Selling Your Ideas: A Critical Executive Skill
In this article, we’re going to look at the art of selling ideas at work. The direct sales professionals among you will be all too familiar with the idea. But for those of you that don’t work in sales, I’m going to show you the connection between selling ideas and gaining influence. We’ll also cover why now it’s more challenging than ever to get your audience engaged and share some tips on how to sell an idea well.
How can you improve your skills in this vital arena? Here are six suggestions:
1. REALIZE THAT SELLING IDEAS IS JOB ONE
Far from being a mere after-thought, or something that, once the idea is ready for launch, can be thrown over the wall to the marketing and sales team to handle, successful innovators know that selling is a constant need and never-ending requirement.
2. FOCUS ON BENEFITS, NOT FEATURES
Will your new product or service save the customer time, improve his/her social standing, solve a problem better than existing solutions? Every effective sales professional knows to concentrate on such benefits. Prospective buyers don’t care a whit how your gizmo works, how many toggle switches it has, etc. or anything else about its features, until they buy the 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, boardroom reports, etc. Focus on crafting messages so that people pay attention. Make everyone on the team an idea evangelist.
4. SPEAK THE LANGUAGE OF THE PEOPLE YOU ARE SELLING TO
Effective idea evangelists find out as much as they can about the thinking styles of those they are pitching. Are they analytical, quantitative? Then provide numbers. Emotionally-driven? Come with anecdotes that convey your message. If “big picture” oriented, don’t bore them with details.
5. TRY OUT IDEAS ON SKEPTICAL THINKERS FIRST
Your friends are likely to give you the positive feedback you want to hear. But before you really decide to commit all out to an idea, try it out on your toughest critic. Humbly invite them to tear it apart, find the weaknesses. Then, see how you feel. If you’re still convinced you’ve got something, go for it. If not, you probably don’t have the fire in the belly to see it through to fruition.
6. HELP OTHERS VISUALIZE YOUR IDEA
A picture is worth a thousand words. And the more others can feel, taste touch and most of all see your idea represented, the greater your chances of getting a green light. People don’t like to admit that they don’t understand, or that you’ve confused them. But as every champion knows, people don’t buy what they don’t understand.
7. LET YOUR PASSION SHINE THROUGH
Call it religious fervour, antisemitic hatred, or pacifistic love, it’s all passion. When you’re selling your idea to others, you have to find the passion that’s connected with it and let it bring your communication to life. Whether it’s a passion for growing the business, helping others, or the idea itself, let it animate you.