How to Coach Your Champion

Using an executive summary is the most effective way to align with your champion and support them in their evaluation.

But the document isn't effective by itself.

The work that goes into preparing the document with your champion is how you really influence the buying process.

Last week, I shared how we used "one document to close over $30M in revenue" at Levelset. You can see the post here.

Forgive the clickbait intro, the post went viral with 140,000 views and over a thousand comments with people asking: "Can you send me the template?"

I'll be honest, the template is just fine. It has all the necessary sections you need for a good executive summary. But the real message is that you need to build a habit of aligning with your champion, and the executive summary is the best way to do this.

It doesn't even need to be a document. It can be a summary in an email (although enterprise deals require something a little more tactile). The content of the message is what matters.

The Document Doesn't Close Deals

When I tell sales leaders about the executive summary, they think I'm talking about a proposal. I'm not.

A proposal is formal. It's polished. It's something you send over the wall and hope lands well.

An executive summary is a working document. It's a black and white record of why this partnership exists. And it only works if you build it with your champion.

Most deals close in meetings where you're not in the room.

Your champion is representing your company in conversations with their CFO, their operations team, their CEO. They're answering questions. They're defending the decision. They're making the case for change.

If you haven't coached them on how to do that, you are going to have a real hard time getting the champion to overcome all the internal objections they will get throughout the evaluation.

Your Champion Probably Doesn't Know How to Buy

Here's the other thing: your customer doesn't buy software very often. Even if they do, they're probably not good at it.

They don't have a procurement process for what you're selling. This is a new initiative. They're figuring it out as they go.

Think about what's going through their head:

What do we really need? Will this product actually do what they say? How do I get other people on board? Who do I need to ask for budget approval? How long will this take to implement? Am I going to look smart by leading this initiative?

All of these questions are painful. And that pain leads them right back to "business as usual."

It's so much easier to just keep doing what you have always done.

Your job is to make the path forward so clear that choosing you becomes the obvious choice.

That's where the executive summary comes in.

How to Co-Author the Executive Summary

The best executive summaries are written with your champion. They contribute to every section.

Get them on a video call. Tell them you want to create a partnership overview together. Make it collaborative and share your screen as you fill it out together.

Here's what you're documenting:

Overview of the partnership: What are we trying to accomplish?

Key stakeholders: Who's involved on both sides?

Current challenges: What's the status quo and why is it a problem? Highlight the negative outcomes that they are experiencing.

Desired outcomes: What does success look like? Illustrate what life will look like for them and for their business when they have solved these problems.

Why your company – What makes you the right partner?

Commercial terms – What's the financial investment?

Expected ROI – When will they see results? How will the impact the business? Use numbers.

As you walk through each section, use their words.

For example, ask them: "How would you describe this problem to your CFO?" Then write down exactly what they say.

This does two things:

First, it gives your champion the language they need to sell internally. They've already practiced articulating the business case with you.

Second, it reveals whether they're actually serious about this.

If your champion won't spend 30 minutes co-authoring this document with you, they're either not serious about evaluating your solution or they don't have enough influence to make an impact.

Either way, you just saved yourself weeks of wasted effort.

Revisit the Document Every Week

Once you create the executive summary, don't let it sit in an email thread collecting dust.

Bring it up in every interaction. Refine it. Update it. Make it better.

Every time you revisit that document with your champion, you're doing three things:

1. You're directing the rational mind by showing clear reasons why this partnership makes sense.
2. You're motivating the emotional mind by making your champion look prepared and professional.
3. You're shaping the path by laying out exactly what happens next.

This is how you align your resources with the prospect's intention to move forward.

And this is how you make change feel inevitable instead of overwhelming.

Next Steps

If you're not using an executive summary in your sales process, start today. You can use mine right here.

But remember: the document is only as good as the coaching you provide your champion.

Get them on the phone. Build it together. Use their words. Make them look good.

You will win a lot more business when you are good at coaching your champion.

‍