Selling New Ideas – The Human Dimension

Have you seen the post Selling New Ideas – Getting Ready? It provides a list of questions and points to have ready in your presentation when it’s time to make the pitch.

Pitches are interactive experiences where the idea giver shows how the new suggestion will make life easier for the idea receiver. You will be dealing with people, not automatons.

People have preferences for the kind of information they like to hear and share.  They also have preferences for the ways in which they may decisions.  Without going into the deep theory of the Myers Briggs Type Indicator®  instrument here’s a brief mention of these preference themes.

• Information includes: what is, what was, what might be and what’s on the horizon for the far future?
• Decisions are made with: clarity of understanding, sequence of implementation, co-operation among people and values.

Make sure you include language that speaks to each.  Some will be easy for you, others not.  Persevere.  There’s a few benefits in putting in the sweat work.

• You’ll likely discover new ideas and make new decisions yourself as you do.
• You’ll be more likely to establish rapport with your audience when you include the eight language points.

Here are a few things to keep in mind when in the presentation itself.

Be open to suggestions for improvement.

• Chances are your idea receiver will want to add points and/or debate your proposal.  Take this as a sign of interest and stay open to these.
• If you are asked a question you don’t know the answer to don’t bluff it. Admit that you need to look into it for further information.

Consider the human dynamics at play.

• Your idea receiver’s emotional state can influence a yes or no response. If the person is hurried, harried or hungover you may wish to reschedule the conversation for another time.

Creativity involves new ideas and new decisions. It’s personal.

Innovation, on the other hand is “…a multi-stage process during which organizations transform ideas into new/improved products, service or processes, in order to advance, compete and differentiate themselves successfully in their marketplace.”

If you want your idea to fly…well, you know what to do. Speak to the language and needs of the people you are pitching to.  It’ll open the doors for wonderful new and exciting futures.

Innovation quote from Baregheh A, Rowley J and Sambrook S.(2009) Towards a multidisciplinary definition of innovation, Management decision, vol. 47, no. 8, pp. 1323–1339.

®Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, Myers Briggs, and MBTI are trademarks or registered trademarks of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator Trust in the United States and other countries.

Add to: Facebook | Digg | Del.icio.us | Stumbleupon | Reddit | Blinklist | Twitter | Technorati | Yahoo Buzz | Newsvine