Meta is planning to layoff up to 20% of their company (20,000 workers).
NEWS TO KNOW
And they are winding down the metaverse.
Should they change their name back…
to FaceBook?
📚 – How Deel Does Discovery
BEST FROM LAST WEEK
📝 – Creating Clarity with Execs
💸 – 3 questioning techniques worth stealing
The “Champion Audit” That Can Change Your Quarter
You think you have a champion. They respond to your emails. They seem engaged on calls. They tell you they’re excited about what you’re selling.
But are they actually going to get this deal done?
Most reps confuse “someone who’s nice to me” with “someone who’s going to fight for me internally.”
And that confusion is what turns a commit deal into a slipped deal.
Here’s the 5-point champion audit. Be brutally honest with yourself.
1. The Text Message Test
Real question: Could you text this person right now about the deal?
Not “are you connected on LinkedIn” or “do you have their email.”
Can you literally send them a text message and expect a response?
If you’re not on a texting basis, you don’t yet have a super champion. You have a professional contact. Champions give you their cell and actually use it.
They text you updates too.
2. The On-Site Reality Check
Have you been to their office? And if you haven’t, are they open to the idea of it and want to help get you on-site to get in front of others?
This one’s huge. Champions want you in the building. They’re setting up lunch with their team. They’re walking you around. They’re making sure you meet people face-to-face because they know it builds momentum.
If you keep suggesting an on-site meeting and they’re lukewarm or “let me check on timing,” you’ve got a problem. Real champions are looking for reasons to get you in front of their people.
3. The Execution Test
What have they actually done between your last meeting and this one?
This is where the rubber meets the road. Champions don’t just talk about next steps, they complete them.
Did they send you that technical doc you needed? Did they loop in the IT person? Did they go ahead and get the mutual NDA signed by working with legal and their boss?
4. The Mobilizer Test
Are they actually introducing you to other stakeholders or are you having to ask repeatedly?
A real champion is your internal sales rep.
They’re saying things like “you need to meet Sarah in finance” and “let me get you 20 minutes with the VP next week.”
They’re opening doors without you begging for access.
If you’re constantly asking “who else should I be talking to?” and getting vague answers, that’s a red flag.
Champions know their deal needs political support, and they’re proactively building your coalition.
5. No Friction, No Deal
This one surprises people: Is your champion pushing back on you at all?
The best champions create productive friction. They challenge your pricing. They question your timeline. They poke holes in your implementation plan.
Why? Because they’re thinking like an owner. They’re stress-testing your solution before they take it to their boss.
If someone agrees with everything you say, they’re either not paying attention or they don’t have enough skin in the game to care.
Real champions are asking hard questions because they need real answers to sell internally.
Example of good friction: “Your timeline assumes we’ll have engineering resources available immediately, but I know our team is slammed. How do we adjust for that?” That’s someone who’s actually trying to make this work.
Your turn.
Pick your biggest deal right now and run through these five points.
If it’s making you uncomfortable, good.
That’s the point.
