Tailor Made

I was having trouble convincing Tom, a fellow manager, of the usefulness of my new idea until I mentioned that it could be used as a tool in the organization’s knowledge management efforts. This was something Tom could understand and it was enough to convince him that the new idea could be of value in our organization.

To convince people in an organization of the value they can gain from the new idea, tailor your message to the needs of the organization.

You are a Dedicated Champion(129) using Personal Touch(198) to show how your new idea can be personally useful.

Individuals can be intrigued by interesting ideas, but to have impact on an organization, the idea has to be more than just interesting.

An innovation is good not because it is cool or trendy, but because it is useful. The value a new idea can provide an organization is not always apparent because results do not appear overnight. Yet, when management and Early Adopters(138) consider a new idea, they want to see the benefits to the organization.

Decision makers are more willing and able to adopt innovations that offer clear advantages, do not drastically interfere with existing practices, and are easy to understand. They want to see how a new idea can fit into and improve what the organization already does. When it comes to new ideas, packaging matters. Even the best ideas will have no impact if they are not sold in a way that gets through people’s filters. A commonly heard piece of advice is “Don’t sell the technology, sell the business solution.”

Therefore:

Tailor your message about the innovation to the needs of the organization.

Study the processes and goals to identify a need or a problem that the innovation can solve. You must first help people realize that what they have now is not working in order to convince them that your idea is worth considering. Then, rather than presenting the general benefits of the new idea, explain the specific advantages it can offer. Use buzzwords and information from specific projects in the organization that people will relate to. Persuade them from their point of view. Focus on what people are trying to do and show how the innovation can create change for the better.

Frame your new idea in a way that speaks to the manager who will be funding the initiative. Listen carefully when you meet with him and then include his needs in your proposal. Describe the steps you can take to solve the problems he has discussed with you.

Don’t hype the innovation as a perfect solution because no matter how beneficial it may be, implementation is usually riddled with glitches.

Be clear about the motivations for the change. While these can appear obvious to you, this understanding may not be shared by everyone.

If there is an organization similar to yours that is having success with the innovation, use External Validation(148). Management likes to hear what other companies are doing, especially from the same business domain, a partner, or even a competitor.

Make no mistake about it, this is a sales job, and you will need to give a different sales pitch to different groups. But make certain that each pitch contains the same basic facts and philosophy.

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This pattern produces an understanding of how the innovation can help the organization. It helps to spark confidence in the decision makers that the innovation is not simply a good idea but rather is something to provide a way to improve its current practices.

It takes a special effort to use this pattern. Instead of using a canned presentation, you have to do some research. You must take the time to examine the needs of the organization so that you can match the new idea to these needs.

Sybil works for a large organization and sent us this advice: “Particularly in today’s market when everybody is tightening belts, the things that will sell to upper managers are those that can be executed fairly quickly and will lead to faster time to market, reduction of cost or a proven practice that leads quickly to higher quality. I frame any new idea as an outcome that speaks to the manager who will be funding the effort. I listen a lot the first couple of times I meet with him and then include the needs that I have heard in the proposal that I make. Then I describe the steps that we can take that will lead to solving the problems that have been articulated.”

Nationally syndicated business columnist Dale Dauten writes, “I remember reading that the one reason people say “no” to a salesperson is the fear of making a mistake. This changed the way I sold my ideas to the company. I realized that while I was going on about the wonderful things we might accomplish, executives were sitting there thinking only one thing: What can go wrong? I’ve learned to explain how we can minimize risk, especially the risk of management looking bad.”^[*]