I recently had an enlightening conversation with Mark Goldberger, Head of Enterprise at Ramp. His insights on the importance of testing your champion early in the sales process resonated deeply with our approach to enterprise sales.
The cost of delay
How often have you found yourself six months into a sales cycle, only to realise your champion isn’t as influential as you thought? Mark posed a crucial question: “Do you want to be talking about this six months from now when you’ve wasted countless hours? Or do you want to do the hard thing up front and test that champion?”
The two outcomes of testing
When you test your champion early, two scenarios can unfold:
- You haven’t earned the right: Your champion has the influence, but you haven’t demonstrated enough value yet.
- They lack influence: Your supposed champion doesn’t have the power to move the deal forward.
Both scenarios are far better to discover early than six months down the line.
Eat the frog
Mark shared a powerful expression: “If you have to eat the frog, eat it first thing in the morning. And if you have to eat two frogs, eat the biggest one first.” This approach to tackling the most challenging tasks first applies perfectly to testing your champion.
By doing so, you demonstrate:
- Your fearlessness
- Your respect for time - both yours and your prospect’s
In our discussion, we touched on a crucial aspect of enterprise sales that many reps overlook. While top-of-funnel opportunities may seem precious, not every conversation is a true opportunity. It’s essential to qualify properly and distinguish between a mere conversation and an actual project.
Moreover, enterprise sales often involve far more stakeholders than initially anticipated. Mark shared that in his current enterprise deal, they’re dealing with 35 different stakeholders - a number that far exceeded his initial estimate of 10 to 15.
Embracing the challenge
At trumpet, we understand the complexities of enterprise sales. Our tools are designed to help you navigate these multi-stakeholder environments efficiently. By testing your champion early and utilising the right tools, you can save time, demonstrate value, and close deals more effectively.
Remember, in enterprise sales, there’s rarely a single route in. Be prepared to engage multiple stakeholders, and don’t be afraid to test your champion early. It might feel uncomfortable, but it’s a small price to pay for avoiding wasted months down the line.
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