Champion – questions to ask your prospect

Champion section: Prospect qualifying questions

Champion questions to ask the prospect at grey moving to yellow

Status Grey – No champion and no potential champions identified.

Guiding Light Principle:  Indentify – You may have “friends” within the account but you have no indication yet if these “friends” have any influence, or access to the EB, or a personal win tied to your solution.

  • Describe to me how solving the pain issues we jointly uncovered would help: the company, the key stakeholders, the executive team, and you?
  • Who would be the key stakeholders to help drive this initiative forward?
  • Have you sold something like this internally before? How did that manifest itself?
  • Have you ever had to change an executive management decision before? How were you able to do that?

Champion questions to ask the prospect at yellow moving to green

Status Yellow – Identified potential champion, but haven’t confirmed personal win and or tested as champion.

Guiding Light Principal – Develop and test – A potential champion has emerged from the pack as a “Change Agent” who will tell you the truth and share important information. You are aware that this potential champion NEEDS your solution and you’re aware of his personal Win. This potential champion has access to the EB or has a clear plan to gain access.

  • Will you share the Decision criteria template you and I worked on to the stakeholders? When can I get a copy back that has their weighted input?
  • See Eb at yellow questions – Most important – getting a meeting with the EB
  • Our executive sales leader is in town next week, can you get us a meeting with your executive management?
  • Do you have an internal ROI document that we can use to build the business case? If so, can I have a copy?
  • Can you map out with me all the events and the timeline for you to make an informed decision?
  • Who is the champion of status quo or doing nothing?
  • Will you attend our next customer case study seminar?

Champion questions to ask the prospect at green.

Status Green –   One or more champions validated w/ personal wins tied to us winning – Note: For C=green, EB must be yellow or at green.

Guiding Light Principle: Actively selling for you – The individual or individuals have emerged and you have seen tangible evidence of their support such as:  Sponsoring meetings with the EB, Modifying decision criteria, Adding or removing events in the decision process & / or Assisting in the development, authoring & distribution of Metrics, Success Stories or ROIs.

  • Why should you do anything?
  • Why should you do it now?
  • Why should you do it with us?
  • Who cares if this initiative fails?
  • What is your personal win?
  • What will you say if the Eb says no?