There are many times that you need to be able to sell an idea at work. Now I am not talking about being a salesperson per se. But you do need to be able to speak up and present your idea in a way that is acceptable in your business environment. This might mean stepping outside your comfort zone.
A personal mentor once told me that the smartest people are not always the most successful. Success in business comes down to the ability to sell your ideas that solve someone’s problem. I have never liked the idea of selling. Personally I have struggled with this thinking as I have had visions of the fast talking, oddly dressed, pressured tactics, and stereotyped sales person dancing in my head. That is not me. I suspect it is not you, either.
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I think what you need to learn is an approach to putting your idea across that business people and the leaders will listen to you. Here are 6 approaches for selling your idea at work.
Listen with Interest: I recall from my training in active listening our minds think faster than we can talk or listen. Active listening is a skill that we can develop where we focus our attention on the ideas and thoughts of others and then respond appropriately. I was reading somewhere that a great rule to follow is to listen 70 percent of the time and talk 30 percent of the time. I even wrote that one on a post-it note on my wall. Listening forces us to hear what the other person is saying and gives us a chance to respond appropriately.
Use a Problem Statement: This is a great way to open. Simply state, I understand the challenge or problem to be and then state the problem. As part of your response consider using the three solution option approach (do nothing, do something or do something else) in your response. I have learned through working with people and their business that most final approaches become a combination of the solutions, a hybrid if you wish.
Use a Reference: I see this tactic used a lot in talking to various experts. While suggesting solutions you could use an industry publication, a study or benchmark materials. The sources could come from internal or external materials even your own business intelligence systems. Recently while interviewing a subject matter expert in the design field they referenced the generational data as a source for building design changes. Industry data is everywhere.
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Communication Media: This is one I struggle with and I suspect other people do also. You see I come from a mixed communication generation where face to face, telephone, email, texting and instant messaging all evolved. I love my email and texting as it can be fast and to the point. When selling an idea it is far better to use your voice through a fact to face meeting or by phone rather than through email or texting.
Know the Path: Part of selling an idea is being clear on the implementation path or (what I like to call) the roadmap. If you are going to make a recommendation, then have a preliminary breakdown of the steps to implement the solution. This does not mean you have to have it all worked right away. Sometimes all you need is just enough information so key stakeholders can see the investment needed to make it happen.
“Today is your day, your mountain is waiting… SO get on your way!” ~Dr Seuss Share on X
Ask for What You Need: One of the skills taught in sales training is to be clear and ask for what you need; time, money, resources or the go ahead. You can learn to ask for what you need by creating and practicing some key phrases. One of my favorite goes like this. I appreciate having the opportunity to discuss X issue with you. I think, based on our discussion, solution X seems to be the best choice at this point in time. May I have your approval to proceed? Then don’t say anything. Let the other person respond first. They will provide objections, say yes, no, or tell you they need to think about it. Then all you need to do is address their response.
Final Thought: Pitching an idea at work can be very difficult and most people are not natural idea presenters or sales people. They had to learn a set of skills throughout their career through training, practice and mentorship. It is important to step out to talk to people, hear their challenges, provide solutions to their challenges and then help implement those solutions. It takes time to build that set of skills.
This is something that I also work on every day. Maybe you do to.
Do your best,
invest in the success of others,
make your journey count.
Richard
