What rainbow teeth can teach you about talking to the right people?

I was at my dentist when he told me a story. It’s stuck with me, and it is a great example of what to keep in mind when thinking about influencing people.

We’ve all got to think about the people who make decisions. Especially if those making the decisions are making or breaking our job. Sometimes the people who make decisions are not the people we think they are.

My dentist told me a story about rainbow tooth fillings. Someone had a bright idea. Instead of doing traditional white dental fillings for kids, or even the classic metal filling, they would provide fun, vibrant-colored dental fillings for their patients’ teeth.

The kids could pick some bright, overly saturated color that they happened to think was the best color to pick that day.

When you think of kids, you think of happy colors, rainbows, and definitely not unassuming colors, like white. Kids may be into picking out these flamboyant colors for their teeth. Heck, braces are a great example of this. I remember picking out the bands for my braces so I could have different looks. You could have black and orange for Halloween or red and blue for the Fourth of July.

But the funny thing that happened that my dentist pointed out is that the mothers were horrified. Mom would bring their kids in, see these ridiculous colors, and think “I do not want my kid to have these vibrant (permanent) rainbow teeth.”

The dentist mentioned that the company didn’t last very long.

This is a fantastic lesson on why we need to consider everyone involved in our transactions. Because they all can affect the outcome. There is a matrix of people, who all exert different pulls on us.

If you haven’t heard of this concept before, enter the Decision Making Unit (DMU). Think of it as the ‘Who’s Who’ of decision-making. You’ve got your champions (the ones gushing about your product), the gatekeepers, the decision-makers, and many more. While the champion might love those rainbow teeth, Mom (aka the decision-maker) is a hard “no.”

Many have heard of the terms inside the DMU like decision maker, gatekeeper, and champion. But maybe you haven’t stepped back to consider the DMU as a whole.

Thinking about the whole DMU is helpful when you’re trying to influence or communicate.

Often, the people we call “customers” in our transactions are really only the champions. This is especially true in larger organizations (or communities as is so common for renewable projects).

One person gets excited about the product or the deal, but they must generate support internally. AKA, they become the champion (or you). They must go through the whole Decision Making Unit to get to the right people (aka the decision-makers).

The key takeaway: There are many people in this web who create (or prevent) success for your deal and your company. Many times, those people are disassociated with the champion or the communication process you are pushing out.

What do I mean? Often, you are sending messages, flyers, advertising, and other types of marketing to only one group of people. But the people who most need to receive that information are left out. They don’t receive anything. Even though you’re doing the work, it’s kind of just falling into a shredder.

You need to expand your messaging to all.

There are tons of people who affect the outcome of your purchase process. Whether it’s just getting a purchase order or something bigger like getting a renewable project sited in a community.

Take siting a project. Often, we think, OK we must get land, so we’ve got to get landowners on board. but then you step back and think about the neighbors, various community groups, and AHJs. Suddenly the circle of influence increases dramatically.

There’s a strategy and a process to communicate to all of them, but you need to think about that at the outset. Just because you’ve won one person doesn’t mean you’ve secured the others. And these “others” can exert a much stronger influence on the outcome even though you’ve captured a champion. You must know and respect the entire DMU.

The takeaway? In business, or any project for that matter, it’s never just about winning over one person. It’s a web, a maze of voices and opinions. You might have the landowner’s approval, but what about the neighbors or the local community groups? Everyone’s got influence.

It’s all about knowing your audience and knowing that your audience is bigger than you realize.

Bottom line: If you’re looking to make an impact, remember the rainbow teeth. It’s not always about who you think it is. Dive deep, respect the entire DMU, and talk with all the folks, not just the one who likes you.

As any kid will tell you, just because Dad says it’s okay to get pizza for dinner does not mean you’re having pizza for dinner. But, if you’ve got Mom on board, you're just about guaranteed to get a yes.