When you need to influence a decision-maker you can't reach directly, craft a "forwardable email." You're not writing an email *to* your champion; you're writing it *through* them. The content is tailored for the end recipient but sent by your champion, effectively "renting" their internal credibility and reputation.

Don't pitch big ideas by going straight to the CEO for a mandate; this alienates the teams who must execute. Instead, introduce ideas casually to find a small group of collaborative "yes, and" thinkers. Build momentum with this core coalition before presenting the developed concept more broadly.

Multi-threading isn't just a seller's tactic; it empowers the buyer. An internal champion feels more confident and strengthened when they can approach their CFO with the backing of two or three peers who also see the value. This shared internal momentum makes it easier for them to secure budget and push the deal forward.

The design of your business case sends a powerful signal. A document covered in your company's branding screams "sales material" and is perceived as biased. Instead, use a plain white page with the customer's logo and list the internal buying team as the author to make it feel like an internal, co-created document.

When you identify a deal blocker, don't confront them alone. First, approach your champion and ask for their perspective on the dissenter's hesitation and advice on the best way to engage them. This provides crucial internal political context and helps you formulate a more effective strategy before you ever speak to the blocker.

Structure your final presentation by calling out specific problems you learned from individual contributors by name. Then, immediately pivot to show how solving their problem directly contributes to the high-level business objective owned by the executive decision-maker. This makes every stakeholder feel heard and demonstrates their strategic value.

Stanford GSB's iconic "Change lives..." tagline wasn't created by executives or an agency. It was forged in a workshop with staff from admissions, fundraising, and marketing, ensuring authentic, organization-wide buy-in from its inception.

Instead of approaching leaders first, engage end-users to gather 'ammunition' about their daily pains. They may not have buying power, but their firsthand accounts create a powerful internal case (groundswell) that you can then present to management, making the approach much warmer and more relevant.

In a product-led world, the B2B concept of 'founder-led sales' evolves into 'founder-led marketing.' Founders must deeply own the brand's narrative. This means personally onboarding key influencers and being the first to learn how to tell the story broadly, ensuring the message is right before scaling the function.