Your main contact isn't your champion (with Gal Aga)
And other mistakes sales reps make
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Your main contact isn’t your champion.
In fact, we tend to get champions wrong all the time in sales.
And lots of deals are lost as a consequence.
What plays out is much like this meme from Gal Aga:
So naturally, we invited Gal to talk about champions.
He’s managed 100s of AEs who’s run 100,000 deals (ballpark).
We got him to share some of the top mistakes AEs make when selling with champions.
And of course, how to fix them too.
Here’s just a few takeaways:
Main contact ≠ champion: A champion is more than just the first contact (or the one you talk the most with). Champions have three things, 1) the ability to influence executives, 2) willingness to fight for the deal, and 3) a strong personal motivation to see it through.
Why settle for one champion?: Relying on a single point of contact is risky. Your deal is literally hanging by a single thread. You need to identify and cultivate multiple champions across different departments.
Multi-Threading is about quality: Simply having many people on a call or in an email thread doesn't mean you’re multi-threading. True multi-threading involves separate, targeted conversations with various stakeholders to understand their unique motivations and concerns.
Execs just don’t care: If you think they do, you’re making a mistake. Executives don’t have time for a long demo or a 25-slide deck. So help your champion(s) to distill the value proposition into a concise business case that resonates with leadership.
The "Bluebird" Champion: Just because a champion is experienced and confident doesn't mean you can lean back and let them run the deal. Maintain influence and control of the narrative, even with seasoned buyers.
Decision-Making is a Group Effort: The traditional "decision-maker" is a myth. Today, buying decisions involve committees and groups with varying levels of power and influence. Act accordingly.
Watch the episode here
00:00 Introduction
01:56 The Israeli Tech Ecosystem
04:35 Understanding the Role of a Champion
08:15 Champion Enablement Strategies
13:27 Multi-Threading in Sales
18:08 Executive Buy-In and Business Cases
23:06 Navigating Executive Involvement in Sales
23:50 Building Trust with Your Champion
26:38 Understanding Buyer Dynamics
27:10 The Role of Professional Buyers
28:47 Collaborative Decision Making
29:15 Avoiding Transactional Sales
30:58 Managing Internal and External Stakeholders
31:38 Modern Sales Strategies
41:43 The Future of Transactional Selling
45:27 Final Thoughts and Takeaways