Whether you are proposing a new business venture to your company or trying to convince your management to fund a new process change, we spend a lot of our time “selling” our ideas. Sometimes we’re successful, other times not. What does it take to get your organization behind your proposals and across the finish line? What makes a winning pitch?
Bottom line — a compelling business case, which clearly identifies:
- The problem or opportunity
- The solution
- The risk/benefits
The keys to constructing and articulating a great business case are:
- Make sure you know your stakeholders and what they will be looking for.
- Do your research. Understand the business and build on it with your business opportunity. Get input and gather data externally from subject matter experts and/or internally from cross-functional partners.
- Don’t forget your ROI — estimate the financial impact, costs and upfront investment.
- Assemble a structured argument in the form of a presentation. The document should convey optimism and businesslike enthusiasm. Be confident and persuasive. Present specifics, evidence and data. Make it visually compelling (use visuals, graphs, charts, photos and illustrations). Keep it simple.