Building Up To A Big Idea

When you’re trying to sell a really big idea to a client or internally within your own company, you may scare off support if the concept is too complex or too far removed from the status quo to be relatable and accessible to your audience. It might be a better strategy to build up to your big idea rather than overwhelm them with the entire idea all at once.

Killing an idea at the time it is suggested is simple thing to do, especially if the concept is far outside the comfort zone of the company and anything they’ve tried in the past.

Yes, I know that trying something that hasn’t been done before is the exactly right thing to do if you need to change the results you got in the past — but this isn’t about selling me your idea.
It’s about selling them your idea.

One effective technique for building up to a big idea is to think about the first few steps you’d need to take in order to get your big idea into action. Typically the first steps of a big idea are not that different from the steps of any other kind of idea.

Getting buy-in on the first steps usually means it will be easier to get agreement to move forward at a later stage. You’ll have a chance to continue selling up to your big idea while getting the company to invest at the starter stages and increasing their sunk cost in your concept (and companies hate giving up on something in which they’ve already begun investing).

Take your big idea and begin thinking about the minimal viable version that you could create that gets you headed in the right direction. Plan the practical start-up steps of your crazy concept and you’re on your way to building up to your big idea!