I was sitting across from our CEO, with only five minutes to make my request.

“Hi Alise, what’s going on?”

“We’d like to try something new with marketing but I need your approval on the budget because it goes beyond what was originally allocated.” 

“How much are you looking for?”

“I’ve laid out three options…”

The Hidden Hurdle to Bringing New Ideas to Life

Gaining internal buy-in for something new—whether a product, service, or marketing experiment—is no easy task. Competing priorities, differing opinions, and the challenge of gaining funding can make even the best ideas stall before they take off.

So when other people have the power to greenlight or kill our idea before it ever sees the light of day, how do we get them on board early? 

How to Gain Internal Buy-In

Oh, how I wish there were a universal answer to this. But the truth is, it depends—on your audience, your company, and the corporate culture at play.

That said, here is a five-step process what has worked well for me in the past:

Step 1: Make a List

First, identify the people who could shut your idea down. If they can kill your project faster than a thumbs down from Julius Caesar, they need to be on your list.

For most companies, this includes the people who control the budget—but don’t stop there. Sales, legal, marketing, product, and operations may also have a say. And if you’re a couple layers down in the reporting structure? Loop in your boss early. No one likes surprises.

Once you know who you need buy-in from, it’s time to figure out how to get them on board.

Step 2: Build the Business Case

The money needs to make sense. You need to articulate the financial upside of your idea, preferably in one sentence: 

“Within five years, we believe this new product could generate $50 million annually for our company.”

Calculate a business case that is clear, concise, and backed by data. If you need help crafting yours, I have a guide for that. 

Also, make sure that the juice is worth the squeeze. Or in other words, that the payout is substantial enough to be considered a good investment opportunity. While the definition of a “good” return on investment (ROI) may vary by company, I typically use 10.5% as a starting point for longer projects. 

Why? 

Because that’s the average long-term annual growth of the S&P 500. If your company could make more money by investing in the stock market than in your new idea, it’s going to be hard to win over the finance-minded people.  

Step 3: Align with Strategic Priorities

Money matters, yes, but so does the strategic value and impact of your new idea. How does your idea contribute to the company’s existing strategic initiatives? 

Similar to the business case, keep it concise:

• “This expanded marketing effort would enable us to reach and serve new consumers.”

• “This new product would position us as the market leader in our category.”

• “This new service could improve our client retention rate by 10%.”

Make the direct connection between your idea and the company’s strategic priorities. If you don’t, your fight for buy-in will be a lot harder.

Step 4: Articulate the Emotional Payoff

In decision making, logic doesn’t always reign supreme. Even the most data-driven executives can be influenced by gut feelings and personal interests. Therefore, we also have to consider the emotional payoff.  

What’s an emotional payoff?

In storytelling, an emotional payoff is the sense of personal satisfaction at the end of a narrative. For our purposes, it means making sure that stakeholders can see a personal benefit from the success of our idea.  

To do this, frame success around a greater company good or altruistic outcome that would reflect well on the stakeholder: 

• “If this is successful, we could create (or protect) thirty jobs for our people.”

• “If this is successful, we could unlock a new horizon of growth for our company.”

• “If this is successful, our team could become the fastest-growing division in our company.”

Be wary not to oversell the potential impact of your idea, but do make sure that they can infer how the success of your idea would benefit them personally.

Step 5: Write the Pitch

Now, put together your three statements into a single elevator pitch—one you can repeat over and over again with your ask. A little tip: ChatGPT can be a great tool to use for this. 

Here’s an example:

“I’d like us to dedicate a budget over the next 18 months to develop a new offering. This product has the potential to unlock a new horizon of growth for our company—opening a $50 million annual revenue stream within five years and positioning us to be the market leader in our category. May I show you how?”

This gets their attention. Then, you show them the proof.

Getting to “Yes” is Just the Beginning

Securing internal buy-in starts with one persuasive pitch—but it doesn’t end there. It may take effort to keep internal support high over the course of the project.

But by crafting a strong business case, demonstrating strategic alignment, and articulating the emotional payoff, we will hopefully get the buy-in we need to get started.