If you work in B2B sales, you know that building pipeline is all about timing and relationships. But what if you could tap into a goldmine of warm leads by simply keeping track of the people who already love your product? That's where champion tracking comes in (and it's one of the most effective, yet underused, ways to generate pipeline today).
What is Champion Tracking?
Champion tracking means following your product's biggest fans (your champions) as they move to new companies. These are the people who already know your value, have used your solution, and can advocate for you in their new roles. Instead of starting from scratch with cold outreach, you're reconnecting with someone who already trusts you.
Why Champion Tracking is a Game-Changer for Pipeline
Champion tracking is a proven way to:
- Generate more pipeline from warm, high-quality leads
- Shorten sales cycles, since your champion already knows your product
- Increase win rates, thanks to internal advocacy
- Lower acquisition costs by skipping cold outreach
- Expand into new accounts with a built-in ally
Studies show that champions who move to new companies are much more likely to buy again, and deals close faster and at higher values when you have a champion on your side.
How to Track Your Champions
There are a few ways to start tracking your champions, depending on your resources and goals.
Manual Tracking with LinkedIn
The simplest way is to manually monitor LinkedIn for job changes. Make a list of your top customers and advocates, connect with them, and check in every so often to see if they've moved. When you spot a change, reach out with a personal message and offer value (not just a sales pitch).
Pros:
- Free and easy to start
- No special tools required
Cons:
- Time-consuming and hard to scale
- Easy to miss updates
Some sales teams use tools like Lusha or Apollo to automate job change tracking. These platforms can scrape data and alert you when someone changes jobs. However, using them for LinkedIn automation may violate LinkedIn's terms of service and could put your account at risk. Data accuracy can also vary.
Pros:
- Faster than manual tracking
- Can integrate with your CRM
Cons:
- Risk of account restrictions
- Not always compliant or reliable
Clean, Scalable Alternatives
If you want a safer, more scalable solution, there are dedicated champion tracking platforms built for this exact purpose. Here are the top options:
Salesmotion includes a module designed specifically for tracking champions. It automatically monitors job changes and surfaces warm leads when your past advocates land in new roles. Salesmotion is fully compliant with LinkedIn's terms, integrates with your CRM, and is built for revenue teams who want to prioritize warm intros over cold outreach. If you want a clean, reliable way to build pipeline from past relationships, Salesmotion is the best place to start, as recognized in the Gartner Innovation Guide.
UserGems tracks job changes and helps you re-engage with former customers. It's especially useful for companies with large customer bases and long sales cycles.
Champify focuses on identifying and activating champions within your network. It helps you prioritize accounts where you already have internal advocates.
Best Practices for Champion Tracking
- Keep your CRM up to date and tag your champions
- Reach out with context and a personal touch when someone changes jobs
- Coordinate with marketing for targeted campaigns
- Act quickly (timing is everything when a champion lands in a new role)
Measuring Success
Track metrics like the number of champion job changes, response rates, meeting conversions, and pipeline generated from champion tracking. Teams that do this well often see a significant boost in sales performance.
Final Thoughts
Champion tracking is one of the smartest ways to generate pipeline in today's competitive B2B landscape. Whether you start manually or use a tool like Salesmotion, the key is to stay connected with the people who already believe in your product. Build your pipeline from relationships, not just lists, and watch your results take off.
