How to Get Executive Buy-In by Creating a Compelling Business Case

Blank checks are rare in most companies. You typically need to first validate how your ideas will impact the business before you get resources assigned and receive financial support. And if you are a product manager, then you know how challenging it is to get leadership buy-in for a big new investment. But to build what customers really need, you must be able to show the executive team that your vision is sound.

The Tool that Will Help You Choose Better Product Ideas

Let’s say you manage a product that helps small businesses support their customers. You’re looking to improve customers’ engagement and retention levels. There are two ideas are on the table:

  • dashboard to allow the business owner monitor engagement statistics and trends.
  • chatbot to help the business owner automate communication with their customers.

The dashboard idea came up a few times in talks with customers and you feel it has good potential, but there’s also a risk that only power users will use it. The chatbot is something that the entire company likes and management is quite bullish about — it feels like an big win for customers, it’s a cool project, and, yeah, chatbots are all the rage now.

Which one would you choose?