No one buys an idea unless they see what’s in it for them.

It’s why so many great ideas die in conference rooms, buried under polite nods and parking-lot comments like “Let’s revisit this next quarter.”

It’s not that your idea wasn’t good.

It’s that you didn’t make the value visible.

When leaders quantify the value of their ideas, everything changes. We:

• Earn credibility

• Reduce ambiguity

• Increase urgency

• Boost buy-in

The good news? There’s a surprisingly simple way to do this.

It’s inspired by Daniel Goleman, the psychologist who brought emotional intelligence into the boardroom. Goleman’s work suggests that business decisions hinge on three kinds of improvement: revenue gains, cost reductions, and emotion.

That’s our playbook.

Let’s break it down into three steps you can apply to any pitch, proposal, or presentation.

Step 1: Quantify how your idea increases revenue

Start with what most businesses consider their lifeblood — the top line.

Ask yourself: How does this idea help us reach more customers, sell faster, or grow loyalty?

This is where your audience’s rational brain lights up. You’re not describing what your idea is. You’re showing what it earns.

Maybe your idea creates demand by improving the customer experience. Maybe it helps close deals faster by simplifying the sales story. Maybe it strengthens loyalty through better service consistency.

Whatever it is, give it shape through numbers:

• “A 20% lift in MQL-to-SQL conversion.”

• “A 3-point increase in customer retention.”

• “A 5-day faster path to purchase.”

Even directional estimates work. You’re signaling impact, not perfection. Resist the urge for these numbers to be perfect, and instead frame them with “I believe this is possible.” It’s a great way to get people on your team for your ideas, without needing a team of analysts to verify your projections.

Once your audience can see the revenue upside, they start connecting the dots. Dopamine (the keep doing that hormone) will start to drip, and confidence will blossom.

Step 2: Quantify how your idea decreases costs

If revenue wins hearts, efficiency wins respect.

Leaders listen differently when they hear how an idea saves time, reduces risk, or eliminates waste. You’re showing not only that you understand value creation, but that you think like an owner.

Ask:

• What can this idea help us streamline?

• What waste can it remove?

• What risk can it prevent?

Then frame it with comparative adjectives: less waste, fewer steps, lower risk.

For example:

• “Cut manual reporting by 30%.”

• “Reduced rework by 12 hours per week.”

• “Eliminated two approval loops.”

You’re turning abstract benefits into tangible outcomes. The conversation shifts from should we do this? to how soon can we start?

Step 3: Quantify how your idea contributes emotionally

Here’s what average presenters leave out, but where the best communicators start.

Because emotion is the multiplier. It’s what moves people from understanding to action.

Ask:

• How does my idea make people feel proud, connected, or inspired?

• How does it strengthen belonging or deliver on our purpose?

• How does it increase prestige or perceived value for the product or organization?

Emotional value doesn’t fit neatly on a balance sheet, but it absolutely shows up in the form of buy-in.

So quantify it differently:

• “A 5% reduction in regrettable attrition.”

• “A two-point increase in NPS.”

• “Delivers on our purpose to ‘empower personal achievement.’”

You’re still measuring change. You’re just putting the inventory in human terms.

And when you connect your idea to pride, meaning, or identity, people stop seeing it as your idea. They start seeing it as our idea.

Step 4: Take inventory and make the change visible

Now it’s time to put all three together.

With your team, draw a triangle on the whiteboard.

Then list every way your idea:

• Increases revenue

• Decreases costs

• Contributes emotionally

Make sure you quantify the differences. Even directional phrases work: “10% faster,” “half as complex,” “twice as rewarding.”

Comparative adjectives are your best friend in this exercise. They paint a contrasting picture, and help your audience understand there’s a difference between the before and after states.

From implementing this idea, what can we expect?

• How much more revenue?

• How much less cost?

• How much better experience?

This exercise forces clarity. It turns intuition into evidence.

And it gives you the kind of language that sticks in decision-makers’ heads long after the meeting ends.

Why This Works

Because quantifying value engages both sides of the brain.

Numbers give logic a foothold.

Emotion gives memory a reason to care.

And when your audience can both understand and feel the benefits, you’ve earned something deeper than approval. You’ve earned advocacy.

That’s what Daniel Goleman meant by “true compassion” in leadership: not just understanding another’s pain, but being moved to help relieve it.

Quantifying the benefit of your idea is a form of compassion.

It’s empathy translated into evidence.

If they can see the benefits, they’ll believe in the vision.

That’s the essence of leadership storytelling. Not just sharing an idea, but showing why it matters.

Want more tools like this?

Let’s build a workshop for your leadership team. The Campfire Method® is full of tools designed to take their presentations from deck-heavy to story-rich.

🔥 Hi, I’m Eric, and every week, I share insights, observations and tools so you can ditch decks and light a fire in your high-stakes presentations. If you like what you see here, follow me on LinkedIn.