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Natural Products Marketer Podcast
Expert Marketing Advice to Help you Grow Your Business, Reach More People & Change More Lives.
Natural Products Marketer Podcast
How to Get the Buy in From Your Boss
On this episode of the Natural Products Marketer...
Amanda gives you the 4-1-1 on how to get the buy in from your boss on new initiatives. Follow along as Amanda lays out the process she uses for identifying problems, creating solutions, and communicating the benefits to her employers. Your hosts also outline the best ways to approach your boss about a new idea. Can you say StoryBrand? This proven story formula can get a "yes" from any stakeholder. Listen and find out how.
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About Amanda Ballard
Amanda has worked in natural products marketing in the retail setting since 2016 and has a great understanding of the unique challenges and opportunities that retailers in this industry face. More than anything, she wants this industry to continue to boom and believes much of that success hinges on the ability of retailers to do well in their businesses and market their products effectively.
About Tina Smith
Since 2014, Tina has worked with multiple natural products businesses, discovering how to market their CBD products online, without having their payment processor shut them down, to letting customers talk about their health issues those products have helped them solve. She knows first hand how experts like you offer the best products and a superior customer experience, that is why she is committed to helping you find an easy way to grow your natural product business.
Have you heard the problem? Come up with a solution, and then pitch that to your boss. It's like, I thought this through, I think this will go over well, here's how we're going to communicate that. And then go for it. That sounds like a small, little ask. But the whole thing translates into bigger.
Tina:Welcome to the natural products Marketer Podcast. I'm Tina.
Amanda Ballard:And I'm Amanda. And we're here to make marketing easier for natural products, businesses so you can reach more people and change more lives.
Tina:Amanda, I'm so excited about today's episode, because we are going to talk about how to get your boss to say yes. When you have a marketing initiative, or an idea, how do you get buy in so that you can move forward with that project. And I do think a lot of marketing managers, maybe next generation marketers, for natural products, stores are feeling like they've got a barrier, because the owner might not want to move forward with an initiative. So we want to hear all about how you do this, because this is kind of a magic skill of yours, to tell us some stories.
Amanda Ballard:Okay, so, um, you know, I did, I did own my own business for like, point two seconds. And then. So but most of my experience has been as an employee, as a marketing manager, director, whatever you want to call it. So I have been trying to get buy in on all sorts of things my entire career. So I think I kind of have a formula figured out, it's not rocket science, the first thing that you need to do is listen. So whether it is, you know, your boss coming to you saying, you know, why is our store traffic so slow on Tuesdays, or we just got a phone call from a customer saying that our website is loading slowly, what do we do about that? Making notes of the things that you're hearing from your boss, from your co workers, from customers about problems that are going on with your marketing, and then in the back of your mind, you're thinking, Okay, I need to figure out a solution to these problems. That's step number one is just listen and listen well and make note and then you go into problem solving mode. So in the, in the case of, you know, store traffic is slow. Okay, what if we did a, you know, a Tuesday special, where you know, you get, come into the store on Tuesday, get a free bottle of local kombucha, something like that and do something to just get people in the door, you heard a proverb, you heard the problem, come up with a solution, then pitch that to your boss, it's like, I've thought this through, I think this would go over well, here's how we're going to communicate that, and then go for it. That's a like, a small, little ask. But the whole thing translates into bigger asks, as well. So I'll give this example. And I fully believe that this particular situation, a story that I'm going to share, help get me where I am in my career. Now that I think about it, it was actually pretty monumental. So um, but years ago, when I first started getting into marketing as a career, I actually was helping the business I was working for with some kind of bookkeeping type things. I'm not an accountant, but I was helping them with, let's just build a budget and things like that. So I'm diving into QuickBooks and looking at our expenses. And I see that our web designer was the highest paid employee in the entire company. And I was like, What the heck, like, how is this happening? Because like, okay, like, none of my business, I'm just here to, you know, figure out a budget. And then like, as time went on, and I'm getting more involved in different things and getting things assigned to me, like, this is really bothering me. And I was like, I don't want anyone to lose their job. And I was like, This just feels like highway robbery. I was like, how can your web designer be making more money than your managers? That just doesn't make sense. So I ended up just deciding on my own, I'm gonna learn how to do this website stuff. So I like got access into our website, and I'm figuring out, you know, okay, this is how you post a blog. This is how you change photos, learned, whatever builder that they were using at the time trying to figure out, Okay, here's how you add a textbox, and so on and so forth. And after enough time, I was like, I think I could do this. So then at that point, I've talked with some of my other colleagues about this, and I'm like, I feel like this is an issue like, we're all about saving money and you know, trying to reduce our expenses. I was like, this is a major expense. I think I could save us like I think it was upwards of 60 grand on And so I was like, I think we need to pitch this to our boss to have me do this. And the initial meeting went terribly. It was like, you know, we've been working with so and so for so long, you know, we have this good relationship. I'm like, Yeah, but it just doesn't feel right. And so anyway, I was like, Okay, first meeting didn't go so high. But I was like, I'm just gonna keep digging in and figure out, okay, what is it going to take to actually make him pull the trigger on making this switch? So then the conversation developed into, okay, we need to remodel our website. Okay, so we'll start the process. But in the meantime, I'm also getting quotes from other people that could possibly do this, come to find out, again, we're getting overcharged, I'm like, okay, I can work with this company, I can do these things, because I've learned how to do that. And then it finally got to the point where we were like, we have all of this kind of evidence stacked up that we can do this on our own and do it a lot more affordably. And eventually, we did make that transition. But it was like, I know, I knew, in the back of my mind, that this was something long term that was going to benefit the company, both financially, and just with so many other things, like being able to bring things in house have more control, you know, be fully aware of what's going on behind the scenes rather than outsourcing everything. And there are certain things that you absolutely should outsource. But that experience, I think, through all of my homework that I was doing, I became way more confident in my own ability to not only do this, this website thing, but also to then make more informed business decisions to then, like, part two of that story is actually after we made the switch to a different web provider, we found out pretty quickly that we didn't like them as much as we thought we did. And so after going through some of these things, I was like, Okay, I've realized, like, these are the questions that I need to be asking upfront. And so then when the time came to make another transition to and actually working with you, Tina was, like, I knew what questions I needed to ask. And I felt really confident and that I could go to my boss and be like, hey, like, I've done this enough times now where I know, I know the mistakes I've made in the past, and I know how to do things differently now. And then you build that trust and rapport with your boss. So then it's like, you've done this enough times, I trust you to make these decisions. And then you get a yes. Most times like unless it's like some crazy expense, where they might need to, you know, crunch the numbers a little bit here and there. For the most part, they're going to trust you if you show that you are willing to put in the work ahead of time, and just figure it out. Because most business owners don't have the time to think about all of these little details. If they did, they would just quit the like you can't do it all. So you have to have people on your team that you can trust to make these decisions for you. So I think that's where it's like you just have to put in the work to be that trustworthy person.
Tina:Yeah, I mean, that brings up so many things. For me, as you're talking through this story. A couple of things is you were curious, you noticed things instead of just waiting to be asked to do something. So you're listening. And that was your point. But you're also curious about like, why is this the way it is right now? What am I missing? What information do I not understand here? And then you were brave, you struck out and did it? And I'm so curious, because you said you were told no for so I think people really need to understand that. Sometimes no is the first answer. It's sometimes it's my first answer to as a business owner, but I'm curious, would you today approach that differently than you did at that time? Because maybe it was one of the first times of doing it. You know,
Amanda Ballard:I felt going into that initial meeting that I had the information that I felt was needed at the time to get a yes. But then in hindsight, it's like okay, I napped, I actually discovered that there were more things like maybe at the root of the issue that I didn't have the full picture of, so I just wouldn't have known that until I had that conversation and then it's like you found I found out you know, they actually have this deep history and all this stuff. So it was a lot more of a personal decision rather than a business decision and I wouldn't have known that had I not just taken that leap the first time I think that's part of it too is just putting yourself out there and being okay with a no but then if it is a no that you like feel really deeply that that wasn't the right answer. Like I think it depending on the relationship that you have with your boss and the position that you're in, in the company. I think that no doesn't always mean no, no initially could just mean not yet. Or I need more answers, or I need more time. And I think that's where just getting to know your boss on a deeper level and understand, you know, what are maybe what are some of their deepest fears about their business? Like, what are you just spend more time with them? What are the questions that they are asking? And then you can start preparing yourself as you go into these different meetings with possible vendors to do these different services for you. It's like, act as if you were your boss, like, what question would my boss ask in this situation? Because I've spent enough time with him or her. And I know, they always ask this question, or at the root of their issue is, you know, well, yeah. How is this going to make financial sense? What's my ROI, like these different things, figure out what makes your boss tick. So then you can do that homework ahead of time. And then that way, it's like, hey, you know, I already talked with them about, you know, the turnaround time, I know, we like we value speed around here, we can get this thing launched in six weeks, or whatever it is. So figure out what makes your boss tick. What are some of their questions, fears, anxieties about making business decisions, and then just kind of lean into those?
Tina:Yeah, I mean, I love that you're pointing out that these decisions, business decisions by business owners who are very involved in their own businesses are rarely simple, like money decisions, it's rarely a simple logic choice. It's almost there's almost always some emotion wrapped up in it, even in the money piece of it, because money gets very emotional to you. But there are relationships that have been built over the years and being cognizant of that, that there might be some landmines out there that you're gonna step on, if you're trying to make changes or trying to push changes. So some of that we're talking about buy in and getting to a yes, in order to get there, it's important to be to understand some of the history behind that what you talked about. And then also just some cultural pieces about what's important to your boss, and sort of that can probably be found in some core values they've ever written them down. And if there's anything that says loyalty thing, kicking a vendor out is going to be really difficult. Even if everyone knows they need to go, you've got to think about some kind of other transition plan for that, because loyalty is highly valued. So they're going to stick with what they've always had, especially if they have any kind of ongoing relationship with them. So it is important to understand the values of the company and the person that you're trying to convince to move forward in a different direction. And understanding that can help you know what you're going to have to negotiate that doesn't have anything to do with logic, because there's so many business decisions that are not logic based. Yeah,
Amanda Ballard:kind of going back to that, you know, when your prisoner giving your pitch to your boss is just exuding confidence, like going back to you've done your homework. But it's like you've done your homework so much that you like, kind of know this thing front and back at this point. Or if you don't know the answer to one of their questions, you're like, you know, I've developed a relationship with this, this potential vendor, or, you know, so let me go ask them, or I'll send them a text right now. And we'll we'll figure it out. Because I want to make sure you get your question answered. You know, I'll make sure and then just making a mental note, ask that next time. And so I think it's just being confident. Because if you're going to your boss, and you're like, yeah, um, can we spend $15,000 remodeling or website, like, that's not going to be received very well, but it's like, hey, you know, we've been talking about this for a long time, I've done my homework, I know that this potential vendor is going to be the best partner for us long term, here's the cost, here's the time to launch, here's the ROI that I see us getting, like, go in prepared and confident. And if you, you know, and I think too, if you're doing something where it's like potentially purchasing a service, or you know, building a website, or whatever it is, have those conversations with the potential vendor ahead of time, because they're gonna want your business to and it's like, if you've established that relationship, just in the sales process, it's like they're going to do whatever it takes to get the sale. So it's like, ask them questions and like, kind of go through this together. If you're, you know, your marketing manager, having these conversations without your boss and involved and just kind of bringing them in towards the end. It's like, just develop that relationship in the sales process as much as you can. So that way when, and also give, give that person a heads up, like, Hey, here's my boss, like, we're going to do an intro call beforehand, like, here's some things that you need to know, some questions that he or she might have, I think all of that will just help your cause in getting that buy in. Yeah, so
Tina:you said something about walking there with confidence, you know, be confident about what you're talking about that we find that all the time on sales calls, is that we're the authority is we do website stuff, all the time. And if we get wishy washy on our response with a client, and we don't stand our ground on some things, or a potential client, then they can start to feel like we don't know what we're talking about. So a lot of times the way I approach that, whenever I'm talking to a client potential client is, okay, we can do the thing, the way that you're asking to do it, here's what we found, hasn't worked about that process in the past, we're happy to do it. Like you're asking because you're the client, right? But here's why we don't think it'll work. And here's why we think this thing is a better option, always shifting that into a positive at the end, to lead them into, okay, that might not be the best thing. But here are three other options that will work really well for you. And always, I like giving options too. Because sometimes it's good, better, best, right, and then they pick the one on the middle, typically. But if you can show someone that you know what you're talking about, and, and talk enough detail, but not too much to get into the weeds, just enough detail around something that you've done some research on, using the right terms. And speaking like a business owner, like you were talking about, that can turn things around and make you still seem like the real authority that is trustworthy. And then on the other side of that, you do have to have confidence. And at the same time, you do need to be nice, because ultimately, it's not your business. So it's, it's a fine line to walk because you don't want someone to run over you. And at the same time, you cannot like bulldoze this through, especially if there are emotional pieces involved. So being respectful and being kind and saying, of course, we can do it your way, because you're the boss, right? Just making sure that that's clear. But here's why I think these other three ways will work. The other thing I was thinking about is when you guys brought us and you were like, Hey, would you mind just meeting in person with this person? They don't have to do anything. We don't have to pay them any money. But can you just meet them and talk to them about what we're experiencing? And ask some questions. And that started building relationship and report from us a vendor into the introduction? And then it wasn't easy. Yes. After that, I think
Amanda Ballard:yeah, for sure. And I love that you made a comment to you know, be nice, because I think it's so easy. As someone who's an employee to get ultra critical of the business that you work for, like, well, if I own it, yeah, I would do this completely different. And you probably would, and that's okay. But it's like, at the end of the day, you need to realize, like, You're not the boss. And so to be as respectful and kind in your asking as you can be and, and at the end of the day, like be okay, if the answer is no. Or in my case, like, it's like, no, like, I know, in my gut that that wasn't the right move. So I just need to figure out how I'm going to approach this differently. Right, because I know that you'll think before it later.
Tina:Well, I love that you repeated and I don't know, tell tell me, did you come in through a different door the next time? What was the entree the second time that you approached it?
Amanda Ballard:Yeah, I think it was more. And I'm trying to remember all of the details of how it went down. But I think it was almost on that personal level a little bit more of like, if you if this person really cared for you as much as you think they did, they probably wouldn't be robbing you blind. And so it kind of addressed like, like maybe some of like the route like a fear of like, oh, maybe they don't like it as much as I thought they did. And so I I feel like that was almost the the thing that did it was just let's really like you think that this person really has your back. Let's unpack that a little bit. And so I think it it was not a pretty conversation in the sense of like, oh, okay, that sucks to hear that but um And then what ended up happening is, when we split from that that particular person, it was very ugly at the end. And I think all the true colors really came out at the end. And so after, after we cut ties with that person, like, Wow, thank you, because that was, that was not a person that I want it to be working in my business after everything that happened at the end. So it's like, if you can't, you know, peacefully break up with a vendor. And they make it difficult for you, it's like, you've probably made the right decision in parting ways.
Tina:Yeah, I, you know, that's one of the things that we hear a lot when we come into a new company that the breakup was so hard before. And we like to concentrate on, always making sure that people have the keys to their own kingdom, because it just feels pretty crummy. If you have put your blood sweat and tears into a business. And you've had someone build a website on your behalf that you think you own. And then it gets locked up by someone that doesn't feel fair in any way. And when you said the amount that you guys that you saved, I was like, I'm not charging nearly
Amanda Ballard:changed my business model.
Tina:We are real. But yeah, so I just I hate that it's always a good idea. And this is just business owners, marketing managers, anyone to make sure that you do own the thing that you've paid for. Or that you understand that you don't so that you know, you're gonna have to rebuild from scratch or you won't have access to any of your files. And of course, I'm thinking of websites, but this could apply across the board for different vendors. Do you have an IP? Do you own the copy? Right? Do you own the assets? And what access do you have to be able to get in there and pull something out? Some of it takes some skill and knowledge, but you should be able to have access to the once you hire the skill and knowledge for it, you can pull your own data, and then it's always yours, or that you understand it's never yours. So that's always one of those big pieces to ask about websites or other vendors, like how much of this do I own? What do you own? What can you duplicate for other people that are not me? And can key questions like that you need to know what you own? And what you have access to for sure. Yeah. The only thing that you said there was building trust and building relationship, which I think, you know, it's super easy, you're talking about to come in and be critical as an employee of the employer, and just realizing that you don't have the full picture most of the time, because that important player is dealing with 55,000 things that they're trying to manage. And any small thing can make a big deal in their lives. So coming in, be a little humble. Maybe that's what it is to say, Okay, I know that I don't have all the data that you have and making this decision, but from what I can see, here's my perspective, can we talk about that, I think that is a much better approach than coming in, you know, again, like a bulldozer and or a bull in a china shop and just be like, we're changing.
Amanda Ballard:Right? Because it will come off. I had someone give me the analogy, when I came on board that it was like we were climbing a mountain. And we didn't realize it until we got to the top how far we came. And so it's like we were progressing the entire time. But it you made it feel so comfortable. So then when we get to the top, it's like, we did all that. Like, cool. Like, I'm like I didn't feel like it didn't hurt my what all Ouch. Like it's feel jarring. Even when I look back, it's like, oh, wow, like we completely change how we opt in. Yeah, and
Tina:sometimes consistent baby steps are the way to make some real progress. And then you look back on it over a year or a couple of years and you're like, oh, wow, we really did a lot. So I love that approach. So let's just kind of repeat your plan. It's being it's being brave and putting yourself forward and an idea forward. It's building relationships, and it's being confident What else is there anything else that we're missing?
Amanda Ballard:Just yeah, doing doing your homework and having a plan. I think that's that's the last thing and, you know, also be be okay, if you gotta know, like, it's not it's not a reflection on you, per se. And it's not to say that you didn't do all of those things because you maybe did. Sometimes it's it is just to know and being okay with that because at the end of the day If you're the employee, it's not your business, even though like, it is easy to feel like it is like you you want. And that's kind of the point of I feel like a being a good employee is you want them to be that invested where it does feel like their business. But at the end of the day, like you get paid, you don't pay the bills.
Tina:Yeah, and just from a business owners perspective, when people come to me and they want to make a change, I try to be open, and probably whoever you're working for is trying to be open. And yet, you have no idea all the decisions that that person is having to make. So as a business owner, I make so many decisions during the day. But sometimes it's the time of day that someone comes to me and says, I want to do something new. And my brain goes, I can't make one more decision today. That's why getting a no the first time doesn't mean no forever. And maybe the person you're working for will rethink it and talk to you, but you might have to bring it back up. So thinking about timing, like where when did they come in energetic and ready to like, tackle things and make a decision, that's a better time to present something, understanding the culture and knowing the history. So again, if that loyalty is high, then then just watch out for the emotional minefields very rarely ever a logical thing. And also, I just think the research is never sometimes people feel very invested. And they don't like to know because they've put so much work into it, the right part of it that you're talking about. Because as a business owner, I love it when someone brings me a fully thought out plan, versus like, I have an idea. And then you're like, that idea. Sounds crazy. But if it's a fully fleshed out plan, like, here's where I think the pitfalls are gonna be, and here's where I think we're gonna have success. And here's when it's going to be painful. But here's where we'll get to success, right? I love that. And if you think of it in story, brand terms, story brand, your boss, you can absolutely be like, you have this problem, I have a solution. Here's what it's gonna cost. If we don't do something, here's what it's gonna look like for us to have success. And I do think throwing in some emotional success pieces, like, you're not gonna have to spend this much time thinking about it, or now you're gonna have reports and you're gonna know what how to make better decisions, because you got to
Amanda Ballard:be grand on payroll. Yeah,
Tina:totally. Man. What does success feel like to them, though, can be helpful. Going to take this off your plate now? Yeah, and, and reminding them of your success in the past, this brings that authority into the picture. So if you're brand new, it might be a little bit more difficult, right? So you've got to build on some small wins. But if you've got a history of things going well, you can just remind people like remember when we did that implementation of this thing, it went really well, it's because I did all this background, I did the same thing here. Here's the plan. And then it's an easier yes or no. So there's a lot that goes into a business owner trying to make a decision about something that you're asking for that you think is obvious. And just being aware of the potential emotions, pitfalls, money, that's related to an energy of the business owner and culture. Those pieces are super important for you to get to yes. And I think if you can frame it up, in the exact way that story ran frames up a message on your website. So if you're a marketing person, you know how to message to a customer, do the same thing with your boss message to them the same way and talk to them about a problem. And if you think about the customer journey typically comes in with that know, like, and trust first, and then they buy, they try, buy and refer. So you are going to have to build rapport in the beginning and build some credibility of good decisions, probably lower stakes first, and then you're going to go into some try, buy repeat refer situations with your boss. It's just fair marketing is so similar to be at a marketing manager, working for someone else and trying to get a boss to make a good decision around whatever initiative you've got going on. So I think this is great. A lot of frameworks that apply to marketing or maybe just life like maybe you're trying to get your partner to make a better decision about something in the home and they've got to write a check. You know, that might be big. Think about framing it up, use your marketing hat on your life to rebrand everything. But yeah, I think I think you can use that framework of, you know, there's a problem. Here's how it's making you feel, here's why it's wrong. Here's what success is gonna look like. I think that just works, no matter who you're talking to. So,
Amanda Ballard:I think if you implement some of those simple steps, I think you're gonna get a lot more buy in, then if you don't,
Tina:we are going to have a download available with these steps drawn out and a framework of how you can put your plan together to get your boss to say yes for your next marketing initiative. So you can look in the show notes, get a link and download that today and hopefully that'll help you get to a yes faster on your next marketing initiative. Thanks so much for listening to the natural products Marketer
Amanda Ballard:Podcast. We hope you found this episode to be super helpful. Make sure you check out the show notes for any of those valuable resources that we mentioned on today's episode.
Tina:And before you go, we would love for you to give us a review, follow like and subscribe on Apple podcast, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you're listening today. And make sure you join us for our next episode where we give you more marketing tips so that you can reach more people and change more lives.