organizations may also have regional approval processes, matrixed reporting structures, or country-specific budget owners.
Coach your reps to stay curious instead of assuming every buying process looks the same. Questions will always outperform assumptions.
Qualification frameworks like MEDDIC and MEDDPICC emphasize Champion development and Economic Buyer identification because they're proven indicators of deal health. But you don't have to follow either methodology to benefit from these concepts.
Every strong qualification process ultimately asks the same questions:
If the answer to either question is unclear, there’s still work to be done.
One of the biggest coaching mistakes sales managers make is accepting rep conclusions instead of asking for evidence.
It's easy to hear statements like, "My Champion loves us," or, "We've identified the Economic Buyer," and move on to the next opportunity. But neither statement tells you whether the deal is actually qualified.
To get the information that will reveal the real health of an opportunity, ask questions like:
Champion development isn't something your reps discover after a great demo. It's something they build through trust, credibility, and consistent validation over time.
The same is true for Economic Buyer identification. Titles, assumptions, and secondhand information aren't enough. The strongest sales teams verify who controls the investment before they confidently forecast the deal.
So, here's your challenge: during your next deal review, rather than asking your reps if they have a Champion or an Economic Buyer, ask them to prove it. Ask what their Champion has done to move the opportunity forward. Ask how they've validated the Economic Buyer. Ask what evidence they have, not what they believe.
That simple shift will improve qualification, strengthen forecasting, and help your team spend more time on opportunities that are positioned to close.
A real Champion continues selling your solution after your meeting ends. They build internal consensus, introduce stakeholders, reinforce the business case, and actively move the opportunity forward when your sales team isn't in the room.
Yes. In smaller organizations, one person may both advocate for the solution and control the budget. In enterprise sales, however, those responsibilities are often split across multiple stakeholders.
Assuming that job title equals buying authority. The only reliable way to identify an Economic Buyer is through direct conversations about business priorities, funding, and how investment decisions are made.
Instead of asking whether a rep has a Champion, ask for evidence.
Questions like:
Those questions quickly separate assumptions from reality.
Ask your reps:
The stronger the evidence, the healthier the opportunity.
