Also called: champion coach economic buyer · coach vs champion vs economic buyer
Three buying-committee roles that get confused constantly: the champion sells for you internally, the coach shares information without the power to act on it, and the economic buyer holds the veto that ends or approves the deal.
Three names, three jobs, and most deals lose because someone assumed one person could hold all three. They can't, usually.
The economic buyer sits above the other two entirely. MEDDICC calls it the person with the power to say yes when others say no, and no when others say yes. That's a budget-and-veto role, not a relationship role. A champion and a coach both work inside the account to help you reach that person; neither of them is that person, even when they act like it.
Ask what each one risks. A champion has a vested interest, per MEDDICC's own definition: their own success is tied to your deal closing, so they sell for you when you're not in the room. A coach shares information and makes introductions but carries none of that personal stake, which is why a coach's enthusiasm on a call rarely survives contact with a budget freeze. Confuse a coach for a champion and you'll think you have internal advocacy you don't actually have.
MEDDICC, "Champion," https://meddicc.com/what-is-meddpicc/champion. MEDDICC, "Economic Buyer," https://meddicc.com/what-is-meddpicc/economic-buyer. Force Management, "Coaches VS. Champions: Know the Difference," https://www.forcemanagement.com/seller-blog/coaches-vs-champions-know-the-difference.
The fastest way to check the map on a real deal: ask your contact directly what happens if budget gets cut next quarter. A champion has an answer, because it's their problem too. A coach usually doesn't, because it was never their problem to begin with.
Teams draw the buying committee as a flat list of names and titles instead of a set of roles with different incentives attached. A VP title doesn't make someone the economic buyer, and a friendly champion doesn't make someone powerful inside the account. Map the incentive, not the org chart position.
Tell us how your motion runs today. We'll show you what we'd engineer.
Contact us