The Champion Gap: Moving Engaged Customers From Believers to Decision-Makers

We've all seen it: the person who gets it, who's championing your solution, who can articulate exactly what needs to change and yet, nothing moves. They don't have the budget authority. They're not in the right meeting. The decision-makers haven't heard from them.

As their partner, you're watching potential get stuck in organizational gridlock. Here's how I think about unsticking it:

Map the real power structure, not the org chart. Who actually influences the decision? It's rarely the person with the fanciest title. Find the connector, the skeptic who everyone listens to, the one who controls resources. Your customer knows the gossip; ask them who actually moves things.

Give your customer ammunition, not just enthusiasm. They believe in this. Now arm them with what matters to the people above them: business case language, competitive intel, client ROI data, or risk of inaction. Make it easy for them to advocate upward by translating passion into their leadership's language.

Create a no-risk entry point for decision-makers. A pilot. A proof of concept. A conversation, not a commitment. When you lower the stakes, you lower the barriers. Your engaged customer becomes the internal champion; you provide the credibility and structure.

Bypass when you can. Bring in allies when you need to. Sometimes a peer conversation works better than a top-down ask. Can you connect your customer's peer or mentor to relevant stakeholders? Can you facilitate a conversation where the value becomes obvious without requiring immediate buy-in?

Acknowledge the constraint, then work around it. "I know you don't have budget approval, but here's what we can explore together" shows you're not naïve about their reality. You're resourceful within it. That builds trust and keeps momentum alive.

The gap between having a champion and having organizational change isn't usually about the idea. It's about structure, timing, and positioning. Your job as a partner isn't to replace their influence. It's to multiply it.

The best partnerships aren't with the people who have all the power. They're with the people who see the value and let you help them build the case.

How do you navigate this with your own engaged customers who are stuck?

Let's get out there and make it real!