We always say, “No Champion, No Deal.” A Champion is one of the most valuable assets in any sales cycle. They have power and influence, a vested interest in your success, and they actively sell on your behalf when you’re not in the room.
But not every contact is a Champion. And mistaking one for the other can cost you the deal.
So how can you tell if someone isn’t a Champion? Here are five red flags that your contact might not be who you think they are.
1. They’re Not Giving You Access to Other Stakeholders
A real Champion will (metaphorically) pull you around the office, eager to introduce you to people. They want to build consensus around your solution, because they understand that getting buy-in is key to making their project a success.
Champions need to have a vested interest in your success. If they’re not opening doors to other stakeholders it’s a sign they’re not truly invested, and they probably aren’t your Champion.
2. They’re Not Sharing Information with You
Champions are open books. They bring you into the inner workings of the business — goals, blockers, political dynamics — because they see you as a partner, not just a vendor.
If your contact is keeping things close to the chest, offering surface-level insights or vague updates, that’s a problem. Either they don’t trust you yet, or they don’t fully believe in your solution yet. Either is an indicator that they don’t have a real vested interest yet, and likely aren’t selling for you internally.
3. They’re Not Proactive
Yes, we as sellers need to be proactive. But once you’ve done the work to build a Champion, they should be proactive too. Champions don’t sit back and wait, they drive things forward.
That might look like scheduling internal meetings, pushing others for decisions, or looping in new stakeholders. If you find yourself being the only one moving the deal forward, you probably don’t have a Champion.
4. They’re Not Telling You Anything New
Champions bring insight. They tell you things you didn’t know: who the real decision-makers are, what’s happening behind closed doors, how your competitors are being viewed. If your contact only repeats what you already know, or parrots what’s in the public domain, they’re not truly engaged.
Worse still, they might be afraid to ruffle feathers or lack the influence to know what’s really going on. A Champion is a source of truth, and if you’re not getting that, you’re missing a critical part of the deal.
5. They Won’t Commit to Anything
Champions don’t just talk, they act. Whether it’s committing to a next step, pushing internally for budget, or arranging a call with the Economic Buyer, they make things happen.
If your contact hesitates when you ask for a commitment — like stakeholder access or an internal update — that’s a red flag. Champions are driven by impact. They know they can’t get what they want without helping you succeed, so they lean in. No action, no Champion.
Not every contact is a Champion. And while every Champion starts as a contact, it takes work, on both sides, to build that trust and alignment.
The work matters. Because without a Champion, you’re trying to win the deal alone. And in complex sales, that’s a losing game.