I was in Zurich — coffee in hand, RicohGR camera ready, sat by the river, recording the cathedral bells on a stunning summers day.

The day before, I’d given a talk on Value. Not the abstract kind. Not the “nice to have” kind. The kind that gets executives to actually listen, lean forward, and say yes.

Because here’s the reality:
Most great ideas die in the boardroom. Not because they’re bad, but because they’re told in the wrong language and presented in the wrong way.

Check out the podcast recorded on the riverbank, complete with church bells. Some photos from Zurich are at the end of this post.

Listen now, read on for more.

A Story About a Man With a Magnificent Moustache

Years ago, I worked with a technical manager. Brilliant guy. Huge moustache. The kind of moustache that deserves its own social media profile.

He had solutions. Real ones. Evidence-based, practical, doable.

But every time he pitched them to executives, he lost them. Why?

He spoke in technical language: pipelines, DevOps, CI/CD. His peers got it. Execs didn’t. Within minutes they were on their phones.

He wasn’t wrong. He just wasn’t speaking in terms of value.

The 3 Questions That Change Everything

We sat down together (I was brought in to coach him), stripped away the jargon, and reframed his pitch around three simple questions.

When you’re asking executives for support, funding, or buy-in, your idea needs to answer at least one of these:

1. Will it make us more money?

Revenue. Profit. Growth. Sales. Execs think in terms of financial upside. If your idea opens new markets, boosts sales, ships value quicker or increases margin — show it.

2. Will it stop us losing money (or reduce costs)?

Waste is expensive. Poor processes leak money. Customer churn burns cash. If your idea reduces friction or plugs a hole, make that crystal clear. If your idea reduces costs - awesome - explain why. Costs in many organisations are staggeringly high.

3. Will it help us retain or attract customers (or talent)?

Retention is cheaper than acquisition — for both people and customers.

  • Happy customers stay.
  • Happy staff stay.
  • Both save you a fortune.

Frame your idea in those terms, and suddenly execs are awake, engaged, and nodding along.

Evidence Beats Opinion (Thanks, Deming)

Edward Deming said it best:
“Without data, you’re just another person with an opinion.”

So don’t just claim your idea makes or saves money — prove it.
Talk to finance, marketing, customer support. Find the numbers. Even if your estimates aren’t perfect, being in the ballpark builds trust. There's always WAY more data in a business than many people realise – you've often just got to ask around and dig.

From Bored to Support

The moustachioed manager went back in with his new framing.

Same idea. Same presentation style. But this time:

  • Execs leaned in.
  • They asked questions.
  • He walked out with the funding and support he’d been chasing for months.

Why? Because he translated his technical vision into executive value language. They understood why investing a little money (for new servers) would reduce waste and increase time to market for the products.

Why This Matters for You

You might not have a moustache. But you probably have ideas that need support.

If you want executive buy-in, remember this:

  • Don’t drown them in jargon.
  • Don’t just “hope” they get it.
  • Frame it in one (or more) of the 3 questions.

Will it make us money? Will it stop us losing money? Will it keep our people or customers?

Answer those — with evidence — and your chances of a “yes” go way up.

Next time you’re pitching an idea, scribble these three questions on a sticky note. Check your pitch against them. Find the data. Create a compelling narrative and go see what you get.

Because executives don’t just want ideas. They want value. They want reduced cost. They want less waste. They want retention. Well, good ones do anyway 😄

Photos from Zurich

A collection of photos from Zurich taken on the RicohGR camera

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