My CEO is not enthusiastic about TAYA, what can I do now?

You've read the book They Ask, You Answer or attended a lunch & learn and now you're raving: you need to start doing this in your company, too.

You make a plan and step up to your CEO full of energy. Can't help but be as excited as you are when he hears this.

But while you are telling him, you can already see from his skeptical look that the message is not landing. You mostly see the benefits and opportunities. He sees mostly the risks and costs.

I regularly get stories like this back from marketers who have attended our lunch & learn or read the book. They tried to convince their employer and came home cold.

I know how it feels: years ago, I too was sitting as CMO of a SaaS company They Ask, You Answer pitching to our CEO during a work visit in India. The sweat was on my back, and no, it wasn't just because of the higher temperatures.

It's not up to you: getting support for They Ask, You Answer is one of the trickiest, and at the same time crucial, things.

With me, it eventually worked out and I was able to implement TAYA with great success at the company where I worked.

And you can succeed, too. But then you have to know how to go about it.

In this article, I'll give you tips on what you can do to get your CEO excited and also tell you what, above all, not to do.

But first: how is it really possible that you are so enthusiastic and your CEO is not?

Getting support for They Ask, You Answer is one of the trickiest, and at the same time crucial, things.

There are several reasons why your CEO may react lukewarmly.

Your CEO is used to playing his sales and marketing game one way, and now you've heard it can be done another way.

To him, that is like you coming up with the cards of a new game, while he is still in the middle of the old game.

Hello, he thinks, we were playing a different game, what are you doing now?

This creates confusion and resistance.

The second reason is that your CEO doesn't have the same context to the story behind They Ask, You Answer as you do.

In the book and during the lunch & learn, the story is carefully constructed. Marcus Sheridan tries to get his readers to come to their own conclusion that They Ask, You Answer is the way the modern buyer wants to buy. Chris Marr does the same during the lunch & learn.

You don't have three hours to convince your CEO, nor have you spoken to hundreds of bosses-with-resistance that has taught you how best to approach such a conversation.

Then when you start with: "We have to write about costs and cons, because that's what people want to know" your CEO immediately shoots into resistance, because he doesn't know the bigger story.

You haven't spoken to hundreds of CEOs-with-resistance that has taught you how best to approach such a conversation.

Third, uncertainty plays a big role. Your CEO doesn't know exactly what implementing They Ask, You Answer entails, what it costs and what the benefits are.

Without the right context, it is difficult to convince your CEO of the usefulness and necessity of this new approach.

So it's not helpful as a marketer to get into a discussion with your CEO himself They Ask, You Answer. What then? Let others do the work.

One option is to give your CEO a copy of the book. Tell him you've read the book or attended the lunch & learn and are excited about They Ask, You Answer. Then indicate that you would like him to read it too and that you would like to talk to him about it afterwards.

That's it.

So don't say, "This is a good book," and certainly don't try to sell it. Let your CEO come to his or her own conclusion.

Another option is to take your CEO to a lunch & learn sometime. After all, we know from experience that it's important for your CEO to hear the story firsthand.

Have you already attended a lunch & learn yourself? Then feel free to come again with your CEO.

It is important for your CEO to hear firsthand the story behind They Ask, You Answer.

Can't get your CEO to read, can't manage to bring him to a lunch & learn, or do you suspect that a one-on-one conversation works best? Then you can also schedule a meeting with a coach from Buzzlytics to see if They Ask, You Answer is right for your company.

The first step to a successful implementation of They Ask, You Answer is an employee who believes in it.

But no matter how enthusiastic you are yourself: it is important not to try to convince your CEO. He must discover for himself whether They Ask, You Answer is an appropriate method for his company.

So order a copy of the book for him (in Dutch or English), come to a lunch & learn together or schedule a consultation with one of our advisors. We would love to meet you!