If you have an idea – whether it’s a simple tweak to an ongoing project or a major overhaul of an ineffective work process – and you want to share it with your manager, pitching it can be as easy as going to their office. walk or message them on Slack and explain the idea. However, if you want to make sure your pitch is successful, you may need to think about your overall strategy first.
As business leaders, the members of Council for Young Entrepreneurs have listened to many pitches from their employees. To help you succeed, they recommend the following 11 tips for pitching an idea to your manager and explain why this advice will make you sound much more convincing.
Members of the Young Entrepreneur Council offer pitching advice to your boss.
Photos courtesy of individual members.
1. Focus on the big picture
When we pitch an idea, we want it to be about what the overall mission of the team delivers, rather than what we can gain on our own. For example, if you’re asking about earning more, focus on the extended good you’re doing for the team rather than inflation, for example. Your personal needs should be part of the story, but not the only one! – Tyler Bray, TK Trailer Parts
2. Have a story to tell
Good advice for pitching is to have a story. This makes your idea interesting and memorable. Stories are powerful, and they are the way we learn things. Stories are the essence of books, movies and more. If you want to pitch something, try to find a story and then tell it. If you just list the pros and cons, you might be missing an opportunity to make a point. – Kelly Richardson, Infobrandz
3. Be prepared
Come up with the opportunity to explain what the idea is, why it’s important and how it improves the current procedure. A well-thought-out idea that you’re willing to explain and defend will give you the best chance of convincing your manager that it’s a good idea. – Zane Stevens, Protea Financial
4. Explain how you will manage your responsibilities
Explain how you are leading the project and how it does not interfere with your core responsibilities. As an employee you play a crucial role in your current position. Until hiring increases, it can be difficult to argue for replacing some of your time in your main duties to work on other new projects. Make time instead, so it’s a good idea. – Firas Kittanehu, Amerisleep mattress
5. Think Like They Do
You sell, you know? If you want to sell something to someone, focus on the benefits they want. When you sell your idea to your boss, you may need to take a step back to understand what your boss would like to gain from implementing your idea. – Samuel Thimothy, OneIMS
6. Keep it short, simple and realistic
First of all, remember to keep it short. If the idea takes more than a few minutes to present, it’s probably too complicated to be effective right away. The second is to be realistic. Presenting a PowerPoint deck of pie charts and graphs, for example, is impressive, but the whole thing can seem silly if the numbers don’t add up. Finally, make it easy to take action. – Candice Georgiadis, digital day
7. Support your claims with evidence
The best way to make a convincing pitch is to provide evidence that supports your theory or claim. It’s easy to walk into a room and say, “I think we should do X,” but you won’t get very far. Instead, you should approach the situation by saying, “I think we should do X because Y, and here’s the data that proves my point.” – Chris Christoff, MonsterInsights
8. Pitch what you know
Make sure you’re good at what you’re pitching. If your manager doesn’t think your pitch is your forte, it’s kind of hard to make them believe you know what you’re saying and that you’re capable of carrying it out. Support the idea with a concrete plan and explain your most important role in the task. Make sure to present something valuable and not just trendy. This is effective because everything is clear. – Daisy Jing, Banned
9. Consider any objections
I always welcome ideas from my employees to improve operations, but I think it’s important that they consider objections to their ideas – and why we should implement the concept anyway. Even the best concepts have some drawbacks, but sustainable business policies have always successfully addressed their shortcomings. – Kyle Michaud, Carolina Bulldozer
10. Adjust the communication method
Keep it simple and short and adapt your pitch to the way you communicate. Everyone’s working day is full, so you want to get your idea across efficiently. Do you pitch through Slack? Video call? During a personal office visit? If you’re pitching during a video call or in person, you need to proclaim and project. On Slack, make sure your ideas are clear and organized. Clarity is key. – Duran Incic, Optimal7
11. Link it back to the company’s goals
If you want to present a new idea to your manager, you need to understand the company’s long-term goals. When giving your presentation, look for ways to connect your vision to existing products and future goals. Your manager will easily understand your message if he can see how it can help the company as a whole. – John Turner, SeedProd LLC
Janice has been with businesskinda for 5 years, writing copy for client websites, blog posts, EDMs and other mediums to engage readers and encourage action. By collaborating with clients, our SEO manager and the wider businesskinda team, Janice seeks to understand an audience before creating memorable, persuasive copy.