Sure, you know you need these tools. The problem is getting past the bean counters and the restrictions they work under. While our products are certainly value-priced, they aren't free. And that means you need to get approval for capital or expense funding.

Here are 10 tips:

1. Talk in terms of company benefits. This means don't go into detail about how a purchase will save you time and effort. Instead, focus on how it will save the company money. Certainly, Crystal Reports that are timely and accurate save a lot of money. You can talk to a few end-users to develop some figures as to how much money you are saving with one of our products.
    

2. Identify, and push, hot buttons. What is most important to your managers and others who will approve or reject your request?
    

3. Capitalize on trends. Know what is coming in your company's operations, product offerings, and other areas that may affect (or be affected by) your proposal. To find out, just ask the key people in those areas. For example, you may want to find out if the Widget X is coming out in a new version or if there is a marketing push planned for Widget Y. If so, then think of the Crystal Reports the people involved in these things might need and what the benefits of the proposed purchase mean to them.
    

4. Use the right financials. Too many requests talk about "payback," when the beancounters want to know about NPV. They want to know this, because NPV helps them maintain cashflow--the lifeblood of the company. Ask your controller or accountant for help, if you don't understand how to generate NPV figures. You can also find a free tutorial on NPV in the Microsoft Excel help menu.
    

5. Use verifiable numbers. Capital requests that take guesses at the financial value of the proposed purchase often come out with compelling math as to the value of the purchase. Unfortunately, the numbers behind the math don't add up. And that means the whole proposal--and the person making it--lose credibility.
    

6. Use an executive summary. This is a one-page cover sheet that provides a "thumbnail" of your proposal. It should tell the purpose, have a paragraph about the benefits, and give the key financial parameters (IRR and NPV).
    

7. Write tight. Look through the body of your proposal for wordiness, repetition, adjectives, and fluff--try to eliminate all of these. The tighter your writing, the more power it has and the more likely folks will read and understand it. Otherwise, you risk having them run screaming toward the nearest wastebasket.
    

8. Eliminate judgment statements. Present the information objectively, and you imply the reader is intelligent enough to understand it. Make claims about something is "essential," "imperative," or "a no brainer," and you imply the reader is stupid. Not the best way to get that reader on your side. Don't use superlatives, and don't "gild the lily."
    

9. Use the active voice. This increases understanding and retention of the information, while avoiding putting the reader to sleep. It also shows you have confidence in your proposal and it increases clarity dramatically over the passive voice. For a free tutorial on this basic writing strategy, see: http://www.mindconnection.com/library/writing/activevoice.htm
    

10. Use the recommended format. If your company doesn't have a standard format, ask your accounting person who handles these for a copy of a funding request or two that did well, plus suggestions on format. While you're at it, ask for any other advice that might be helpful--what you gain from this experience just might amaze you. Be sure to express your thanks, and to show your team spirit. Also, do not argue with any "requirements" given during this exchange. You are asking how to succeed, not how to minimize your efforts.

If you follow these 10 tips, you will stand a very good chance of having your request for funding approved. We do offer assistance on a case by case basis. For that assistance, please contact mark @ crystalkeen.com (remove the spaces for that address to work).

This article is copyrighted by Crystalkeen, Mindconnection, and Chelsea Technologies Ltd. It may be freely copied and distributed as long as the original copyright is displayed and no modifications are made to this material. Extracts are permitted. The names Crystal Reports and Seagate Info are trademarks owned by Seagate Software.