Selling Your Ideas to Your Organization

Key Point Summary

When you want to sell an idea to your organization, there are two important things to consider: an environmental scan and a collection of tactics.

Scanning your organizational environment lays the groundwork for success. You should assess how well your idea fits with your organization’s goals, where you and your group are positioned in the true hierarchy of your organization, the level of support you need from key people in key groups, the kinds and amounts of resources you need, your own group’s commitment to your idea, others who can help you sell or implement your idea, the possibility that others may feel threatened by your idea, and the possibility that your idea may be misinterpreted. Assessing these points will tell you ...