Business-plan

Getting an idea or ideas out of your head is often not a difficult task. Most people can do it easily and fast too, even if they are put under time pressure. Sometimes, under time pressures, surprisingly many people can even come up with whacky and yet brilliant ideas.

However, idea generation or creativity for that matter, is only a small part of the whole equation. There is no dispute ideas come from individual minds, but innovation will only take place when you are able to promote or sell your idea or ideas to your or other people. It takes teams or a group of interested people to make your ideas to work i.e to make innovation to happen.

There are a lot of idea generation and/or creativity books out in the markeptplace, but very hard to find books touching on the promotion and selling of ideas. From my personal pursuit over the years, I have found only a small handful of good books in this genre.

I am very glad to have found this one book. The four authors are well qualified, as all of them are business communication professionals.

As the authors contend: "There are three phases in getting an idea off the ground:

1. Get an idea...and sell it!
2. Develop the idea..and sell it!
3. Move the idea to market...and really sell it!"

This book describes, in a step-by-step process, the strategic and tactical elements of the promotion and selling proposition, as follows:

- research your ideas from all standpoints;
- develop a compehensive plan;
- build a support network;
- develop a winning presentation;
- prepare to present;
- deliver your winning case;
- celebrate;

I am very impressed by this book partly because the authors took a comprehensive, broad-based approach to the subject at hand. They wrote it in the context of both organisational and personal perspectives. In the process, the authors covered every conceivable angle of promoting and selling your idea or ideas - from understanding your organisation, educating yourself right through building your case, gaining allies, assessing your audience, and all the way to designing and preparing your case and presenting your information/ideas.

The chapter pertaining to 'Building a Business Case' is a gem to read and follow. This is a very important area to note in promoting and selling your idea. Oftentimes, people get carried away by their whacky ideas and they forget that the numbers or bottom-line are also important considerations, especially when you want to get support. This chapter will help you to refine your presentation of numbers.

I also enjoy the authors' writing style - concise, crisp and succinct. All key learning points are also captured at the end of each chapter. These make reading and review much easier for the reader.

So, if you want to learn how to promote and sell your idea or ideas, this is a 'must-read' book!