Within every company there are people that earn a lot of money, like to take decisions, but actually make websites and online marketing results sucks.
A lot of online marketers and web analysts have to deal with them at least one time in their carreer.
In this context I like to introduce the word “HiPPO”; in our web analytics language it stands for “Highest Paid Person’s Opinion” or “Highest Paid Person in Organization”. You know what I am talking about?! ;-)
What you can do about it? A lot actually!
Just read on to discover how to positively influence YOUR HiPPO.
1. Educate Yourself on Persuasion
One of the best books that has probably ever been written on this subject is:
Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion.
It’s a must have on your business book shelf and reading this book will really help you to smartly influence your HiPPO.
2. Learn Office Politics Skills
In general, learning about office politics and mastering these skills is of incredible value. Whether you choose to participate in it or not, power struggles will be a part of your career.
And very importantly, these skills might come in handy when dealing with HiPPO’s.
Some reading suggestions:
– Secrets to Winning at Office Politics (book)
– Dealing with Office Politics (article)
– 7 Habits to Win in Office Politics (article)
3. Remember: Visualization is King
A plain row of numbers doesn’t speak for itselves. On the other hand, a beautiful, well-targeted visualization really rocks.
This Excel dashboard course has a lot of potential. And it might be a great help in improving your Excel, dashboard and visualization skills!
Another great option is Annielytics Dashboard Course. Make sure to check them out!
4. Benchmark Your Data
HiPPO’s like numbers to be put in perspective. So why not show them how your company is performing if compared to the industry and specific competitors?
Read this guide about Competitive Intelligence Data Sources (written by Avinash Kaushik) and you will make a head start.
5. Proactively Ask for Input (Testing)
When you are running an A/B or MV test, it might be a good idea to get your HiPPO involved and ask about his opinion.
Always include his ideas in a test every now and then. This way you can objectively judge whether and in what way to make changes to your website.
For inspiration, look at this article about 10 ideas for MV testing.
There are many testing tools on the market, it all comes down to your budget and specific requirements.
6. Be Nice
Just with a smile you can achieve a lot. So make sure to genuinely greet your boss everyday. This really helps to overcome a lot of issues.
I like to end this post with an overview of 10 skills every web analyst should master.
Now it’s your turn! What’s your experience with HiPPOs? Do you have any more tips on how to deal with them?
If anything is on your mind, please bring it up and add some extra value to this post.
One last thing... Make sure to get my automated Google Analytics 4 Audit Tool. It contains 30 key health checks on the GA4 Setup.
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