āBe able to communicate quickly and succinctly why it must be implemented now.ā John Daly of the University of Texas explained why the laws of physics and logic donāt always govern what ideas companies choose to pursue.
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āI teach advocates how to sell ideas within organizations because many people are surprised to learn that logic and the laws of physics donāt apply to how well ideas are accepted and adopted,ā said Daly. āThis is why itās so crucial to sell them.ā
Daly reports that most companies have dominant models for how theyāve traditionally made money, and if an innovation conflicts with that model, then it will be hard to make people in that organization understand it and its potential value. For example, Xeroxās engineers invented Ethernet and the computer mouse, but the firm never commercialized them because they didnāt fit their traditional goals. Likewise, an Eastman Kodak engineer invented the digital camera, but his company didnāt pursue it immediately because Kodak was too preoccupied with selling film.
To overcome this tradition and inertia, Daly explained that innovators and advocates must know why their idea is so important and be able to communicate quickly and succinctly why it must be implemented now. āAdvocates must create the need and identify pain that their idea solves, have a specific plan, show benefits of following it and be able to show what will happen if their plan isnāt adopted,ā said Daly. āPeople are much more urgent about losing a possible opportunity than they are about taking on one thatās simply available.ā
In addition, Daly reports that advocates must be prepared to deal with the four types of decision makers, who have varying levels of knowledge and feeling about the idea. These include naĆÆve followers in need of education, skeptics that require questions to be answered, adversaries that need compelling data and, finally, cheerleaders that need bolstering and inoculation against cynics. Likewise, ideas and their supporters usually face four types of organizations. These consist of prospectors that love new ideas and want to be on the cutting edge; analyzers that want others to demonstrate an ideaās success before they follow it too; defenders that occupy a good niche and only innovate in response to crucial demand; and reactors that only respond when forced by their market.
āConsequently, when you go to sell and idea, you must know the culture your audience is coming from and then how to approach them,ā added Daly. āAdvocates must help listeners answer the question, āWhatās in it for me?ā Over-preparation is important because supporters must be able to tell a good story about their idea and answer any question about it. More important, they have to be able to answer any follow-up questions or objections, and even turn those objections into positives.ā