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Front-line employees are often the first people to identify a technology gap within their department or even the company as a whole. Sometimes, employees learn about innovative new technologies that could solve a pressing company need, but they’re not sure how to pitch it to the people who make decisions – or even if their idea would be taken seriously.
If that sounds like you, we’re here to help. We reached out to a few consultants, business owners, and forward-thinkers and asked them to share their best tips for pitching new technologies to decision-makers. Here’s what they had to say.
Angela Betancourt
Angela Betancourt is global communications specialist with over 12 years of experience developing, managing, and executing comprehensive, multicultural and integrated communication campaigns and strategies within the U.S. and international markets.
“These are a few tips for non-decision makers to pitch new technologies…”
- Document the inefficiencies in the area where there is a need. Is it a process that takes too long? Or a process that could be improved with a new tool? Document this for one week to establish a benchmark.
- Try the new technology for a week (or a few days) on your own projects/processes and document the difference it has made.
- Package both sets of data in a presentation or document.
- Create a simple guide on how to use the technology.
- Present your findings to management and offer to train your department or everyone how to use it.
Shawn Breyer
Shawn Breyer is the Owner of Breyer Home Buyers.
“When pitching the technology that you need to a decision maker, they want to know…”
How the technology will be used as a tool to increase productivity and increase profits. The key here is to not include a ton of technobabble when making your pitch, but make sure that you know the details for when they inevitably ask questions to dig deeper. Inform them of the problem that your team is having and how much time or money you
believe the problem is costing the company. Make sure that you don’t overestimate your numbers or you will lose credibility. Then propose your technology solution and how it will solve the problem.
Be confident in presenting the figures. Don’t make the financial decision for them. Meaning, if you’re presenting two options that are priced differently, don’t get nervous when you present the figures and justify why the cheaper option is better. Let them make that decision based on the features of the product and the value that the two separate technologies will bring to the company. It’s best to present the figures and just be quiet.
Steve Pritchard
Steve Pritchard is a Business Consultant for Ben Sherman.
“When pitching a new technology to decision-makers, you need to…”
Make it clear that you have considered how this technology will impact every aspect of the business it is going to come into contact with. You also need to explain how you will make the new technology an easy adjustment for employees required to use it, whether this is providing training on how to use it or trying to make it so the new technology causes as little disruption as possible.
While a new piece of technology should make positive changes to a business, it should also cause a minimum amount of turbulence in terms of both staff and procedure. Provide the decision-makers with a well thought-out plan of
how you can do this without disrupting business as usual. It’s practically impossible to not have to put certain things on hold when implementing new technology; therefore, it’s important to show the return on investment. Explain all the benefits of the short-term disruption the new technology will have and how it will save/make more money for the company in the long run.
Notify all affected staff members as soon as possible so they have plenty of time to get used to the idea of any changes to their work day. Springing it on them the morning of the new technology’s implementation will not go down well and will hinder their progress because they won’t have any idea of what they’re doing. Giving them some notice, along with some reading matter on the technology, will prepare them and also provide them with an idea of how to use the technology before it is implemented. This makes for a much smoother transition and happier staff.
Richard Pummell
Richard Pummell is the Human Resources Lead at DevelopIntelligence. He’s worked with people, process and technology for over 25 years with an emphasis on Operations and Human Resources. He now focuses on assisting companies with culture, strategy, process improvement, and change management issues.
“When pitching new technologies, the primary focus should be on…”
The return on investment the new technology will achieve. Many employees get excited about the latest shiny technology, but it’s important to be able to articulate exactly how it will benefit the business. To do this, it’s necessary to identify will this purchase replace or enhance existing technology? How often will this technology be used? Spending money on a solution that will be used for a few transactions each month isn’t going to gain much support. Conversely, a solution that shaves a few seconds off transactions that occur thousands of times each month can start to look good.
It’s also important to see how does the technology fit into the existing tech landscape. Can it be easily implemented? Does it require heavy integration that will require additional labor and support, resulting in additional overhead not included in the sticker price of the new solution? How long would it take to implement the new technology? What will training requirements be for new users? Can the new solution be implemented using existing resources, or will it also require a consultant for a period of time? Are there any political ramifications for suggesting the new technology – who may get ruffled at the suggestion?
By thinking through all of the implications of implementing new technology, a plan can be created to present to the decision-makers. When it’s observed that there has been careful thought put into preparing a case for the new
technology, the proposal will receive greater attention. Prepare for a lot of questions and be able to justify the benefits while identifying risk (and how it can be abated). Lastly, be prepared to discuss the change management issues associated with implementation. Who will be impacted? What changes for them? Who are the supporters, the naysayers, and how will an implementation team be constructed? What sort of time period will this impact?
If you’re looking to implement a new on-demand staffing platform, we are always here to help. Simply post your first job and we will reach out to walk you through it! https://try.wonolo.com/business-signup/.
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