A MEDDIC champion is a person within a target company who has the power, influence, and personal interest to drive a deal to the finish line. This person is not just a coach who shares info; they are a high-level advocate who sells on your behalf when you are not in the room. This internal support is vital because about 70% of buying talks happen without the vendor present. To build this person, you must find their personal win and show them how your tool makes them a hero. You cannot just hope they help you; you must test their power by asking them to take real risks for the deal. If they will not introduce you to the economic buyer or share the real budget, they are a coach, not a champion.
What makes a true MEDDIC champion?
Many sales teams mistake a friendly contact for a true MEDDIC champion. This error leads to stalled deals and lost time. A real champion is not just someone who likes you or your product. They are a person within the buying company who has the power to get a deal done. They have a personal stake in your success and work to sell your solution when you are not in the room.
As experts who helped build MEDDIC at PTC, we have seen this play out thousands of times. About 70% of buying talks happen without the vendor present (Source: Inspirem). Without a true champion to lead those talks, your deal will likely die.
Power and internal clout
A true champion must have the power to sway a buying choice. This means they have enough respect and status to move the process forward. They know how their company buys and who makes the final call. A person who gives you great info but cannot change the outcome is a coach, not a champion.
Studies show that champion drive and years of work are key to how much impact they have (Source: NIH). If your contact lacks the years to work through their own company's red tape, they cannot be your champion. You need someone who knows the internal path to "yes" and has the grit to follow it.
Personal wins and active support
The best champions have a "personal win" tied to your solution. If your product helps them hit a bonus or solve a major pain point, they will fight for you. They act as your internal seller. This active support is what sets them apart from a standard coach. A coach might want you to win, but a champion needs you to win.
When qualifying complex deals, you must test for this drive. A champion will give you access to the economic buyer. They will help you get ready for tough meetings. Most of all, they will tell you the truth about rivals and any internal threats to the deal.
The three tests of a champion
To find if you have a real champion, use three simple tests. First, check for power. Ask yourself if this person has a track record of getting projects funded. If they have never led a big buy before, they may lack the clout you need.
Second, look for a personal win. A true champion has a clear reason to see you succeed. This might be a career goal or a way to hit their own key results. Third, look for active selling. If they do not teach you how to win or help you meet the right people, they are just a coach. A real champion will spend their own standing to move your deal forward.
Champion vs. Coach: Knowing the difference
It is vital to know which role your contact plays. Mixing them up is one of the biggest risks in a sales cycle. Use this table to check your current contacts.
| Feature | MEDDIC Champion | Internal Coach |
|---|---|---|
| Power | High clout and power | Low or limited power |
| Access to Buyer | Can give direct access | May not know the buyer |
| Role in the Deal | Sells on your behalf | Gives info only |
| Incentive | Personal or business win | Wants to be helpful |
| Support Level | Fights for your solution | Neutral or passive |
Don't settle for a coach when you need a champion. A coach can help you learn the landscape, but only a champion can help you win the deal. Testing your contacts early will save you months of wasted effort on dead-end sales.
How to identify a potential champion early
Finding a MEDDIC champion early keeps your deal on track. You cannot win a complex sale alone. Sales data shows that about 70% of buying talks happen when you are not there. You need a person inside the room who fights for your tool. This person must have the power to move the deal and a big reason to see you win. The best sellers hunt for these people in the first few calls to save time.
A champion is more than a fan. They act as your internal seller and move the deal forward when the buying group meets. Without a champion, you are just a guest in their process. Our "Teaching in the Trenches" method focuses on this step because it is where most deals die. You must know if your contact has the weight to close the deal before you invest too much.
Find the power and weight
A true champion has real pull in their firm. While a coach gives you data, a champion has the power to change minds. Look for people who get things done and have high trust. They often lead large teams or run key projects that matter to the firm. Their peers listen when they speak because of their track record. This weight helps them push your deal through tough spots when other projects compete for the budget.
You can see this power in how they handle talk about money and the path to a deal. A champion knows who has the final say and can get you a meeting with the Economic Buyer. If your contact seems lost when you talk about the signing process, they might just be a coach. Coaches are helpful, but they cannot sign a check or force a change in the internal plan.
Check for a personal win
The best champions have a big stake in the result. They want your tool because it helps them hit their own goals, such as saving time or looking good to their boss. Studies on company champions show that past success and drive lead to the most impact. If they do not gain something for themselves, they may not fight for you when things get hard. You must find what they win when the deal closes.
Ask questions that dig into their "why." Do they need this tool to hit a bonus or solve a problem that keeps them up at night? When you find an internal win, you find a partner in the sale. This link between your tool and their success creates a strong bond. Their success becomes tied to yours, which makes them work harder to see the deal through to the end.
- Watch how others act around them in big meetings. If the room goes quiet when they speak, they often have real pull.
- Ask them what happens to their career if this project fails. A real champion will have a clear, direct answer.
- Check if they can get you a meeting with the person who signs the check. This proves they have access to the top leaders.
- Give them a small task to do for the deal. If they do it fast, it shows they are ready to work for the win.
- Look at their past wins inside the firm. People who have led new ideas before make the best champions.
We teach sellers how to find these keys on live calls. Our team at RevCentric Partners uses real-time coaching to help you spot a champion fast. This work in the field ensures you do not waste time on the wrong person. A big champion leads to a big deal. Without one, you likely have no deal at all. Focus on the champion to build a strong base for every sale.
Build your champion before you need them
A MEDDIC champion is more than just a fan of your product. They are an internal seller who has the clout to move a deal forward when you are not in the room. Data shows that about 70% of buying talks happen without the seller there. You must build this bond early to win. If you wait until you need a favor, it is often too late. A true champion has a deep stake in your success. They want the win just as much as you do because it helps them reach their own goals.
Win their trust with value
To turn a contact into a true champion, you must find out what they want to gain. This means looking for both business wins and personal wins. You want to show them how your tool will help them reach their own goals. This could be a move up in the firm, a bonus, or just less stress at work. You can build trust by showing that you know their pain and can fix it. This is why qualifying complex deals is so key to the sales process. You find the right person and make them look like a hero in their own firm.
A champion also needs to see that your tool solves a real business problem. They need to trust that you will not let them down. If they put their name on your tool, their own trust in the firm is on the line. Use data and case studies to show them that you are a safe bet. When they see that your win is their win, they will fight for you.
Give them a strong story
Once you have trust, you must give your person the right words to use. They need a clear story to tell their peers. This story should focus on the big impact your tool will have on the firm. It should be easy to share and hard to fight. Studies from the National Institutes of Health show that a champion's own faith and skill lead to more wins. When you give them a solid story, you boost their skill. They can then lead their peers to see the same value you do.
Coach them for the win
Building a champion is a job that never ends. You must coach them like a pro. This is a core part of rigorous qualification for any sales team. You are teaching them how to sell for you. You should prep them for hard questions from their boss. Tell them what to say and how to say it. Think of them as your eyes and ears inside the firm. They can tell you about risks you cannot see.
At RevCentric, we use our own way of teaching to help sellers with this. We join live calls to coach you as you build these links. This hands-on help is how we ensure that your person is a true champion. We help you test them by asking for small favors or intros. If they do what they say, you know they are real. This method leads to a high rate of use for our clients. We do not just tell you how to do it; we show you in the trenches.
How do you test a MEDDIC champion?
Many sales reps think they have a champion when they really just have a fan. A fan likes your tool, but they cannot make a deal happen. A real MEDDIC champion has the power to push a deal through. They also have a strong reason to see you win. You must test them early to see if they have real power or if they are just a coach. If you do not test them, you may lose the deal at the last minute.
A real champion has these traits:
- They have a clear stake in your success.
- They have power and sway within their firm.
- They act as your inside seller when you are not there.
Can they get you to the economic buyer?
The first test is simple. Ask your contact for a meeting with the person who signs the check. This person is the economic buyer. A real champion will help you get this meeting. They know that your plan solves a big pain for the firm. If your contact says no, or if they seem afraid to ask, they may not have enough power. A champion has the trust of the leaders in the firm. They have high trust and can open doors that stay shut for others. If they cannot get you to the buyer, you need to find someone else who can.
Will they share the real decision map?
A true champion knows how things work inside their firm. They will tell you who else needs to sign off on the deal. They will also share the rules the firm uses to pick a tool. This is a key part of qualifying complex deals. Ask them to walk you through how the firm bought a tool in the past. If they give you vague answers, they might not be close to the power base. A champion gives you the map you need to win. They want you to succeed because it makes them look good and solves their own problems. They are your eyes and ears inside the firm.
Do they sell when you are not there?
Research shows that about 70% of buying talks happen without the seller. This is why you need a champion who acts as your inside seller. You can test this by giving them a small task. Ask them to show a slide deck to their boss or to fix a concern from the IT team. Their level of commitment will show in what they do. If they do not take action, they are just a coach. A real champion will take risks for you because they want the win as much as you do.
If a contact fails a test, do not give up on them. It just means they are not your champion yet. They might be a coach who can lead you to the right person. You can still use the info they give you. But you must keep looking for the person with the power to say "yes". At RevCentric Partners, we teach sellers how to run these tests in live calls. This is what we call "Teaching in the Trenches." It helps you find the right people fast so you can close more deals.
Coach champion strength in every deal review
Sales leaders must inspect the power of an internal advocate during every deal review. A real MEDDIC champion is not just a person who likes your tool. They are a person with the clout to change how their firm buys. Since most buying talks happen without you, a strong lead on the inside is the only way to win fast. You must look for proof that this person can and will fight for the deal when you are not in the room.
Audit for true power
Do not accept a rep's word that they have a "great person" on the inside. You need to see if that person has a real stake in the win. A true lead has a vested interest in your success because it helps them hit their own goals. Ask your rep to show how the deal helps that person's career. If they cannot link the deal to the person's own gain, you likely have a coach, not a champion.
You can also check for power by looking at how they act with peers. Studies show that a champion's impact comes from their skill and how much they care. They must have the trust of their team to lead them through a buy. During your rigorous qualification phase, look for signs that others in the firm follow this person's lead. If they do not have a seat at the big table, they cannot move the needle for you.
Ask the hard questions
Force your team to think about the risk of a weak lead. Ask. "What has this person done that they did not have to do?" A real lead will give you a map of the buy path or set up a talk with the person who holds the checkbook. If they only give you public info, they are just a coach. You need to know if they can get the deal through the legal and risk teams when things get slow.
Use these reviews to coach your reps on how to qualifying complex deals with more care. Ask for the name of the last person they said "no" to. A lead with no power to say no has no power to say yes. If your rep cannot answer these things, tell them to go back and test the lead again. It is better to find a gap now than to lose a deal on the last day of the month.
What if your champion fails the test?
A true MEDDIC champion must have both the power to guide a deal and a personal stake in your success. Many sellers mistake a friendly contact or a helpful coach for a champion. If your contact cannot give you access to the economic buyer, they have failed the test. You must find these gaps early because most buying talks happen when you are not in the room.
Spotting the signs of a coach
A coach gives you facts but lacks the power to change the buying path. You can tell your contact is just a coach if they avoid hard questions about the final sign-off. While a coach wants you to win, a champion has a vested interest in the outcome. If they cannot guide you through a rigorous qualification of the deal, they are likely not a true champion.
How to recover when a champion fails
If your champion fails a test, you must act fast to save the deal. Start by reaching out to more people to find others with say in the firm. You do not need to drop your first contact. But you must find someone who has the rank to move the deal. Trust is a key part of this work. Use your current coach to get a warm intro to a leader who can act as a new champion.
Building a new path forward
Developing a new champion takes time and a clear plan. You must show how your tool solves a big problem for the new contact and their team. Research shows that experience and self-efficacy help a person act as a strong internal advocate. If you cannot find a new champion, you may need to walk away. No champion often means no deal, so you must always be ready to test and find the right lead.
Frequently Asked Questions
How can you tell a MEDDIC champion from a coach?
A coach gives you info about the deal but lacks the power to change the result. A real champion has high clout and can change the buying choice. They sell for you when you are not in the room. According to MEDDIC pioneers, a champion must have a personal stake in your success and the power to act. Coaches help you, but only champions win the deal.
Why is a MEDDIC champion vital for closing deals?
Deals often stall because you cannot be in every meeting. A strong champion acts as your inner seller to keep the deal moving. Research from InspireM shows that about 70% of buying talks happen without the vendor there. Without a champion to speak for you, your product may be ignored or cut. You need a person with power to speak for your tool when you are not there to defend it.
How do you test if your champion has real power?
You must test your champion early to see if they can truly help you. A simple test is to ask them to lead you to the Economic Buyer. If they cannot or will not do this, they likely lack the power you need. A true champion will help you walk through the firm because they want your product to win. If they fail this test, you may only have a coach and should find a better person.
What happens if you do not have a champion in a deal?
If you do not have a champion, your deal is at high risk. Sales teams often say, "no champion, no deal." Without an inner person with power to push for you, the firm may choose a rival or do nothing. A champion helps you find the right people and get the right names on a deal. Without one, you are just a seller waiting for a choice you cannot control. You must find and build a champion to win.
Claim Your MEDDIC Assessment
A dependable champion is built and tested through observable action, not optimism in the forecast. RevCentric Partners brings the perspective of original MEDDIC practitioners: Dick Dunkel authored MEDDIC at PTC in 1996, and David Boyle taught the first MEDICC class. We help revenue teams turn the methodology into repeatable deal execution through playbook design, classroom training, and coaching in live opportunities.
Claim Your Assessment to see where champion qualification is strong, where it is based on assumptions, and how your managers can coach the difference.
