How to get stakeholder buy-in right
The gap between knowing this and actually doing it is where most teams lose ground. The short answer to stakeholder buy-in is that it is mostly a sequence of small decisions, not one big one.
Strategy work is mostly deciding what not to do, and writing it down so it stays decided. It rarely shows up as a line item, which is exactly why it slips.
What it costs to ignore
Late objections cost the most. That sounds obvious written down. It is still the thing most often skipped. Assume whoever inherits this will have half your context and none of your patience.
The steps
- Establish what you have today before changing anything
- Involve the sceptics early rather than presenting to them
- Frame decisions in their terms, not in design terms
- Write down the decision so the next person does not re-litigate it
Frame decisions in their terms, not in design terms. That sounds obvious written down. It is still the thing most often skipped. Write the reasoning down alongside the decision, because the reasoning is what changes first.
Making it stick
The short version
Clear scope protects the client at least as much as it protects the agency. Three things worth confirming about stakeholder buy-in before you move on:
- Someone can say what the current setup is without going to look
- Late objections cost the most — and you know whether that is true here
- There is a way to tell whether the last change to this helped
None of this needs a rewrite. Most of it is a morning's work once someone decides to do it.