The majority of significant IT decisions require buy-in from a variety of stakeholders - business managers, senior finance professionals, and specialists in areas like security and compliance. Some have the power to say yes, while others hold a veto card. The challenge is that your marketing campaigns and sales teams often can't reach all these influencers and decision-makers directly.
One way around this is to turn your primary contacts into champions who can advocate for you internally. This isn't just about handing them a sales script; it's about a structured approach which includes aligning your offering with their personal and professional goals. When your champions see your solution as a pathway to acquiring new skills, gaining recognition, or furthering their career, they become invested in the success of the pitch. This alignment of interests creates genuine, effective advocacy.
Arm your champions with the right ammunition
Your champions need the right material to make a compelling case to each stakeholder. Business managers might be swayed by operational efficiencies, while finance professionals look for a solid ROI. Specialists in security, compliance and other areas will have their own set of concerns, and senior executives are often driven by strategic goal achievement.
When considering content to address this, it helps to switch your perspective and put yourself in the shoes of your typical champion. Firstly they need to get up to speed themselves, not just on what you can offer, but also which specific benefits are most likely to resonate with each stakeholder, and how to express them in terms they will recognise.
You might think your advocates should know this, but you’d be surprised how grateful they can be when you provide them such insights, and how much it can boost their confidence. And if you can also provide them with short, accessible documents suitable for handing directly to busy senior managers and approvers, this further enables and emboldens them to take on even the most challenging conversations.
In terms of the kind of assets that work, here are some examples:
Guides & Coaching Material: Help your champions understand what resonates with each stakeholder group, and the language and terms of reference to use when speaking with them.
Tailored Assets: Create content that can be passed directly to internal stakeholders, helping them understand the value proposition. Shorter, quick-hit material is better for senior people.
Business Case Material: Infographics or interactive tools that lay out tangible and intangible benefits can be incredibly effective, particularly to make sure the full scope of potential value is considered.
Buyers Guides: These can help stakeholders crystallise their priorities, requirements and selection criteria, accelerating past the knowledge gaps and uncertainty that often impedes deal progress.
Make internal selling assets integral to your content plan
When we’re working with clients on content plans, we highly recommend the inclusion of assets designed to facilitate the internal sell from the outset; material like this shouldn't be an afterthought. Material perceived as genuinely useful at a personal level will boost responses to direct marketing campaigns. And once you get engaged, the kind of assets we’ve highlighted will help you outmanoeuvre competitors, and prevent the loss of deals to the dreaded ‘no decision’. Invest in your champions and they’ll reward you handsomely.
