7-Step Guide To Deal With Difficult Stakeholders On The Data Analytics Journey

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Harsha Khubwani

November 28, 2022

Stakeholders must be persuaded of the usefulness of data and analytics by explaining corporate results and individual impacts. Data analytics is not only the buzzword today. This analytical approach is helping industry giants to maintain authority in their niche market and SMBs to gain competitive advantages. And it's a fact that companies are tapping into data analytics to improve employee and customer experiences and obtain maximum profit.

But what about those who are not taking advantage of data analytics? As the operations of these companies are not analytics-based, they often face trouble in the growth phase. In this digital era, It is of utmost importance to make data-driven decisions that are more impactful than just being helpful.

Your brand needs stakeholder support to create a prominent effect with data and analytics. Lack of backing from stakeholders hinders your path to pursuing today's market standards and fetching desired results for brand success.

In this article, you will gain a thorough understanding of the 7 Steps to acquire stakeholder approval so that you can support business operations with data analytics without much trouble.

7 Steps to Buy-in Stakeholder Support For Data Analytics

Data analytics has modified the ways in which the present market functions and thriving businesses run. Whether through workforce or customer analytics, this approach of analyzing data and using it to drive business decisions has brought more profitable outcomes for companies. Brands that rely on data analytics to operate seamlessly possess greater chances of enjoying long-term success. And to gear up for a flourishing business, it is crucial that data analysts get consent from the stakeholders of your company.

Here are 7 methods using which you can convince your difficult stakeholders to instate the usage system for data analytics in your business system:-

1) Share Data Analytics Vision

It is of utmost importance for you as a leader to share the vision with which your teams are going to work to get the most out of data analytics undertakings for your business. The shareholders will buy your data analytics vision only when they find it relevant. And their contribution depends heavily on the objectives you set.

The difficult stakeholders will definitely interpret whether or not your data analytics vision will generate profits for them and the organization. You have to be transparent and communicate every idea and characteristic of your data analytics endeavor.

To make the vision crystal clear, here are a few questions you should provide answers to:-

What are the goals that you want to achieve using data analytics?
Why is it necessary to use data analytics in your business?
What fruitful transformations will data analytics bring?
Why would it be a big mistake to miss the implementation of analytics outputs?
What potential benefits can data analytics obtain for stakeholders and the organization?

Prepare the presentation of in-depth explanations to the above questions and convey your thoughts to stakeholders to earn their support.

2) Address Issues Mindfully

Indeed, rejections are typical, and you will face one from a few members associated with your company. There may exist several reasons for denial at the stakeholder end, such as their fear of change because they might be uncertain about the modification due to a lack of awareness or expertise. You have to be patient during the process of getting approval, and for that, you must address their objections mindfully.

The other case might be you already employed data analytics and failed. There may be various causes for the failure, like low-quality data, the wrong approach to executing data analytics results, and many such. You have to take responsibility and share what new plans you have to fix the previously failed work and what new processes you will introduce in order to ensure success.

Here are a few best practices you can follow to handle the concerns of your stakeholders:-

Stay calm and try to resolve problems peacefully in tense situations.
Share the learnings from the previous failed project and routes with which you will tackle the troubling situation in the near future.
Comprehensively describe the new operational framework you will follow while utilizing data analytics in your business approach.
If they raise questions about your new framework, clear their doubts with the help of case studies and data you formed the framework.

3) Set Realistic Expectations

If you are going to promise the sun and deliver the moon, then no one is going to trust you ever. High expectations that you can't achieve are equal to false promises that will badly affect the future of business. Be realistic with your purposes before you share them with your business partners. For instance, if you claim that data analytics will help your company raise sales by 80% and your approach and efforts get you 50%, it's still a huge difference. Provide a range instead, for example, 45% to 55%, rather than fixing a number to make it convenient.

Fix the right expectations in accordance with your research and the value proposition you set for data analytics. Even if the situation is the opposite, that means if stakeholders keep high expectations even before you share your anticipations, you must provide the appropriate information and keep a check on their expectations and demands from the data analytics initiative.

Below given are a few tips you must follow to maintain healthy stakeholders' expectations from the project:-

Communicate the true value data analytics will add to your business strategy.
Ensure your data and analytics initiative is linked with the right metrics so that you can back your statements.
Reveal the anticipated effects of the data and analytics initiative on the lives of stakeholders and the business.
Spread awareness on data and analytics so stakeholders can think likely and you do not struggle much to explain to them every element of your data analytics proceedings.

4) Discuss the Finances

Lack of funds for any analytics-related operation will result in chaos, as you will not have up-to-mark data analytics tools and measures to continue your business enhancement efforts. You need to have an influence on every single stakeholder and keep them in your favor to move ahead seamlessly by overcoming potential resistance. While putting forward your intent to enforce data analytics initiatives, keep in mind that your financial demands must be in accordance with your company's capability to afford the needed funding.

While discussing the finances with partners, use proactive practices like including numbers and statistics to justify why investment in the data and analytics initiative is feasible and advantageous. Communicate the wins from previous projects, however small they may be and explain the necessity of having the data analytics ambition placed in the organizational system.

Here are a few things to consider when you discuss the financial part concerning data analytics:-

Encourage stakeholders to leave biased views behind and keep political agendas aside to think honestly about the business's growth.
Let your stakeholders know how you will align investment plans with the prime concern of your business.
Announce the predicted financial returns on the investments you are going to make in the data analytics initiative.
Disclose the favorable impacts the previous data analytics investments had on your business.

5) Illustrate Strategic Outline

State the step-by-step actions you will proceed with once the initiative is approved. Be very specific with it, who will do what, and when so there is no room for confusion. Mention ways you are going to grow business value through analytics to create a beneficial impact on the economic conditions of your business.

Circulate a single statement that defines your strategic outline precisely so that while operations are in progress, every stakeholder can play their part well and never loses the path for what the company aims to accomplish by utilizing data analytics. Furthermore, you can be more detailed with the timeline of procedures. It will become much easier for every contributor to work accordingly.

To make it more convenient, here are a few of the best courses of action you can follow to illustrate a strategic outline:-

Instate a data-driven culture that eases your work whenever you want to incorporate new data analytics initiatives.
Present your proposed operational model to describe basic concepts and functionalities.
Beforehand appoint the respective assignments so that the preparations do not lack any factor that ruins the strategy.
Familiarize the staff members with the dynamic framework to be followed company-wide for data analytics usage.
Encourage C-suite to assist you in depicting the strategic processes to amplify the influence of data analytics ambitions.

6) Consider Stakeholder Suggestions

Do not just impose the new analytics operations with the assistance of top executives, as it might upset the stakeholders, and they won't impart their best on suddenly enforced procedures. Include every business associate's recommendations by asking them to share their thoughts and suggestions about the data analytics initiative.

Convey what strategy, tools, technologies, and processes you are moving ahead with and urge them to provide their input based on business objectives. Also, if you implement the suggested elements, do not forget to appreciate stakeholders and let them know how valuable their suggestion has been for the initiative.

Here are a few best practices to include the stakeholders' proposals in your data analytics undertakings:-

Develop feedback strategies to collect stakeholders' sentiments and let them know their opinions matter.
If the stakeholders' suggestion has brought profits, let them know to make them participate happily every time you come up with something new or refine the old operations.
If their suggestions are faulty, do not hesitate to correct them, as - i) it will add to their knowledge, and ii) stakeholders will think and make relevant suggestions from the next feedback iteration. Appropriate suggestions save time as you do not have to go through the pile of suggestions to only discard most of them.

7) Showcase Potential Outcomes

Showing what your brand will get from pursuing data analytics will strengthen the stakeholders' trust in your plans. Share every single aspect of your approach towards data analytics for your business so that they understand the what and why of every segment to comprehend the results. From methodologies to risk management plans, keep them updated and share the importance of their benefits.

Showcase manners in which data analytics will aid you in administering and streamlining business pursuits to reach goals faster and more efficiently. By means of suitable examples, indicate how analytics enrich customer and employee experiences, assist you in pinpointing and working on the right opportunities, and bring valuable outcomes for your company.

Here are a few primary benefits of anticipating and showing the potential positive outcomes of employing data analytics in your business:-

Learning about the benefits boosts the confidence of the contributors, increasing efficiencies and fetching higher returns for the company.
Knowing what might come out, as a result, smoothens the flow of operations, creating an immensely suitable environment that allows staff members to function practically with consistency.
The chance of success doubles as every member carries a positive perspective while operating with and on data analytics.
Sharing expected positive results satisfy and make stakeholders happy, and they add better value to become the top reason for the rapid development of the company.

In Conclusion

When it comes to stakeholders, they are solely concerned about their individual and company growth. As a leader, you have to gain their confidence in data analytics operations and outcomes in regards to the business to function without any hindrance. Share your vision and strategies to clarify that you operate in an optimal way that will never let them down.

In case of already occurred mishappening, be answerable to the stakeholders and stay honest. Put forward what went wrong and how you have planned to undo that. Address the concerns raised by partners meticulously. Be practical with the objectives you set and share with the help of data analytics outputs to accomplish them readily and add them to the achievement list.

At last, discuss the investments and financial outcomes with stakeholders and listen to their suggestions regarding your data analytics endeavors. Eventually, with all these efforts, you can obtain their buy-in and bring positive transformations to your business.

Want to know A to Z of CX analytics? Read Customer Experience Analytics: A Complete CX Guide for 2023!

7-Step Guide To Deal With Difficult Stakeholders On The Data Analytics Journey

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