You want to be a thought partner for your stakeholders. To consult on how data and analytics can solve business problems.
But what if you aren’t consulted early enough? You can get stuck supporting a duct tape solution you had no input on. We’ve all been there. And it’s no fun at all.
So, how do you encourage stakeholders to come to you with business problems early and often?
Well, they need to trust you and your team — that you can execute and that your technology is relevant.
One way to build that trust is to demo your work.
Demos build trust
- Stakeholders see what’s possible. You gain mindshare when they think of a business problem in the future.
- They learn how other stakeholders are leveraging your team. Social proof is strong.
- And they interact with your team. Your openness will lower the barrier of them reaching out.
Getting started: a 30-min demo session
- Invite three or four stakeholders across departments. Try for at least one who you have a great relationship with already.
- Select two or three recent projects. Ask your team members if they want to present. Make it open but optional for others.
- Use the first half for project demos. State the business problem in brief and leave most time to show, not tell.
- Use the second half for discussion. Ask stakeholders for reactions and questions. Their issues should be the center of attention.
- This is a great opportunity to gather input and feedback.
- You can connect stakeholder issues to what your team is working on or planning to work on.
- And you can also remind them of team processes. Like how you handle support requests. And how you prioritize projects.
- Sum up the meeting. Every open question should have a next step. Following up is key.
This is important. Make the ask. Ask stakeholders to come to you with business problems, even half-baked ideas.
By the end, stakeholders see what your team can do. They learn how others are using data. And your willingness to help softens their hesitation.
With any luck, you gain a bit more trust. And you are well on your way to being a thought partner.
Looking for others ways to build trust with stakeholders? Read about it here.
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(Photo by Ioana Draghici on Unsplash)