How to argue for your innovation project

Innovators and managers often ask me how can they get their project "green-lighted" or "funded." I advise them to stake their argument on following three points:

1. Strategic rationale. Show how is your idea aligned with the business strategy, how would it contribute to specific targets and objectives, and how does it fit in the long picture.
2. Opportunity cost. Don't go with fear-mongering (burning platforms, and all those metaphors). Demonstrate why not doing your proposed innovation project would cost company more than doing other things.*
3. Emotional language. Don't get hung up on data, numbers, and purely rational arguments. Bring passion to your descriptions, and paint a vivid picture of how your organisation and customer would be changed with your idea.

And don't forget to (a) leverage the three dimensions of power, and (b) check if your idea is understandable.

*Here is a very simplified example. Let's say your management has a budget of 100 units. You are asking for 10 of that. That means that someone will not get those 10. Let's say that your idea has a potential to double that. If they don't give you that 10, and put it into another thing, that might bring back 12, then the opportunity cost would be 8 units (20-12).