SmartPulse — our weekly nonscientific reader poll in SmartBrief on Leadership — tracks feedback from more than 210,000 business leaders. We run the poll question each week in our e-newsletter.
How effective are you at getting your recommendations approved?
- Extremely — I always get approval on the first try: 7%
- Very — I usually get approval but sometimes it takes a few tries: 69%
- Somewhat — I get approval but it’s a challenge: 18%
- Not very — I rarely get my recommendations approved: 5%
- Not at all — My recommendations never get approved: 2%
It’s all in the pitch. You’re pitching ideas all the time. The key to getting that pitch approved is making sure your communication approach is tailored to your audience. This includes thinking through that stakeholder’s “button” to determine what will spur them on to action. Remember – different stakeholders have different buttons. That means you’ll need separate communications for each. Focus on what gets their attention because that’s how you get their support. One size doesn’t fit all – it usually fits none.
Mike Figliuolo is managing director of thoughtLEADERS, author of the upcoming book “The Elegant Pitch: Create a Compelling Recommendation, Build Broad Support, and Get it Approved” and “One Piece of Paper: The Simple Approach to Powerful, Personal Leadership.”