Stage 8 of 8

Champion

"I Am Leading"

What's Happening

Champions are more than customers — they're partners in your mission. They lead communities, influence your strategy, contribute content, and help shape your future. The relationship is truly mutual.

• Speaking at your events and industry conferences
• Contributing content and thought leadership
• Advising on product direction and strategy
• Mentoring other customers

What You Should Do

✓ Create formal advisory/champion programs
✓ Give them early access to new developments
✓ Feature them prominently (with their consent)
✓ Involve them in strategic decisions
✗ Don't overburden them with requests
✗ Don't ignore their feedback

Signals That Indicate This Stage

Public speaking

Events, webinars, podcasts

Content creation

Guest posts, videos

Advisory role

Product council, beta tester

Community leadership

Mentoring, moderating

The Ongoing Relationship

Champion isn't an endpoint — it's an ongoing partnership. Champions may cycle through multiple engagement patterns over time: sometimes more active, sometimes maintaining. The key is mutual value creation.

Some Champions become partners, advisors, or even team members. The best B2B relationships blur the line between vendor and customer.