Putting your ideas to work is easy if you are the boss. All you have to do is tell your people what to do and everything is set into motion. However, if you are just an employee or a middle manager, it can be tough and frustrating.
How can you pitch that idea without your boss thinking you’re too ambitious?
Or, how can you sell it and convince him to put that idea in motion?
Before you can even get your manager’s attention, you need to impress him with your work. How can you convince him that your ideas are worth his time when you are doing a mediocre job? On the other hand, you have a better chance of getting his attention once you establish yourself as an excellent and consistent performer.
Aside from this, here are a few more practical steps on how you can successfully sell your lead generation ideas to your boss:
Understand your boss’s perspective
Going to your boss and telling him that you have a wonderful idea to generate more leads is not enough if it does not align with how your boss views it. Instead of getting a yes, you might be getting a “no.”
So before you even present your idea, try to think how your boss thinks – what is valuable to him?
Most likely, he will think of the ROI, the increase in profit margin, its impact on your market share, and the cost.
Work through your boss
There are insecure managers who don’t want to be outshined by their subordinates. But whether or not you have an insecure manager, your boss will appreciate it if you go through him. Walk him through your proposal and ask for his feedback. Then, incorporate his ideas if they fit into your proposal. That will give you a better chance to back your ideas.
Prove the value of your proposal
Just because your lead idea is trendy at the moment does not guarantee that your boss will back it up. You need to also support it with data and how it ties to the objectives and goals of your business. In other words, the numbers are not enough if it is not presented in context.
For example: To get more high-converting leads, we need to shift to an account-based approach. Almost 90 percent of B2B marketers are taking the ABM route because it does not only give a higher ROI but allows you to build lasting relationships with your clients. Since we will only focus on specific targets, we won’t waste time, effort, and money running after unsure leads.
If you are able to present data-backed solutions and answer any questions your boss might throw at you, you got a strong proposal in your hands.
Get support
Any idea has a better chance of success when people work together to make it happen. So whether you like it or not, you need to work with people. Enlist the support of your colleagues and your customers — people who will greatly benefit from the solution you are proposing. Try to build your proposal around how it can meet their needs.
Consider the cost and the timeline
Any proposal rises and falls on ROI. No matter how much value your proposal provides but you cannot justify its cost and timeline, it might likely be pushed into a corner.
“Maybe some other time when we have the money and manpower,” you might hear your boss say that.
Therefore, as you finalize your proposal, try considering these points:
- How much will it cost?
- How long will it take until we get the ROI?
- Who are the people who will set this plan into motion?
- How will it impact the bottom line?
The Takeaway
You might have very brilliant lead ideas but at the end of the day, you need to make sure that it is worth his time. Therefore, you need to show him how valuable your new strategy is and how it will impact the business as a whole. And finally, do not forget that you are on the same page with your boss when you present the idea to him.
