Re-engaging former champions at target accounts
Pipeline · Sales
Situation
A champion from your CRM who knew and valued your product just started at a new company that happens to be one of your target accounts. This is one of the strongest signals there is: trust already exists, only the context has changed.
Key contacts
- The champion themselves (new role, new company)
- Current decision-makers at the target account, if the champion isn't budget-holder
Approach
Reach out within the first two weeks after their start date, not later. In this phase, the champion is especially open to new tools and partners because they're building or reconsidering their own stack.
The tone should be personal, not a standard outbound message: reference the shared history, show genuine interest in the new role, no immediate pitch.
A sample structure for the first message: congratulate them on the new role, briefly reference the past collaboration, ask an open question about their current priorities, no link, no offer in the first message.
Common mistake
Selling too fast. The champion already knows your product, but not necessarily their new company's current needs. Pitching too early feels like cold outreach with prior knowledge, not a warm reconnection.