9 Things to do when you’re right but your boss thinks you’re wrong
- Tue, April 05 2011
- Filed under: Marketing essentials
When I give speeches, I often hear this: “Your advice sounds great, but there is no way my boss (or board or program staff) will go for it.” Sometimes the most frustrated folks add, “Can you come talk sense into them—please?” This is also the topic of much of the email I receive. I’m asked, how do you get colleagues to love a message, the new website design, social media or the redesigned logo? What’s a nonprofit marketing professional or fundraiser to do in the face of angry internal opposition?
There’s no doubt about it: Your hardest market to crack is often your own office.
So how do you convince your colleagues that your way is the right way?
Here is my answer.
1. Do not, repeat, do not, have an argument on ‘the right way’ to do something. You will lose. Remember: You’re a marketer. Use all those marketing skills on your own colleagues! This is about persuasion, not proving you are right.
2. Do not, repeat, do not, argue the merits of anything based only on your opinion. This isn’t about your world view, it’s about your colleague’s world view - and the world view of those you seek to reach.
3. Make it your colleague’s idea. For example, present your bosses with a range of options and ask their opinion. They might come up with something close to what you wish - and all the better, because it will be their idea. When my girls were small and tantrum-prone, I didn’t say, “Would you like to get dressed?” in the morning. I would say, “Would you like to wear the pink dress or the yellow dress?” They might pick the blue dress, but who cares, they got dressed.
4. Frame your idea according to your colleague’s goals. Which sounds better: “We need to Tweet and have a Facebook page because social media is really important!” Or: “I am very committed to hitting your goal of doubling the size of our community of supporters online this year. I’d like to try these three things to make that happen for you.” Include social media as part of a plan speaking to your boss’s priorities.
5. Frame your idea to match a competing organization’s success. Nothing gets a colleague’s attention like a similar organization beating your group to a great idea.
6. Make it about your donors or whatever audience is in question. Film, transcribe or otherwise record reactions of your target audience and put that in front of your boss. Then say: “I loved your idea of having a 5,000-word history of our organization on our home page, but darn it, visitors are getting confused. I guess we need to make it shorter!” Then show your boss how donations doubled when you made the change.
7. Try a pilot. If your boss hates something, try it on a small scale. Ask permission to attempt one wee experiment. Proof of concept is a good way to win support.
8. Change the messenger. Maybe it’s you! Figure out who has the ear of your boss—and ask them to make your case for you.
9. Report every success - and give your colleagues credit for those successes. Positive reinforcement is the most persuasive approach of all.
Comments
Point #5 seems to be the most effective one, and in my personal experience, I can certainly say that it works, particularly if you explain the side why your competitors aren’t getting enough results, because they have missed this one idea.
Katya - timing is everything. I had such a frustrating day yesterday at my senior management team meeting. I felt like a spoilt child not getting what I wanted. But of course I hadnt prepared my case for support, no facts just opinion - I was lost before I started. Great reminder to always market to the internal team first, get their buy in and suddenly not only do you have what you want but you’ve got the power of a focused team behind you! Great reminder, keep it up! Aidan
Katya - number 4 & 5 are so important. When presenting new ideas how you frame your strategy is often as important as the strategy itself. I also love number 7. Nothing says I know what I’m doing like results. Great ideas!
Katya, what happened to the print option in your newsletters and now the article posts? I love printing these out and putting them in my personal binder for reference!
Hi Rocky. I think you were the only one using that so I dropped it in order to make space for social media links. I’m sorry! I don’t want to ruin your binder. I think the easiest way around this is to sign up to get the blog via email. Then you can print right out of Outlook.
# 3 has always worked well for me when getting the group “buy in”—you don’t have to waste time trying to convince anyone—you both have the same goals—let them tell you the answers to the questions you lead them to, they think it’s their idea and everyone wins.
Thanks Katya! I know I’m being old school and killing trees, but I love reading when it doesn’t involve staring at a computer monitor.
I think you’ve made some truly interesting points. Not too many people would actually think about this the way you just did. I’m really impressed that there’s so much about this subject that’s been uncovered and you did it so well, with so much class. Good one you, man! Really great stuff here.
Hi Rocky! A site that you might find handy is http://www.printfriendly.com/ ... cheers! 
How you deliver your opinion, and the tone you use has GOT to count for how well your ideas are taken on.
Someone that comes across as offering an opinion they believe to be the BEST thing to do, rather than the be all and end all CORRECT thing to do means its not just black and white.
“This is about persuasion, not proving you are right.”
I just love this, I had never considered approaching issues in this way but it may well be more effecitive! Thanks Katya!
Hey Katya, spent some time here silently reading…wonderful blog!
#7 is my favourite one
Trying to convince the boss with a small experiment instead of picking and picking your idea is rrrrright is really the best method imho