MEDMEN: Stop Taking Sales Negotiation Advice From FBI Hostage Negotiators

Most deals don't die because of the competition — they die because no one internal is fighting for you. Andy Whyte and Sarah Chen break down exactly how to identify, develop and activate a true champion inside your prospect's org.

May 28, 2025

42 minutes

<span id="hs_cos_wrapper_name" class="hs_cos_wrapper hs_cos_wrapper_meta_field hs_cos_wrapper_type_text" style="" data-hs-cos-general-type="meta_field" data-hs-cos-type="text" >MEDMEN: Stop Taking Sales Negotiation Advice From FBI Hostage Negotiators</span>

Andy Whyte

Jen Collins

NOTES

Andy opens with one of the most common misconceptions in enterprise sales: that having a friendly stakeholder is the same as having a champion. It's not. A champion, as Sarah explains from her time leading enterprise teams at Momentum, is someone who has three things: the capability to influence a buying decision, access to the power and economic buyer, and a strong personal motivation to see your deal succeed.

Without all three, you don't have a champion — you have an ally. Allies are nice to have. Champions win deals.

How to identify champion potential

One of the most practical segments of the episode is the framework Sarah uses to assess whether a contact is worth investing in as a champion candidate. She looks for three signals early in the relationship:

Do they ask questions that reveal internal context — org dynamics, budget timelines, competing priorities?
Do they follow through on small commitments without being chased?
Do they proactively connect you to other stakeholders without you having to ask?

If you're seeing those behaviours, you likely have someone worth developing. If not, Andy is blunt: you should keep looking rather than hoping a passive contact will activate when you need them most.

Without all three, you don't have a champion — you have an ally. Allies are nice to have. Champions win deals.

How to identify champion potential

Do they ask questions that reveal internal context — org dynamics, budget timelines, competing priorities?
Do they follow through on small commitments without being chased?
Do they proactively connect you to other stakeholders without you having to ask?

If you're seeing those behaviours, you likely have someone worth developing. If not, Andy is blunt: you should keep looking rather than hoping a passive contact will activate when you need them most.

Without all three, you don't have a champion — you have an ally. Allies are nice to have. Champions win deals.

How to identify champion potential

Do they ask questions that reveal internal context — org dynamics, budget timelines, competing priorities?
Do they follow through on small commitments without being chased?
Do they proactively connect you to other stakeholders without you having to ask?

If you're seeing those behaviours, you likely have someone worth developing. If not, Andy is blunt: you should keep looking rather than hoping a passive contact will activate when you need them most.