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DEVELOPING NEW BUSINESS IDEAS Table 6.3 Four-step influencing process

Step One: know Be clear about who you are – your beliefs, values and
yourself assumptions – and what you want to achieve

Step Two: identify Pick out and analyse which targets are essential for
your target achieving your goals and how to gather multiple clues in
order correctly to evaluate and effectively manage these targets

Step Three: diagnose Identify how organisations work in reality; access the
the system ‘hidden system’ of culture and networks which determines
what types of influencing behaviour are acceptable more
strongly than the ‘proper’ channels of authority

Step Four: decide on Identify the appropriate strategy of influence – soft or strong
strategy and tactics – then select multiple tactical weapons of influence
appropriate to the specific target. Tactics include pressure,
upwards appeals, exchange, coalitions, ingratiation, rational
persuasion, inspirational appeals and consultation

the ‘elevator pitch’ It is worth preparing a brief ‘elevator pitch’ about
the idea, a sales pitch which would convince someone to back your
idea during the course of a typical ride in a lift.

it is worth preparing a brief ‘elevator pitch’
about the idea

Investment giant JP Morgan is reported to have trained the young
Boo.com entrepreneurs to deliver their pitch to potential investors in
just four minutes flat.175

vigilance and flexibility As we have argued throughout the text,

our model of the various phases within the idea development process is
rooted in research, but necessarily over-simplifies the process as it
actually works in practice.

On the ground, the idea development process can never be an
absolutely clear-cut set of discrete steps which follow each other in
rigid linear fashion. The reality is much more fuzzy, with steps
overlapping, reoccurring ‘out of sequence’, with information and ideas
constantly recycling between the various steps.

real life doesn’t stop just because you’re planning Events in the
external world regularly intrude and impact on the best-laid plans. The
co-founders of online betting exchange Betfair, for example, were in the
midst of finalising their finance arrangements when a rival company,
Flutter, appeared out of nowhere to beat them to the launch. Edward