Building a Team of Internal Champions: A Blueprint for Enterprise Software Sales Executives
Strategies for fostering collaboration and advocacy within large enterprise customers.
This is a subject worth more than one discussion. At the end of the day, it is of the utmost importance to have the proverbial 800lb gorilla in your corner at any customer. At large enterprise customers, an Enterprise Software Sales Exec may be looking at a number of potential 800lb Champions. In the competitive and intricate world of enterprise software sales, the ability to cultivate internal champions within a customer organization can mean the difference between winning and losing a key account. Internal champions are influential stakeholders who advocate for your solution within their organization, helping you navigate the complex dynamics of large enterprises. For an Enterprise Software Sales Executive, building this team of champions requires a strategic approach combining relationship-building, cross-functional engagement, and consistent messaging.
Internal champions act as bridges between you, the vendor, and the various stakeholders within the enterprise customer. They understand their company's needs, have a vested interest in seeing your solution succeed, and wield enough influence to sway opinions and decisions. A team of internal champions ensures that your solution is not only adopted but also fully integrated into the customer's operations, driving long-term value for both parties. However, rallying internal champions in a large enterprise is no small feat. Complex hierarchies, diverse priorities, and multiple decision-makers make it essential for sales executives to develop a targeted strategy.
EMBED ENGINEERING STAFF
A hands-on approach to customer engagement involves embedding engineering staff within the customer’s operation. These technical experts can serve as critical champions by demonstrating the value of your solution in real time. Put your own people behind enemy lines. Here’s how this can be achieved:
Assign engineering resources to work directly with the customer’s technical teams fosters trust and collaboration. These engineers can troubleshoot problems, customize solutions, and ensure smooth implementation. Their presence demonstrates your company’s commitment to the customer’s success, which builds goodwill and positions them as credible advocates for your product.
Embedding engineers can also involve training the customer’s staff to maximize the value of your software. This creates a ripple effect as these trained individuals become internal champions by influencing their colleagues and ensuring the successful adoption of your solution.
Engineering staff often act as translators between technical and non-technical stakeholders within the customer organization. By providing clarity and aligning your product’s capabilities with the customer’s needs, they help build confidence in your solution across departments.
As a Sales Exec, not only will you maintain an instant pulse on the customer, you’ll be able to drive conversations and box out your competitors.
GET EXECUTIVE BUY-IN
Executive buy-in is crucial to the success of any enterprise software implementation. By connecting executives from your organization with their counterparts in the customer’s organization, you can elevate your solution’s visibility and credibility. Here’s how:
Create opportunities for your company’s executives to share insights and experiences with the customer’s leadership. This could be through exclusive events, workshops, or one-on-one meetings. Peer-to-peer engagement establishes mutual respect and a shared vision for success, encouraging the customer’s executives to champion your solution.
Executives are more likely to advocate for solutions that align with their strategic goals. By understanding their key priorities—whether it’s digital transformation, cost optimization, or market expansion—you can position your product as a crucial enabler of those objectives.
Once your executives have built a strong rapport with the customer’s leadership, they can act as advocates within the customer’s organization, influencing other stakeholders and removing barriers to adoption.
INVOLVE THE PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT TEAM
Product development teams play a pivotal role in the success of your solution within the customer’s environment. By involving them in your process, you can create champions who see your software as integral to their own success.
Inviting the customer’s product development teams to collaborate on custom features or integrations fosters a sense of ownership and partnership. They become champions because they’ve had a direct hand in shaping a solution that meets their needs.
Engaging with product development teams gives you access to ground-level insights about the customer’s challenges and requirements. By incorporating their feedback into your product roadmap, you demonstrate responsiveness and adaptability, which strengthens their advocacy.
Highlighting successful outcomes from the collaboration between your team and the customer’s product development team can motivate other stakeholders to support your solution. Success breeds advocacy, and these teams can become powerful proponents of your product.
MAINTAIN CONSISTENT AND CLEAR MESSAGING
In large enterprises, consistent and clear messaging is vital to building and maintaining support for your solution. Controlling the narrative ensures that your value proposition resonates with all stakeholders.
Develop messaging that highlights the specific benefits of your software for various departments within the customer organization. Whether it’s cost savings for finance, efficiency gains for operations, or innovation for IT, tailor your narrative to address their unique priorities.
Provide your internal champions with the materials and talking points they need to advocate effectively for your solution. This could include case studies, ROI analyses, or presentations they can share within their teams.
Utilize the customer’s internal communication platforms—such as newsletters, town halls, or intranet articles—to share updates, success stories, and testimonials about your solution. This keeps your software top of mind and reinforces its value across the organization.
ENSURE LONG-TERM SUCCESS
Building a team of internal champions is an ongoing process that requires regular evaluation and adaptation. To ensure long-term success, consider these steps:
Identify key metrics to measure the effectiveness of your champions, such as the number of referrals they generate, the depth of their engagement, or the influence they wield in decision-making.
Maintain open lines of communication with your champions to understand their needs, address their concerns, and reinforce their commitment to your solution.
Be prepared to adapt your strategies based on feedback and changing dynamics within the customer organization. Flexibility is key to sustaining advocacy over time.
For Enterprise Software Sales Executives, building a team of internal champions within a large enterprise customer is not just a strategy—it’s a necessity. By embedding engineering staff, facilitating executive connections, collaborating with product development teams, and controlling messaging, you can create a network of advocates who drive your solution’s adoption and success. This approach not only strengthens your relationship with your customer but also ensures that your software delivers lasting value, paving the way for long-term partnership and revenue growth. Internal champions are the true unsung heroes of enterprise sales. By investing time and effort in cultivating these advocates, you set the stage for mutual success and a thriving partnership that benefits everyone involved.
Disclaimer: The information provided in this newsletter is for informational purposes only and is provided as a commonsense approach based on real life experiences. Any actions you take based on the information in this newsletter are your responsibility.