How do you balance getting feedback and buy-in with different stakeholders and resolving key differences while keeping the lift light?

I have a new hack for this: it's called Loom.

I swear I'm not trying to promote this product, but marketers gonna market ;)

Seriously though, Loom has been a game changer for us to keep tight feedback loops, stakeholders informed, and identifying when there needs to be a deeper dive on an area of disagreement.

• Record your presentation on Loom and send it to your stakeholders for feedback.

• Ask them to comment on the video directly and then either respond to their comments directly, or use the comments to set the agenda for your alignment meeting.

• Never present live in a room full of lots of VPs. First, you'll never get the feedback you want, you'll likely never get consensus, and you'll probably stay in the feedback loop for 3x as long as you'd like. By sending the presentation ahead of a meeting, you'll be able to gather feedback beforehand, and use your meeting time to hash it out.

• Another hack, if your stakeholders won't watch the video ahead of a meeting, use the first 15 minutes of the meeting for them to watch & respond to the video while you're all together, then the second half of the meeting can be focused on discussion.

I hope this hack saves you lots of time and headaches!

A key part of getting buy-in from different stakeholders involves first ensuring that everyone understands the context behind the project, the objectives for the project, and the importance of moving quickly. Make sure all of this is very clearly laid out for stakeholder consumption. Set a timeline for when you need to make a decision, and make sure stakeholders also understand the consequences of not moving quickly— in some cases, it could be a tradeoff you’re willing to make.

In many cases, prealigning 1:1 with key stakeholders ahead of a larger group alignment discussion can actually expedite decision-making, since it gives you the opportunity to understand key concerns and resolve any key differences 1:1.

Balancing feedback and getting buy-in from different stakeholders is always tricky, especially when opinions differ. I’ve found that using a clear decision-making framework like Gokul Rajaram's SPADE makes a big difference. SPADE helps me structure decisions by defining the situation, identifying stakeholders, presenting multiple options, and evaluating the pros and cons of each before driving alignment.

For example, when I was working on a pricing and packaging recommendation at Square for my product (Square Invoices), we needed to decide how to commercialize a feature-based paywall. Opinions varied—some teams wanted to prioritize revenue growth, while others were concerned about potential churn from existing customers. Using the SPADE framework, I presented multiple options for the paywall, outlining how each would impact business goals like revenue and retention. This process helped me guide leadership toward a recommendation that struck the right balance: driving growth while protecting our existing customer base.

What I love about SPADE is that it forces the leader to clearly articulate both the decision and the reasoning behind it. In this case, it helped stakeholders understand the logic, ensured their input was considered, and aligned the team toward a shared outcome. It’s a simple way to make complex decisions feel structured and transparent.

Balancing feedback and buy-in while keeping it manageable is a mix of clarity, focus, and diplomacy. After several starts and stumbles learned over time, here's how I approach it:

1. Set the stage early: Before diving into feedback, I clarify the goals and non-negotiables upfront. For example, I’ll say, “We’re aligned on launching X by this date—feedback today should focus on positioning and messaging.” This narrows the scope and avoids endless loops of input.

2. Know your influencers: Every group has key voices that sway opinions. I make it a point to know who these influencers are and involve them early. For example, when launching a new campaign, I loop in the head of sales first, because their buy-in cascades across the team.

3. Understand individual priorities: People care most about topics tied to their role or goals. I tailor conversations to those priorities—talking about scalability with ops, conversion rates with sales, or campaign ROI with marketing. Recently, knowing that a stakeholder cared deeply about customer adoption, I framed a pitch around how the new messaging would drive more signups.

4. Bring a starting point, not a blank slate: People are more productive when reacting rather than creating. I once showed up with a blank page for a pricing discussion—it became chaos. Now, I share a draft or framework to anchor the conversation. This is a game changer.

5. Facilitate alignment conversations: When differences arise, I get stakeholders in the same room (or Zoom) to hash it out. My role is to frame the disagreement, propose potential solutions, and ensure the discussion stays focused. Its never fun to be the one that needs to call out to parking lot part of a discussion, but I've found its necessary to keep focus.

6. Document decisions and next steps: After feedback sessions, I share a summary of what’s decided and why. It’s a light lift that prevents misinterpretations. I’ve learned that even a one-paragraph recap can save hours of back-and-forth later. I strongly recommend using meeting recordings and transcripts (and then summarizing through chatgpt) to keep things on track.

7. Choose your battles: Some feedback isn’t worth fighting over. If a tweak doesn’t break the strategy or timeline, I let it go. This keeps the lift light and shows stakeholders that their input matters.