Selling BIG Marketing Ideas Internally?

Written by Kerry O'Malley Wednesday, 30 September 2009 19:20

Slow and Steady Does It!

Before I founded Marketects, I worked for large corporations.  I was directing the marketing communications activities, but sometimes had to sell my more creative (i.e.: expensive, risky, untested) ideas to upper management.  Over the years, I learned a few things about how to do that!  I've also read the results of research studies on "organizational change" that supports what I experienced first-hand.

Big marketing initiatives represent a financial commitment, as well as change (which no human likes.)  If you want to get buy-in for YOUR next big marketing idea, try softening the pitch.  In other words, make it sound smaller and not quite so radical or revolutionary to your organization.  Here are some tips for making things happen.

1)    Warm up your listeners (audience) by building up to the "real" idea.

2)    Tailor your presentation to suit your organization's culture.

3)    Tone down radical ideas - do some research and give instances where other companies have used the idea and been successful.

4)    Be patient!  Sometimes you may have to wait months between first raising the possibility of an idea, and actually getting a green light to implement.

5)    Timing is everything.  Take advantage of naturally occurring problems or issues that support the need for change.

6)    Make your proposal bigger than marketing.  Emphasize the bottom-line aspects of your idea or bundle" issues by linking your idea to other corporate objectives.

7)    Divide the BIG idea into incremental initiatives.  Continuous proposals help people adjust to new ways of doing things, and make radical ideas more palatable.

8)    Involve and enlist support of senior execs early.  If you use an outside consultant or agency for marketing communications support, bring them in when you make the proposal.  They provide a less political and more objective view, and can usually offer first-hand examples of companies who have had success with the idea.