Why does User, Buyer, and Champion matter?
In B2B they routinely diverge, and a deal stalls when a founder has convinced only one of them. The user cares whether it makes their day better; the buyer cares about cost and risk; the champion needs a case they can make to someone else without you in the room. Founders who sell to whoever agreed to the meeting frequently end up with an enthusiastic user and no budget.
What does User, Buyer, and Champion look like in practice?
The office manager uses the scheduling tool. The practice owner signs the cheque. Often the office manager is also the champion, but the argument she needs is not the one that excited her. She needs the version about revenue recovered, because that is what her boss responds to. Giving a champion the right ammunition is a distinct piece of work from making the user happy.
What are the common mistakes with User, Buyer, and Champion?
- Selling only to the user and being surprised the deal cannot close.
- Selling only to the buyer and shipping something nobody adopts.
- Leaving the champion to construct the internal case alone.
- Assuming the roles are always distinct, in a small company they are frequently one person, and treating that person to three pitches is its own mistake.
Related concepts
- Ideal Customer Profile (ICP)A description of the specific kind of customer your product serves best, precise enough that you can tell whether any given company or person qualifies.
- Segment vs. PersonaA segment is a group of organizations or people you can actually count and reach; a persona is a portrait of the individual inside that segment whose problem you are solving.
- Customer Advisory BoardA standing group of customers, convened on a regular cadence, who give structured feedback on roadmap and priorities in exchange for early visibility and influence over the product.