False Champions in B2B Sales.
- Matthew Earle
- 4 days ago
- 4 min read
Updated: 10 hours ago
How to Spot a False B2B Sales Champion Before It’s Too Late
They love the product. They rave about it. They reply fast. And yet the deal dies quietly in their inbox.
You didn’t lose to a competitor. You lost to "hopium" - ably supported by your false champions.
Why? Because you believed your contact was a true buyer champion. When they said they had influence and power, you took them at their word. At best they were one of your B2B influencers, at worst they could derail your deal.
Read on to avoid one of the most common sales qualification mistakes.
In over 20 years of leading tech sales teams, I’ve seen this mistake cost sellers their month, managers their forecasts, and businesses their credibility. This article breaks down how to spot a false B2B sales champion, test their real influence, and protect your pipeline.
Let’s break down how to spot a false sales champion, and what to do to avoid one of the most common sales qualification mistakes.
What Is a Sales Champion?
A buyer champion is someone inside the buyer’s org who:
Believes in your solution
Understands the business pain
Has political capital
Will actively push your proposal forward
Not every fan is a champion. A true champion has teeth. They’re not just nice to you, they’re vital to the deal.
According to Gartner, in complex B2B purchases, an average of 6–10 stakeholders are involved. You need someone who can align and influence those people. That’s your champion.
Finding and validating your true buyer champion is difficult. It requires patience and courage.
See our sales qualification frameworks for how to qualify leads, champions and opportunities.
It is easy to mislead ourselves, that one of your B2B influencers is really your champion, but this false economy will kill your deal. Every opportunity needs a true buyer champion.
What Is a False Champion?
Influencers:
Offer opinions
Relay internal sentiment
“Keep you in the loop”
False champions:
Navigate internal blockers
Frame your value to decision-makers
Own the internal sell-in
If you’re hearing “I’ll pass this on” without ever speaking to a budget holder then you’re working with a false champion, not a real buyer champion.
➡️ Want to fix this at the source? Check out my PROBLEM qualification framework, it starts with the one thing most teams overlook: the proponent.
5 Red Flags That You're Backing the Wrong Person
These are real. I’ve seen them firsthand, and made the mistake myself:
They don’t know the full decision-making process.
If they’re guessing at how deals get done, they’re not the one doing them.
They talk in generalities: “The team’s looking at it.”
Translation: They don’t own the process, they’re just watching it.
They can’t articulate the ROI or urgency.
Your deal is a “nice-to-have,” not a priority.
They won’t give you access to senior stakeholders.
If they block power, its because they don't have any.
They disappear when the proposal hits.
The deal’s dead, but no one told you.
In 2017, I lost the same multi-million-pound deal twice to the same company. Why? I built everything around someone who liked me, but had no actual pull. That mistake took months to recover from.
Why False Champions Derail Deals
Slows your pipeline velocity
Wrecks forecasting confidence
Wastes time and resource
Damages internal credibility with your team and leadership
In my work with founders and tech sales teams, I’ve found this mistake can burn 3–6 weeks per deal. Across a team? That’s months of lost revenue.
➡️ Want to sharpen your entire discovery process? My free Introduction to Problem-Centred Selling course walks through how to qualify what really matters.
How to Find the Real Champion
Here’s how to test their influence before you invest more time. Ask these 5 questions:
“Who else is involved in this decision?”
“How do decisions like this usually get made?”
“What happens if nothing changes?”
“Who signs off the final budget?”
“What do you need to feel confident advocating for this internally?”
Even better, map these answers to my PROBLEM sales framework. It’s how my clients win with shorter cycles and better close rates.
Why the PROBLEM Framework Starts with Proponent
If you don’t have a real proponent, you don’t have a deal.
Too many sellers skip this. They get excited by friendly responses or great demos. But champions carry deals. They influence, push, and escalate internally.
In the PROBLEM framework, everything rests on this first letter. Miss it, and the rest doesn’t matter.
Our custom built qualification framework (PROBLEM) can help you determine whether you are dealing with an influencer or a champion.
The best discovery process means nothing if the person you’re working with doesn’t have real pull.
See our sales qualification frameworks for how to qualify leads, champions and opportunities.
Don’t Just Spot the Problem — Solve It
Want to fix how your team qualifies champions?
Book a free 15-min SOLVE Session to diagnose your sales blockers.
Or join our next live Sales Clinic for no-bs answers and real examples.
You don’t need more leads. You need to back the right people inside the deals you already have.
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