We always have to think about the mindset of the audience. What’s in it for them? Come up with arguments which the stakeholders want to hear. Selling is about the buyer, not you. It doesn’t matter if you sell a pair of shoes or an idea.

In my experience, what works, is to try to have one to one chats/ meetings with each of the senior executives to share the initiative before hand. Asking for their early feedback works as well. Overall the idea is to avoid surprises and get their buy-in one by one.

Make it short Make it simple Make it strategic Show ROI Stakeholders do not have a long attention span neither do they like over explanations. This has always worked for me.

Effective strategies to secure stakeholder buy-in on a new strategic initiative also includes: 1. Early engagement in constructing the initiative, rather than only sharing when it is fully baked 2. Communication: transparency and frequency, in a channel/ format that appeals to the stakeholders who are most influential and involved in driving the required outcomes 3. Incorporating feedback as relevant 4. Working with key members on their team to incorporate the right perspective in the engagement/ communications

Tie the initiative with the company's vision for the year and the roadmap beyond. A strategic initiative is a long-term investment of people, money, and resources. The value proposition and the ROI mechanism need to be thought through and presented logically and articulately to the senior stakeholders to have buy-in and sustained interest and required sponsorship from them. Governance mechanisms and timelines need to be considered and a phased plan needs to be presented to give a practical outline to a conceived initiative.

Securing senior stakeholders' buy-in for a new strategic initiative is crucial for its success. Before proposing your initiative, understand what matters most to your stakeholders—whether it's ROI, market growth, innovation, risk management, or operational efficiency. Align your proposal with their priorities. Show how your initiative will help them achieve their goals or solve critical problems they care about. Identify potential risks and propose mitigations. Acknowledge any uncertainties, but show that you have a thoughtful plan to address them. Outline a clear implementation timeline with specific milestones and checkpoints. Senior stakeholders are often pressed for time, so ensure your proposal is clear, concise, and to the point.

Follow the rule of 3 1. Why now - Include current landscape, future potential and competitive environment 2. Time to revenue - Showcase clear path for cost and benefits 3. Strategic advantage - How does it give and edge in virw of the changing trends, technology and customer behaviour.

Know your audience: Understand their priorities and concerns. Create a compelling pitch: Clearly explain the benefits and use data to support your claims. Effective communication: Use clear language, visuals, and active listening. Build relationships: Foster trust and involve stakeholders in the process. Address concerns: Anticipate objections and offer solutions.

Effective strategies to secure stakeholder buy-in on a new strategic initiative also includes: Understanding the perspective of stakeholders in the initial stage. Incorporation of the local stakeholders is a MUST.

The best way to get buy-in, is to find out 'WIIFM?' If you can answer what's in it for me, for the stakeholders, you have them on the hook. Then, it's your tact on the human level, how to reel them in.