When working with an ambitious 'Transformer' champion who moves too quickly, the seller's job is to fill their gaps by adopting the 'Protector' persona. This means you must focus on the process, challenge assumptions about consensus, and proactively identify risks to ensure the deal doesn't implode due to your champion's enthusiasm.
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A 'Product Rebel' is not a constant disruptor but is situationally aware. Sometimes they must be a 'chameleon,' blending in with stakeholders to build trust. Other times, they must be the 'lead goose,' stepping out to galvanize the team towards a shared goal. The skill is knowing when to switch personas.
Not all champions are equal. They can be categorized into four types based on their appreciation for innovation and bias for action: the Complacent (low/low), the Teaser (high innovation/low action), the Protector (low innovation/high action), and the Transformer (high/high). This framework helps sellers tailor their strategy.
When leaders demand high-fidelity prototypes too early, don't react defensively. Instead, frame your pushback around resource allocation and preventing waste. Use phrases like "I want to make sure I'm investing my energy appropriately" to align with leadership goals and steer the conversation back to core concepts.
To avoid sounding pushy when asking critical questions about a deal's viability, frame them as necessary steps to ensure the customer's success post-implementation. This shifts the intent from closing a deal to building a successful partnership, encouraging open answers.
By proactively asking about potential deal-killers like budget or partner approval early in the sales process, you transform them from adversarial objections into collaborative obstacles. This disarms the buyer's defensiveness and makes them easier to solve together, preventing them from being used as excuses later.
When a senior stakeholder proposes a potentially disruptive idea, direct resistance ('pushing') is counterproductive and strengthens their resolve. Instead, 'pull' them into a collaborative exploration. Acknowledge the idea, discuss the underlying problem it solves, and then gently steer the conversation back to how it aligns with the agreed-upon North Star, defusing tension.
When you identify a deal blocker, don't confront them alone. First, approach your champion and ask for their perspective on the dissenter's hesitation and advice on the best way to engage them. This provides crucial internal political context and helps you formulate a more effective strategy before you ever speak to the blocker.
'Teaser' stakeholders value innovation and are vocally supportive of your solution, creating the illusion of a champion. However, they have a low bias for action and avoid risk, often due to a political or relationship-based position. To advance the deal, sellers must build consensus with other, more action-oriented individuals to support the Teaser.
The ideal champion, a 'Transformer,' has a high bias for action and innovation. However, this strength can become a liability. Their tendency to move fast can cause them to ignore crucial details and alienate other key stakeholders in a consensus-driven buying process, inadvertently killing the deal.
Don't just hand your champion a perfectly polished soundbite or business case. The act of creating it together鈥攇etting their feedback, edits, and "red lines"鈥攊s what builds their ownership and conviction. This process ensures they internalize the message and can confidently sell it on your behalf.
