4 Vital Tips to Successfully Pitch New Ideas to Your Boss.

When you have a great new idea, it seems like the perfect time to discuss it with your boss. If you’re not careful, though, this can lead to some disastrous consequences. When pitching ideas to your boss, there are four things that are vital to success.

1) Make sure you have plenty of data on hand

2) Present your idea in a clear and concise manner

3) Approaching the conversation strategically

4) Know when to push for approval.

Data

Data is Your Best Friend. Not just the 2nd hand data, most importantly, 1st hand data. Do a PoC/MVP/Prototype, collect data to prove that it is worth investing. With NoCode, it is super easy to create a PoC/MVP/Prototype to validate your innovation and collect data.

It’s good to have data on hand when presenting new ideas to your boss. Not only should you be able to back up your idea with facts, but you should also be able to create projections about how it will affect the company.

You should know what current data says about the idea and what future data will say if it is implemented. This way, you can confidently present your idea and show that it has plenty of potential for success.

Clarity

If you want your boss to understand your idea, it’s vital that you’re clear. And when we say the idea needs to be clear, it means that you need to explain what you want to do and why.

Really think about what you want to use the data for. Consider what makes the data interesting and how it will help in your pitch. Your boss will appreciate knowing how they can benefit from your idea before they make a decision!

Strategy

The most important thing to consider is how you’re going to approach the conversation with your boss.

If you want to present a compelling idea, it’s important that you have plenty of data on hand. This will help you create a logical and convincing argument as to why your idea should be approved.

Approaching the conversation strategically is also vital to success. If you come off as pushy or demanding, there’s a good chance that your boss will not be receptive to your proposal. You need to know when it’s time to take an idea “off the table” and allow your boss some space for discussion before making a final decision.

It’s also vital that you work with your boss on their schedule. It might seem like a good idea at first but if you’re not able to set aside time for discussion, they will likely feel overwhelmed and unable to give the idea due consideration.

When to push for approval

If you’ve done your research, put in the work, and come up with a great idea, then you deserve approval. Sometimes it’s necessary to push for approval when no one else is pushing your idea forward.

Keep in mind that there are two types of approvals you’re looking for: internal and external. Internal approval means that your boss or co-workers feel like your idea is great. External approval means that the public receives your idea well.

Pushing for internal approval can be difficult because people who don’t like the idea might not want to tell you outright. Instead, they might be passive-aggressive or avoid the subject altogether. When someone is being passive-aggressive, they might act like everything is fine but then say something like “I don’t know” when asked for their opinion about something important.

Pushing for external approval can also be difficult because sometimes what people think is best may not align with what customers actually want (this is why it’s so important to have data on hand).

It’s okay if your boss or co-workers aren’t excited about your new idea. But if they’re not responding at all, it’s worth finding out why-and making adjustments as necessary before trying again.

Conclusion

Pitching new ideas to your boss can be a daunting task, but by following the four tips in this post, you can have a much more successful pitch with less stress. Whether it’s a new project, a new marketing strategy, or a new product idea, you’ll have a better chance of success if you present a plan that includes data that is clear and easy to understand, a clear strategy for success, and when to push for approval.

Originally published at https://www.linkedin.com.