Good Morning. Apparently, some guy named Jensen just lost his CEO job. That’s probably not great news for his company, Nvidia, which makes chips. And not the kind they keep bringing to your table at a Mexican restaurant. Anyway, let’s focus on what’s important. There’s 49 days left in the year to hit quota. Now let’s get into today’s Follow Up. (:

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Nicole Senna is seven months into a CrowdStrike deal with a hospitality company. They’re close to the finish line, except the NDA has been sitting unsigned for about three weeks.

Ahh, the joys of dealing with paperwork…

Sometimes it’s slow because, well, it’s corporate America. That’s how things work.

But this time, someone is holding it up on purpose.

According to Senna, a longtime employee on the buyer’s IT team is asking legal to hold off. He wants the company to keep its current provider. But Senna’s main contact, the head of IT, finds out and steps in.

Within hours, the NDA is signed.

That head of IT is the champion that every sales rep dreams of. He found an internal problem that the sales rep couldn't see and then fixed it.

So today, let's talk about how to tell if you've got a contact like that, and what to do if you don't…

On a recent podcast, John McMahon boils a champion down to three things: power, influence, and a vested interest in the outcome.

On the other hand, you have a coach. A coach likes you, roots for you, and passes along helpful info. But a coach can't move the decision on their own.

Say you’re a Girl Scout selling cookies. Your neighbor gives you a tip: “Try the Hendersons. They love Thin Mints.” That’s a coach.

Then your mom takes the order form to her office and sells 40 boxes to people you’ve never met. That’s a champion.

Coaches are great. Keep them around. But when you’re about to forecast a deal, you want to know that you’re working with a champion, not a coach.

Asking your contact, "Are we still looking good?" is like asking your barber if the haircut looks okay. You're getting a yes either way.

So ask something that gives them a job:

"Who else needs to be comfortable with this, and can we work together on a conversation with them?"

Here’s what movement looks like:

And if someone turns down one intro, don't write them off yet. Ask what makes it tricky. They may need help with an objection, or the timing may be lousy.

John McMahon lays out how to develop a coach into a champion: educate them, tie the deal to a critical business issue, and connect them with executives.

Here's what that looks like in a real deal:

Educate them. Start by asking, "What would you need to make this case internally?" Then fill in whatever's missing. (More on that in a sec.)

Tie it to their boss's problem. Every kid who's ever wanted a puppy figures this out eventually. The pitch that works is about who's walking it at 6 a.m. and who's paying the vet bills. Your contact needs the business version of that pitch. Ask what their boss is measured on this year, and help them connect your deal to that number.

Connect them with executives. Offer to put your VP or CEO on a call with them. And offer to help them present to their own leadership. Both make your contact look like the person driving something important inside their company.

Your champion is going to pitch your deal in meetings you'll never see.

Sending them in unprepared is like asking a friend to give the toast at your wedding with no notes.

So write them a short brief built for their company:

Then go through it together: "Before you take this to your team, let's walk through the questions they're likely to ask. Where do you think the pushback will come from?"

Keep it a team effort.

Today’s newsletter was written by Nic Conley