Who This Helps
This is for Team Leads who have a solid Market Intelligence & Positioning routine but struggle to move from insights to action. You’re drowning in data but your stakeholders aren’t moving. This bridges that gap.
Mini Case
Your team spots a competitor shifting their pricing, which could impact your market share by 15% in the next quarter. You present a 30-slide deck full of charts. The response? "Interesting. Let's circle back." Sound familiar? We need to flip that script.
Do This Now (5 Steps)
- Start with the 'So What?' Before you build a single slide, write down the one business decision your analysis supports. If you can't, go back.
- Package for the audience. The CFO needs the financial risk (like that potential 15% share loss). The product team needs the feature gap. Tailor the message.
- Lead with the recommendation. Don't bury the lead. First slide: "We recommend adjusting our Q3 launch timeline by 4 weeks. Here’s why."
- Show the cost of inaction. What happens if we do nothing? Frame it as a tangible risk, like a $200K revenue exposure.
- Define the next single step. Is it a budget approval? A pilot test? Make the required action crystal clear and simple. No "further analysis needed" allowed.
Avoid These Traps
- The Data Dump: Presenting every chart because it's "interesting." Stakeholders don't have time to connect the dots for you.
- The Jargon Jungle: Using terms like "competitive moat" or "value prop alignment" without plain English translation.
- The Open-Ended Ask: Concluding with "We need to explore this more." That's a surefire way to get parked.
- Ignoring Mission Outcomes: If your course work highlighted a mission like "Prioritize Competitive Threats," your communication must reflect that priority, not just general observations.
Your Win by Friday
Pick one analysis your team completed this week. Apply the 5 steps. Draft a one-page summary that states the recommendation first, shows the risk, and asks for one specific approval. Send it to your key stakeholder. You’ll be shocked how much faster the conversation moves. It’s like swapping a textbook for a roadmap—suddenly, everyone knows which way to drive.