Test your champion early: ask them to make an introduction or share internal context. True champions act on your behalf; friendly contacts just take your calls.
Look for: identifying people who have the problem, the influence, and the motivation to advocate internally. Strong candidates test champions (will they introduce you to others? Share internal information? Present your solution internally?). Best answers discuss what to do when your champion is not the decision-maker and how to equip them to sell internally.
Critical enterprise sales skill. Without a champion, deals stall. Candidates who can identify, test, and enable champions consistently win more and forecast more accurately.