Chances are you need on a regular basis, to sell ideas. Time and again in my work as coach of innovation, I see that the ability to build buy-in for our ideas is a key determinant of success, both internally and externally.
How can you improve your skills in this vital arena? Here are six suggestions:
1 Understand that the idea of selling one's job. Far from being just the thought, or something, when the idea is ready for launch, can be thrown over the wall in the marketing and sales team to handle, successful innovators know that sales is a constant need and never-ending demand.
2 Focus on benefits rather than features. Will your new product or service the customer save time, improve their social standing, to solve the problem better than existing solutions? Any effective sales professional knows that concentrate on such benefits. Potential buyers do not care how your crumbs Gizmo works as a rocker switch has, etc., or anything else about its features, while they buy benefits.
3 Emphasize the role of persuasion. Constantly emphasize the need to win friends and influence people internally and externally. Work on communication skills and energizing, creative, briefings, descriptions, government reports, etc. The focus on crafting messages so that people pay attention. Make everyone on the idea that the evangelist.
4 Try out ideas on skeptical thinkers first. Your friends are likely to give you positive feedback you want to hear. But before you really decide to commit it all out at the idea, try it out at your toughest critic. I humbly invite them to be torn apart, to find weaknesses. Then, see how you feel. If you're still not convinced you've got something, go for it. If not, you probably do not have a fire in the belly to see it through fruition.
5 Speaks the language of people who are selling. Effective ideas evangelists to find out how they can about the thinking styles of those who are throwing. Are they analytical, quantitative? Then provide the numbers. Emotionally-driven? Come with anecdotes that convey your message. If the "big picture" oriented, do not bore them with details.
6 Help others to present their ideas. A picture is worth a thousand words. And more others can feel, taste and touch most of all to see your idea represents, the greater your chances of getting a green light. People do not like to admit that they do not understand, or that they were confused. But, as every champion knows, people are not buying what they do not understand.
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