We reached out to successful marketers to contribute to our newest collaborative article titled ‘3 Ways to Achieve Board Buy-In.’ The responses we received were brilliant and very insightful. Achieving board buy-in is difficult, and through this collaborative article, we aim to create a space where other professionals can learn from success stories and use proven strategies that work. See our best entries here:
Paul Zanelli
- Listen To Your Instincts: While data driven decisions are crucial, never underestimate the power of your intuition. If you can, don’t be afraid to share examples of successful campaigns or ventures where gut feelings played a pivotal role for you. Remember to balance your instincts with expertise (especially of others that you trust/respect), and remain open to adjusting your approach based on feedback. Sometimes, the best solutions emerge from a blend of both data and gut feelings.
- Practice Frequent Communication: Beyond those routine progress updates or reports, remember to delve into the “why” behind your chosen initiative. Sharing compelling stories, data insights, and competitor analysis helps add more context. Listen to any board member’s concerns and address them, encouraging a diaglouge that means everyone stays informed and engaged.
- Build A Strong Foundation: Trust is extremely important if you want buy-in from the board. Establish transparency by openly sharing information and acknowledging different viewpoints. Understand individual board member’s priorities and concerns and tailor your presentation to directly address these. A strong foundation built on trust sets the stage for collaborative decision-making.
- Do the Groundwork Before Board Meetings: Prior to entering a board meeting, engage in preliminary conversations. Understand that many agenda items are already familiar to board members. By doing your homework and building relationships beforehand, you increase the likelihood of being heard and gaining buy-in from key stakeholders.
- Gain Ideas From Your Team: Don’t forget to collaborate with your team to create your pitch beforehand. Utilising and recognising your team member’s contributions helps reinforce a collaborative culture that fosters buy-in.
- Start with a Strong Hook: While this doesn’t always come naturally, try to begin your presentation with a compelling opening emphasising what you want to achieve, why it is important and what the outcome will deliver. Capture their attention from the outset, setting the stage for more insights that will follow.
Erwin Wils
Founder of PowerMindCoach
John JB Russell
SEO & SEM Expert
Use data to drive your decision making.
Set out the business issue and why it’s a challenge and how by fixing it, you’ll drive revenue and or profit and or reduce cost.
Use data to back your case and articular the situation your business is in.
Then use the same data to articulate how big the opportunity is and how you’ll be able to put activity in place to drive growth.
Come up with a plan.
Be ambitious in your goals, but realistic with your timelines and resources available to you.
Demonstrate success with a small sample that is low risk/high reward, then roll out at scale and drive success.
In conclusion, our collaborative article, “3 Ways to Achieve Board Buy-In,” has brought to light valuable insights from successful marketers. From Paul Zanelli’s emphasis on balancing data-driven decisions with intuition to Erwin Wils’ focus on tuning into the client’s perspective with the “WIIFM” approach, and John JB Russell’s strategic use of data to drive decision-making, these contributors have provided a wealth of practical advice.
Achieving board buy-in is indeed a multifaceted challenge, and the strategies shared underscore the importance of transparent communication, trust-building, and groundwork before board meetings. The contributors stress the significance of understanding and addressing board members’ concerns, collaborating with the team, and starting presentations with a strong hook to capture attention.
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