# Champion Strength Rubric

> Score how strong - and how vulnerable - your internal champion really is before you bet a renewal or expansion on their word alone.

Free scorecard/rubric for sales managers. Topic: [Account Management, Retention & Expansion](https://www.peerlab.ai/library/topic/account-management-retention-expansion/). Published by PeerLab in the [Sales Enablement Resource Library](https://www.peerlab.ai/library/). Source: https://www.peerlab.ai/library/champion-strength-rubric/

## How to use it

Score your champion against all 8 criteria before every renewal or expansion push, total the weighted score, and use the risk tier to decide whether you can proceed on their word alone or need to multi-thread first.

## What's inside

- 8 scoring criteria: seniority/title, budget authority, internal credibility, track record of selling internally, engagement level, tenure/flight-risk signal, multi-threading breadth, history of following through
- 1-5 scoring scale per criterion with anchor descriptions
- Weighted total calculation
- Three risk tiers: Strong Champion, Fragile Champion, False Champion
- Action guidance for each risk tier
- Re-score cadence recommendation

Score your champion on each criterion, 1-5, using the anchors below. Multiply by the weight, sum for a total out of 100. Re-score every champion at least once per quarter and immediately before any renewal or expansion motion that depends on them.

| # | Criterion | Weight | 1 (weak) | 3 (moderate) | 5 (strong) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Seniority / title | x3 | Individual contributor, no budget influence | Manager, informal influence | Director+ or owns the budget line |
| 2 | Budget authority | x3 | Has none, must ask up | Influences but doesn't sign | Signs or directly controls the renewal budget |
| 3 | Internal credibility | x2 | New to the org, unproven | Respected in their function | Visibly trusted cross-functionally, quoted by others |
| 4 | Track record of selling internally | x3 | Has never advocated for a tool before | Has pushed one small initiative through | Has a documented history of getting tools/budget approved |
| 5 | Engagement level | x2 | Rarely responds, misses calls | Responds within days, attends most calls | Proactively reaches out, attends every touchpoint |
| 6 | Tenure / flight-risk signal | x2 | Actively job-hunting or recently passed over for promotion | Stable, no signals either way | Recently promoted, publicly growing in the org |
| 7 | Multi-threading breadth | x2 | Is your only contact | Has introduced 1 other stakeholder | Has proactively introduced 2+ stakeholders including a senior sponsor |
| 8 | Follow-through history | x3 | Has made promises and not delivered before | Delivers most of the time, some slippage | Reliably delivers on internal commitments |

**Scoring:** for each row, multiply the 1-5 score by the weight. Sum all 8 weighted scores. Max possible = 100.

## Risk Tiers

**70-100: Strong Champion**
They have both the will and the organizational power to carry the renewal/expansion. Action: keep them informed and equipped, but you can operate at normal cadence.

**40-69: Fragile Champion**
They want to help but lack either the authority, credibility, or organizational stability to guarantee the outcome alone. Action: multi-thread immediately - identify and engage at least one additional stakeholder (see the Multi-Threading Enterprise Accounts Guide) before the renewal date, and get your champion to make an introduction rather than doing it around them.

**Below 40: False Champion**
This person calls themselves an advocate but cannot move the deal - low authority, low credibility, or both. Action: treat every commitment from this person as unverified until confirmed independently; go find the real decision-maker directly, using this person as an information source rather than your path to close.

## Re-Score Cadence

- Every quarterly business review
- Immediately before opening any renewal conversation
- The moment you hear any tenure/flight-risk signal (LinkedIn update, org chart change, unusual silence)