Finding a champion

If lower-level employees in an organization are blocking your access to decision-makers, find someone else. However, lower-level employees who are excited about your services can help put you through to the top decision-makers.

In a Harvard Business Review article titled, "To Close a Deal, Find a Champion," Paul Weinstein states, "Although champions are not the ultimate decision-makers, and they rarely have substantial power within their organization, they have four things that make them irreplaceable in developing and closing the deal: credibility, connections, company intelligence and motivation."