There are several stages to overcoming a CEO’s opposition to an online Content Management System (CMS).
Stage 1) pure deniability that the CMS is needed.
Stage 2) willingness to hear reasons (time permitting in a busy schedule).
Stage 3) acceptance that a CMS is needed if the business is to successfully complete marketing and sales tasks at the highest efficiencies.
Stage 4) a willingness to begin using a CMS (provided you choose the right platform).
Steps To Discovering The Right Online Content Management System
Overcoming a CEO’s opposition will require you to strategically traverse the aforementioned stages. Before you begin your journey it is important that you recognize what the stakes are. If you choose the wrong CMS you might never realize the ROI that made the CEO agree to the project in the first place. Fortunately, the following steps will help you to not only convince your CEO that an online CMS is needed, but you will also be able to strategically choose the right platform.
Step #1 — Know What Makes Your Business Tick Before You Ask The CEO To Spend Precious Funds
If you don’t know your business strategy, then you shouldn’t a) ask your CEO for the funds needed to begin working with an online CMS, or, b) begin researching what CMS to use. You need to have a holistic understanding of the information management practices, as well as the business goals of your business before you begin the journey towards choosing an online CMS.
Next, you should understand the various ways that CMS tools operate. Gather a list of the benefits, possible pros, and foreseeable cons. Finally, ask yourself the right types of questions to establish why you need the online CMS.
- Do you have a strategy already in place?
- Is your site under-performing and in need of a helpful boost?
- Are you lacking the right delivery platform for your marketing materials?
- Do you need to gain additional analytics to better understand the results of your marketing campaigns?
- Is there a discrepancy in performance levels amongst your sales force?
- Are your email lists disorganized?
- Do you need to keep better marketing records that can be easily analyzed in real-time?
Through an intricate understanding of your company’s strategy and execution, you can better understand your requirements for an online CMS. It is this very understanding that will help you to convince your CEO that an online CMS is needed to achieve company growth.
Step #2 — Look For A Mutually Beneficial Relationship
An online CMS is only as good as the partnership that it establishes for you and your company. With this in mind, in addition to examining the features and benefits of your latest marketing and sales tool, you also want to understand the vendor’s vision, support, and community culture.
- Vision — The manner that the vendor sees the role of the online CMS will determine its future “product roadmap,” i.e. the direction that it will take in future iterations or versions. If you and the vendor are aligned in your visions, then you will receive great benefits from future features. However, if you are not, then you will inevitably be disappointed by the unwanted features that are added to the product.
- Support — How much support will you require from an online CMS? 24/7/365? Or will you only need notifications regarding basic product patches or additional services? There are few things worse than choosing a technology that doesn’t have the support you need to make it worthwhile.
- Community — Look at the community culture of both your company and that of the CMS vendor. Does the online CMS vendor have the internal support needed for longevity and growth? Is your company already “too big for its britches” and in need of an enterprise solution? In other words, will you and the online CMS be able to grow together?
The better aligned you and your chosen online CMS vendor are, the easier it will be for you to establish a mutually beneficial relationship that stands the tests of time. Remember, that one of the largest CEO stumbling blocks lies in a “technology overhaul.” In other words, you don’t want to pitch an online CMS that won’t fulfill your company’s future needs.
Step #3 — Take The Product Demo Seriously
By this step, you should have already analyzed usage scenarios, conducted initial product research, and determined what key features are needed from your chosen online CMS. Now, it will be time to have a product demo. During the product demos make sure that you are paying close attention, taking notes, and asking the following types of questions.
- Is the CMS easy to navigate or will it require additional training for staff members?
- Will the CMS meet your established content needs?
- Does the CMS actually align with your company’s way of doing business?
- Can the online CMS satisfy objective and subjective criteria?
- How does the vendor treat you as an individual and a company?
- Does the product fit naturally within your vision?
- What does your team think of the CMS?
- Does the vendor understand your business and why you need the CMS? Or are you receiving the generic product demo without any customization for your specific needs?
A good product demo will take up a significant portion of time. At the end of the demo you should be able to determine without hesitation whether the online CMS is right for you; however, this does not mean that you can’t have another product demo with a different vendor. In fact, a comparison of your top two choices will be helpful as you approach your CEO with your final presentation regarding the selection of the right online content management tool.
The Bottom Line: Research, Test, And Present
An online Content Management System (CMS) should be used by any business that wants to remain competitive, achieve positive ROI results, and grow. Choosing the right online CMS is made easier when you follow the above three steps. Research your company’s needs. Understand your current strategy. Determine how your company will grow. Discover if your chosen online CMS aligns with the latter findings to create a mutually beneficial relationship. Test the product to see how it resonates with your team. Finally, present your findings to your CEO so that you can overcome any opposition towards using an online CMS.
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