How to Get the Money Right for Innovation Investment

Have you ever come across an external partner who has exactly what your organization needs—but they ask for too much money to get started?

This is one of the most critical moments in an innovator’s cycle. You believe in the idea. You believe in the value. But the price tag puts you at a crossroads.

At this moment, you typically have three choices:

Take the price and try to get it funded.
Reject the opportunity, assuming it’s overpriced.
Get strategic.

In these situations, innovators often rely on grit and persuasion. But I believe in having a guiding principle—something that helps you stay clear-headed no matter how compelling the opportunity or intense the pressure. For me, that principle is something I call:

Financial Landscape vs. Authority

Here’s what it means.

If a partner asks for money—say $250,000—to do a project, you need to understand how your organization works. Most companies have a clear financial authority threshold: the dollar amount someone is allowed to approve without going up the chain of command.

Once you exceed that threshold, you're no longer just asking your internal partner to approve your project. You're asking them to take your proposal into a broader financial landscape—one filled with dozens of other priorities competing for the same budget.

At that level, innovation often loses. Why? Because innovation is risky. Unless the leader you're pitching is unusually bold or you're a proven performer, odds are they’ll play it safe—and say no.

How Do You Work Around This?

It all starts with knowing your internal partner’s financial authority.

You want your proposal to:

Be within their authority to approve.
Be aligned with something they actually want to do.

When those two things line up, you’ve got a powerful internal champion—someone who can greenlight your project without kicking it into the high-risk, high-scrutiny upper decks.

How to Talk to Your External Partner

The key here is openness. Be collaborative, not confrontational. Don’t just tell them the price is too high—explain why.

Say something like:“This is a great project, but at $250K, it requires VP-level approval. And that takes time and opens the door to more scrutiny and competing priorities. If we can get it closer to $100K, we can move fast and get real traction.”

This approach builds trust and helps filter out partners who are only in it for the short-term payday. If they truly believe in the value of the partnership, they'll work with you to find a viable starting point. If they walk away, you’ve saved time and pain.

Should You Never Go Big?

Of course not.

Going big is in the innovator’s DNA. But if you want your idea to take root in the organization, you need to start small and smart. Focus on:

Building a track record
Generating real data
Creating an internal champion

When you do that, you shift from being a solo visionary to a business-aligned innovator—someone who’s seen as credible, grounded, and connected to the company’s goals.

Financial Landscape vs. Authority: A Real-World Example

A few years ago, I wanted my company to fund a bold experiment in social media. The external partner quoted us $250,000 for a 16-week pilot. I believed the value was there, but I knew I’d need VP approval at that level—and that meant risking a "no."

Instead, I spoke with a motivated Director-level partner who had around $100,000 in spending authority. I went back to the vendor and explained the situation clearly. We renegotiated the scope to fit within that budget, and the Director funded the project.

That initial $100,000 pilot kicked off a five-year relationship with the vendor that ultimately brought in over $1 million in business, including a $275,000 deal just a few months later—this time with VP approval, backed by real results.

And even after I left the company two years into the partnership, the relationship continued.

When Can You Go Big Right Away?

That’s a topic for another post. But I’ll say this:

Big wins often come from smart starts.

If you want to go big, make your first ask small enough to say "yes"—and strong enough to build momentum.

Innovation Facilitation: Financial Landscape Versus Authority