But the key to success with the boss isn't a new suit or a great PowerPoint presentation. The ticket to getting your IT project approved actually requires substance to trump style for a change.

HERE ARE 10 SUGGESTIONS

1.Focus on systems and investments that will promote enterprise-wide cash visibility.

Unless your CEO has been hiding under a rock for the past two years, he or she should immediately see some merit in the idea of investing in financial technology that would create a dashboard allowing the CEO to know the entire company's cash positions anytime and anywhere. Such information has become crucial in the wake of so many companies facing credit downgrades in recent months, making access to the commercial paper markets for quick fixes of cash more difficult–and costly. An accurate picture of the company's liquidity can improve the management of and ability to predict actual funding needs. "Very few companies believe that they have the best forecasting system they can have," says Skerritt. "That becomes very important when you have a liquidity issue."

2. Outline big-picture improvements and not daily task efficiencies.

One big reason: When a function is already being completed–even if it is done manually–it can be a tough sell to convince a CEO that it is worthwhile to spend money to automate the task. Also, if your CEO doesn't have a financial background or perhaps lacks an appreciation for the back office or more arcane duties of the company's finance department, getting the approval for a purchase that might not be fully understood can be an uphill climb. "CEOs are not interested in whether the technology can do wire transfers or cash position worksheets," says Michael Poisson, a senior vice president at SunGard Treasury Systems. "For the CEO it is, 'What can you do for me in terms of cash visibility anywhere in the world and in real time?'"

3. Don't discuss how technology works; CEOs don't care.

Although CFOs and treasurers often like to talk financial technology, vendors know CEOs have little patience for explanations of exactly how the software or system works. Why? They are not ever going to be using it. With that in mind, the discussions should focus on how a solution can improve company reporting, increase the frequency of planning and put more controls in place, says Jeffrey R. Rodek, CEO of Hyperion Software Solutions Corp. of Sunnyvale, Calif. "CEOs care about the scope of the project, how the investment will make the management team be more accountable, how disruptive will the technology be and how big an investment will it be," he says. "It has to help the company measure performance and profitability better."

4. The theme of your presentation should not be specific to treasury or finance, but reflect cost savings and efficiencies across the organization.

Your goal must be to show–in dollars and cents, reductions in force and efficiency and security of operations–how every department and the company as a whole will benefit from this investment, even if the technology will ultimately only be used by finance. This strategy will go a long way toward answering any CEO howls that an investment worth millions will only benefit a few.

5.Conduct an IT needs assessment, comparing the technology your company currently has and its functionality with what you want accomplished. Any shortcomings should be clearly articulated with details of how they leave the company exposed.

This is perhaps the most important first step toward determining exactly what kind of software is needed. A highly detailed needs assessment should examine exactly what the finance department wants in a software package or system and how competing vendors will be evaluated on their ability to fill those needs. "Everyone who touches the financial system, and how they would benefit from that new technology should be considered," says Fred Cohen, a PricewaterhouseCoopers partner responsible for the accounting firm's financial risk management practice. "That should then be tailored to the business needs and obviously the financial and economic capabilities of the company. You can't have a complete wish list, but you do want to build a foundation for the future."

A thorough needs assessment can help prevent overbuying or falling for seductive technological gadgetry. It also helps to determine whether an expenditure is required in the first place. Brad Fisher, a partner in KPMG LLP's risk advisory services group, notes that many times a company's software already possesses the functionality that the finance department craves, but it might present key information in a format different from what the finance department can use. Such a circumstance might not warrant purchasing an entirely new system, Fisher asserts, but rather "helping people interpret [data that already exists]. The information is already provided, but people just need to know how to use it."

6. Spend time developing an RFP to guide vendors, and make sure they know you expect them to stick to it.

Along with the needs assessment analysis, this is a step that tends to trip up a lot of companies seeking software, experts say, in large part because too little time is spent putting it together. Because getting this part wrong can often lead to purchasing the wrong platform, consultants strongly urge that RFPs focus on the required tasks and impress upon vendors that they should save conversations about bells and whistles for another time. "In addition to the needs assessment, the development of the RFP is a part of the process that we find people haven't spent a lot of time on, and it's the most important part of the process," says Robert J. Baldoni, a partner at Ernst & Young LLP and head of the accounting giant's global treasury advisory group. "This document should basically say to vendors, 'This is what you need to tell me to respond to our RFP. Any additional marketing information or unique capabilities you want to tell me, you should put in an additional part of your response.'"

7. Outline in detail the disruption and planning necessary to incorporate the new technology.

An oft-overlooked area, it is important to keep on top of what is involved in implementing new technology. Many software purchases require that a company run parallel systems as data is migrated from the old system to the new. And, as virtually everyone who deals with software of any kind knows, installations and implementations rarely go smoothly. Among the questions for which you should have answers: Can data be electronically fed into the new systems? If not, how long will it take to manually input the information? How critical is the task you might be automating? "In many cases, especially in larger systems, these may be career decisions that people are making," warns Baldoni. "If it doesn't go well, and there was a champion for this process, that person might have personal difficulty [in the future]."

8. When you have narrowed the choice of vendors, make them provide information on their own financial health. Your CEO will feel more inclined to proceed if he knows there won't be any unpleasant surprises because your vendor goes out of business.

This is becoming a more frequent request of vendors in the wake of so many software companies folding with the tech bubble implosion. Vendors and consultants say you shouldn't be shy about asking a potential vendor to supply income statements. Indeed, many welcome it. "Four years ago, you didn't whip out your financials as a vendor," says SunGard's Poisson. "But that has been a plus for us being part of a public company, because now we're being asked, 'Are you going to be around next year?'"

9. Spell out the implications of your plan for hiring, redeployment and layoffs.

Another feature of the business case, this area should take a hard look at the impact on finance staff if the company decides to buy a new technology platform, and it shouldn't be limited to only discussions about headcount. Consultants advise also discussing how new technology investments will free up workers to move away from being purely functional toward a more analytical role, potentially uncovering ways the company can become even more efficient with its finances.

10. Every CEO wants to hear about the return on investment: How soon will the system pay for

itself and how much can it save the company down the road?

Addressing these questions should come after you've conducted your needs assessment and have vetted all responses to the RFP, consultants say. Baldoni and others suggest it's a good idea to include ROI analysis in a business case, which should examine both the scenario of pressing ahead with an acquisition and what happens if the company opts not to purchase a new system.

And after you do all that, you might still want to buy the new suit and do a PowerPoint. Everything helps.