How to make your horse drink

Let's imagine your business hasn't changed its recruitment process for ten years. You know it's outdated, and you have some good ideas for the future. But for some reason the key stakeholders aren't keen to get behind these ideas and your plans are facing a brick wall.

We've all been in situations like this, and although it might be incredibly frustrating, the worst thing you can do is force your client into accepting changes half-heartedly. Even if they do eventually say yes, six months down the line it will be you who is trying to sort out all the problems which arise from compliance rather than commitment.

So how can you make sure this doesn't happen? Obviously, the answer is ensure your client is behind your ideas. But that's easier said than done. A good first step is to assess how enthusiastic they are, so you know how much work you have to do to persuade them. Reading their body language can be helpful here. Sometimes the signs are obvious - I'm sure we don't need to tell you that a client who's checking their emails while you explain your plans probably isn't interested - but some signs are more subtle, and they're equally telling (for tips on how to read these more subtle signs, have a look at our past newsletters at www.hrwithguts)

Once you know how ready for change your client is, you need to figure out how to persuade them. Of course, everybody can be persuaded differently, but here are a few tips to encourage your client to take your plans seriously:

• Show them the future. Tell them lots of details about how your plans could help them.
• Tell them success stories. Some clients will be more willing to act if they know that similar plans have been carried out successfully in other businesses.
• Don't make them take your word for it. Take them along to presentations by other companies, or arrange lunches with people who have positive experiences to share.
• Get everyone involved. Check that everyone in the company knows about the changes. It's no good getting senior management on board when the people lower down have no idea what's in it for them. Once a few people are interested, they'll be quick to reassure others that you know what you're talking about.

What if none of this works? Well, stepping back isn't always a sign of defeat. In fact, it's often quite a good tactic. For example, we recently worked with an HR business partner who had spent ages trying to persuade her boss to set up a diversity committee. After getting nowhere, she eventually changed tactics and backed off, only bringing up data about their diversity (or lack of). Sure enough, a few months later, her boss told her he'd had a great idea and wanted to set up the very committee she'd originally suggested. Needless to say, it was quickly set up. After all, nothing guarantees successful change more than when your client believes they came up with the idea themselves!

If you want to read more about these ideas then take a look at our workbook Getting your ideas accepted, available at www.hrwithguts.com And remember, if one technique fails, then try another.