Mobile apps have proven to be a successful venture for startups, Fortune 500 companies and enterprises across many industries and verticals. The success of mobile in business is directly related to the rapid growth and adoption of smartphones:
Around the world, more smartphones are being used than personal computers. As a result, it’s becoming more important than ever for brands to embrace mobile as it’s become the screen of choice for the majority of the world.
However, there are still many companies that have yet to embrace mobile. This reluctance can be attributed to a multitude of reasons, but one of the biggest is lack of support from key stakeholders within the C-suite. And app developers are not sure how to get buy in from the top…
So how do you go about getting the C-suite on board?
How do you show your internal team that mobile is worth investing in? Of course, every organization is different, but we’ve recognized a few consistently successful approaches that can help executives show their teams the benefits of going mobile.
Clearly Demonstrate The Value
When you’re making a pitch to the C-suite, it’s important to consider their priorities. One of the biggest mistakes that I frequently see people make when trying to pitch mobile products to the C-suite is focusing on flash rather than substance.
The development and design of a mobile app is a strategic business decision, not something that should be viewed as just a “nice-to-have.” The right app can quickly open new channels of revenue, provide better customer service or even create a new business model. It’s imperative that you go into this meeting understanding the true benefits that a mobile app can offer your organization.
An easy way to clearly communicate the value that a mobile app would offer your organization is to make industry comparisons. If an organization in your industry has a mobile presence and is succeeding because of it, use this as a case study of how mobile can have a positive impact.
If you’re in an industry where the competition is still behind, look to other industries that service a similar user base. Use those industry’s mobile frontrunners to illustrate the benefits associated with being the first to bring a mobile app to market.
Finally, if your industry is being disrupted by a startup, this is where you want to focus your attention. Show the C-suite the traction that these startups are generating from their mobile apps and talk about the long-term impact that this disruption could have on their business—and yours. Furthermore, take the time to show your team the stats and metrics that support why startups are investing in mobile:
Speak To Organizational Goals
Once you have real-world comparisons, it’s time to start talking the language of the C-suite. It’s easy to get caught up in the exciting world of app downloads, time spent and other metrics that excite mobile app developers. Unfortunately, these metrics aren’t the ones that keep the C-suite of a Fortune 500 company up at night.
Instead, talk about goals that are more closely related to the organization’s overall health and other items that would get a stakeholder excited about this project. What does that look like?
Start by redefining the way you measure success. For example, if you’re in the retail space, you might want to uncover a methodology that measures consumers on mobile devices who purchase products. The best starting point is existing data that can be leveraged to guide the mobile equation you’re going to share with the C-suite.
Let’s say you can demonstrate through existing data that 2 out of 5 people who receive a push notification from your app are going to open it, and 15 percent of those people are going to make a transaction worth $70. Using this equation, you can calculate and predict how many new transactions will happen over the life cycle of the app.
What’s even better?
You can use this equation to show the C-suite when the mobile app will pay for itself.
Debunk Objections Before They Arise
No matter what type of organization you work in, there will always be objections to new ideas, forcing you to think critically and more strategically. It’s your job when bringing these new ideas to the C-suite to have the answers in your back pocket so that no objection can throw you off track and derail your pitch.
For example, we all know that developing and designing a mobile app can take months of planning, wireframing, designing, building and launching, and then even more months to see the first wave of real return. Executives might balk at the time it takes to see a return; however, that return can be significantly more than the cost required to maintain and build your mobile app. As mentioned above, it’s important that you spell out when the app could pay for itself in order to debunk this objection early on.
Sidenote: If you’re wondering what type of prices you can expect, here’s a transparent guide that highlights the cost associated with building a mobile app in-house vs. outsourcing the development to an app agency:
If you’re wondering how long it will take to build an app, it truly depends on the complexity of what you’re trying to build. At MindSea, we offer a Blueprint process that helps brands plan their mobile apps before writing a single line of code. During this process, we help companies identify the technical requirements and the foundational look and feel that the app should have when it’s time for launch. Our Blueprint process is a great way to kickstart a mobile app project because it offers the entire C-suite a chance to get on the same page and have a clear understanding of what the app is going to do for the organization.
Wrapping Things Up
The C-suite doesn’t have time to listen to vanity metrics.
Show your senior execs the real value that comes from mobile and the impact it’s having on the industry as a whole. While some teams are more traditional and may be slow to adopt new technologies, everyone knows that mobile is changing the world and how the world’s business is done. Now is the perfect time for any executive to take on the role of leading the internal charge for mobile.
If you’re looking for someone to help you paint a clear picture of the mobile landscape and identify a mobile solution that will work for your company, let us know. We are always interested in helping people unlock the true power of mobile in their business—we’d love to chat with you.
