As a kid, do you remember trying to convince your parents to buy you a cool toy, a video game, or your first car? Do you remember how you approached them or the specific parent that might say yes? Maybe you got your siblings to help or talked about how it would improve life for the entire family. Asking for new business technology isn’t all that different.
As an adult, you’re skilled and have a pretty good idea of what tools the business needs. It’s natural to meet some resistance (“If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it!”), but with the proper research and planning, you should be able to make a compelling recommendation. Here are a few tips to get your leadership team to invest in new IT.
1. Understand where new IT is needed
The first step is to figure out shortcomings in the current system. Where would new tech be the most useful and to who? Speak with coworkers about problems and inefficiencies they’ve noticed; many of which can be solved with automation via IT. Gathering support for a technology investment lets employees know that their opinions are valuable and offers multiple data sources for the management team.
2. Research your preferred solution thoroughly
After uncovering your productivity gaps, you should research to find the most appropriate technology. Think about your target audience and the potential questions they’ll ask. Do competitive and cost-benefit analyses to help you choose between managed services providers and software options. The leadership team will want to see hard data and the more info you can provide (costs, timelines, demos, etc.), the more valuable your recommendation is.
3. Schedule a dedicated meeting to present your proposal
Your boss’s time is valuable, so keep your presentation short and focus on key ideas to help guide the conversation. Clearly explain your goals/expectations and acknowledge the potential downsides to show that your recommendation is objective. Former CEO of HCL Technologies Vineet Nayar says, “Make sure you aren’t feeding your boss’s insecurity by acting too aggressively. If you approach him or her collaboratively, you might just get better results.”
4. Outline how new IT supports wider objectives
To further validate your proposal, it is important to communicate how the new IT solution will benefit multiple parties (management, employees, and customers). For example, automation allows for greater scalability, reduces the chance of errors, alleviates staff overwork, and helps clients receive more timely billing information. Describing specific positive impacts helps leadership see technology as an investment, not just an expense.
5. Layout the action steps moving forward
Work with the leadership team to create a short-term and long-term plan for technology deployment, integration, and training. The action steps should serve as a guided transition from the current system to the new one to minimize disruption for employees and clients.
Need some help convincing your boss to modernize? Email us at sales_desk@iservgroup.com and we’ll set up a time to chat with them.