If you want investment, build alignment before you ask for approval.
A well-built business case isn’t just about numbers—it’s about people.
No matter how logical your proposal is, if stakeholders aren’t aligned before it lands in front of decision-makers, it risks dying in silence.
Buy-in is the work you do before the pitch—not after rejection.
It’s a process of enrolling others in the solution, shaping the narrative together, and making your ask feel familiar—not foreign—when it reaches the room where decisions happen.
Identify those with interest, influence, or authority related to your initiative. Think across:
Executives: CIO, CFO, COO, CRO, CMO—depending on what your case touches
Business unit leaders: Product, Ops, HR, Engineering, etc.
Control partners: Legal, GRC, Audit, Risk
Champions: Trusted allies who can socialize your case in rooms you’re not in
Start with conversation, not presentation. Ask what they care about. What’s working? What’s not? What’s already on their radar?
Once your case is outlined, float the concept—informally. Send a preview deck. Walk them through scenarios. Ask for feedback before they’re asked for a vote.
This gives you the chance to:
Adjust tone or language for relevance
Address misunderstandings or objections before they harden
Invite shared ownership of the proposal
Pro Tip: If a stakeholder sees their fingerprints on the final version, they’re more likely to advocate for it.
To win buy-in, you must translate the value of your proposal into the stakeholder’s worldview.
For example:
To the CFO: "This reduces our annualized exposure and increases control audit readiness by 40%."
To the Product lead: "This accelerates new feature deployment by automating third-party identity approvals."
To the COO: "This reduces manual work for frontline managers and minimizes downtime from access delays."
You’re not changing your case—you’re changing the way it’s heard.
Every pre-pitch conversation is a chance to test your logic. Ask:
Does this align with what’s happening in your world right now?
Is there anything you think would hold this back?
What other priorities might this compete with?
This feedback loop helps you refine your positioning and anticipate resistance—with enough time to adjust.
Stakeholder conversations will give you:
Language and metaphors that resonate across functions
Specific objections to preempt in your pitch
Advocates who will support you—or stay silent—when it counts
You’re not just gaining agreement. You’re preparing the field.
Who needs to believe in this before it reaches a formal approval setting—and why?
What are the 2–3 core messages that will resonate most with each key stakeholder?
Where can you socialize or co-develop parts of the case to increase perceived ownership and reduce resistance?