You have a brilliant idea that could solve a problem, create value, or improve something. But not everyone is as excited as you are. You face skepticism, resistance, or even rejection from potential customers, investors, or stakeholders. How do you persuade them to see the potential of your innovation and support it? Here are some tips to help you sell your innovative ideas to skeptics.
The first step is to empathize with your audience and understand their needs, goals, fears, and expectations. What are they looking for? What are they worried about? What are they skeptical of? How do they make decisions? By putting yourself in their shoes, you can tailor your message to address their concerns and show them how your idea can benefit them.
There are those skeptics who like to discuss and the skeptics who just are skeptical criticising the idea without revealing their identity. This is how we separate the intelligent from the stupid. While the first are rare the other come in abundance. So most of the time don't waste your time on the skeptical - spend it on the curious.
I remember one episode wherein I had to sell a communication idea to my higher management. It was a path breaking idea but full of ifs and buts. My manager and myself sat together in the evening before the meeting the next day. I suggested that instead of going directly to the management team and tell them what we have in store let us convert the meeting into a workshop and have the entire team contribute as to how to take the business forward. The next day during the meeting we did exactly that as our first move to take their opinion and perspective. This first step helped us engage the team and make them feel as a partner in the process rather than mere opinion makers on what we had to present in terms of the communication strategy.
The second step is to communicate your idea in a clear and concise way that captures attention and interest. Use simple and familiar language, avoid jargon and technical details, and use stories, analogies, and examples to illustrate your points. Focus on the problem you are solving, the value you are creating, and the impact you are making. Avoid overpromising or exaggerating your claims, and be prepared to back them up with evidence and data.
After step one of taking the management team as partners, we analysed each and every point made by the different departments in the team. After that we presented the challenge that we had in terms of the category becoming a mature segment with very little prospects of growth. The option was to either fight within the category and gain more market share or follow a blue ocean strategy of expanding the category itself. The entire team agreed that we have to expand the category by reaching out to more customers and for expanding the indication so that we could include more patients who should be administered the full therapy which included our product as well.
When you are selling innovative ideas to skeptics it is important to determine the buyer. Let’s say it’s the CEO. He/She is tightly focused on top line sales & bottom-line revenue. In your pre-sales meeting, you determine you want to use these persuasion techniques: Free Money, FOMO, testimonials, and proof of concept. Determined by the firm's pain points. The project's promotional aspect can yield $100,000 in unearned publicity, achieved via a compelling story, media outreach, community engagement, & content marketing. Also, highlight competitors' success and FOMO. Emphasize cost savings and added revenue. Utilize testimonials & provide a proof of concept (when needed) , facilitating understanding and market positioning.
The third step is to show, not tell, how your idea works and what it can do. Use demonstrations, prototypes, or simulations to make your idea tangible and visible. Invite feedback, questions, and suggestions from your audience, and let them experience your idea firsthand. This can help you build trust, credibility, and engagement, as well as identify potential flaws or improvements.
PRETOTYPE AND IMPROVE LIKE TESLA Tesla used a Lotus Elise to interest potential buyers for their first car. In 2003, the founders of Tesla had an ambitious idea (an all-electric 2-door sports car). In order to convince potential buyers to order its car, Tesla created a pretotype of what the car would look like. Lotus supplied Tesla with a ‘glider’ Elise - which was filled with models of key components. This was not a prototype, because the vehicle didn’t function. Tesla was able to show buyers a close proxy for the final design. Tesla asked “Will you put down a $5,000 deposit to have it built to order?” From this test Tesla secured several hundred deposits, a non-trivial result to reassure their Investors.
Step 3 : My manager and myself then presented a series of interviews of physicians where we had placed certain scientific facts to them and asked for their opinion. As a matter of fact the physicians approved our data and there was an overwhelming agreement that more patients should be administered our product. This step of ours helped gain the confidence of the management team that what we are communicating was scientifically correct and would save more lives.
The fourth step is to anticipate and address the possible objections or challenges that your audience might raise. Think of the worst-case scenarios, the risks, the costs, and the alternatives that they might consider. Prepare clear and convincing responses that acknowledge their concerns, but also highlight the benefits and advantages of your idea. Use facts, logic, and emotion to appeal to their rational and emotional sides.
The moment we involve, engage and make people feel belonged to the idea and the process by which it was generated they become more forthcoming and supportive. If teams feel that they are a part of the decision making, more so when the ideas are out of the box and never thought before they feel confident and have a sense of pride and belongingness.
The fifth step is to involve your audience in the development and implementation of your idea. Seek their input, feedback, and support throughout the process, and show them how they can contribute to or benefit from your idea. Make them feel part of the solution, not part of the problem. Show them that you value their opinions, perspectives, and expertise, and that you are open to learning and improving.
We all have to remember that no strategy ever succeeded just because one individual brought it forwarded. We need to collaborate and co-create to not only set the ball rolling but that too in the right direction. Being social and making people contribute goes a long way in making an innovative idea successful.
The sixth step is to follow up and follow through on your idea. Keep your audience updated on your progress, achievements, and challenges. Show them that you are committed, reliable, and accountable. Celebrate your successes, acknowledge your failures, and share your learnings. Thank them for their support, recognition, and collaboration, and invite them to continue the journey with you.
Here's a short story highlighting the importance of follow-up and an honest feedback culture in pitching a new idea: Expanding into new markets was tough. We adapted a failed strategy from one EU market for success in the US. It was a challenging pitch, but we kept the board informed, sharing progress and setbacks. Slowly, they started believing in our plan. What really mattered was the follow-up. Consistent updates and addressing failures made our strategy work. Continuous communication and adaptation paid off, getting a first foothold in a giant new market. Our honest feedback culture played a vital role, enabling transparent discussions on what was working and what was not, allowing us to refine and improve our approach.
End well. Most people pitching a new idea spend so much time working on the middle that they forget that the ending is the part that can actually bring life. This is why we have the safe and common ‘Thank you’ slide at the end of a PowerPoint. Inspire but don’t be too lofty. Be actionable. Give them something to think about if they don’t act. Be succinct but also be inclusive with statements like, “I couldn’t think of a better person to share this with,” or “Those with real earned authority understand the value of something like this, that is why I brought it to you.” Having a clear, memorable, and actionable ending could even win someone back over if they had checked out earlier. It’s worth the investment of mindshare and time.
Don't. . . . . . Better give them the FOMO (like the bikini brand Triangl did) and make them want to buy it, instead of chasing them.
We all get skeptical sometimes, so when someone questions your idea, step back and LISTEN first. Are they worried regarding something or just saying "what if"? If they seem open, address their concerns with clear answers. Else, just say thanks for their thoughts and move on. Remember, building understanding is key, not forcing everyone to agree.