For the past 12 years, I’ve been working with hi-tech B2B companies to help them plan and facilitate their customer advisory boards. I recently crossed the threshold of 100 CABs. As I look back, here are 3 important lessons I’ve learned.
1) Semantics are everything.
Where CABs fit in the voice-of-the-customer model.
There is a lot of confusion around the term, Customer Advisory Boards. While the topic has recently enjoyed a lot of recent popularity among marketers and corporate leadership, the definition is still a bit squishy to those who have never run one. CABs are easily confused with other similar-sounding customer engagement tactics, most notably customer advisory forums, customer councils, and even executive roundtables. They are most definitely not the same thing. To that end, I developed a pyramid graphic to help explain where CABs fit in the broader voice-of-the-customer pyramid. This is a very helpful tool for internal discussion.
CABs are not, and should not, be viewed as an isolated activity. Instead, they work best when they are integrated into the broader fabric of customer feedback and market guidance. I use this graphic not to push a CAB as a predefined agenda, but as a backdrop to ask my clients about their objectives and what information they want to capture and better understand. How they answer those questions will greatly clarify what type of customer engagement will work best for them. Sometimes the CAB is exactly what they need. Other times, it is something different. Then the exercise becomes one of educating the leadership team on the correct terminology so everyone can be in sync. (Also, read Advisory Boards vs Advisory Councils)
2) No two CABs are alike.
Over the years I developed a very pragmatic (and popular) methodology for helping my clients prepare for their CAB. Even so, one key dimension on this methodology is in its flexibility. Because no two clients are exactly alike, it is true that no two CABs are alike. Flexibility in terms of the timing, the objectives, the participants, and even the content is required. I believe the methodology is only as good as the conversations it provokes. We start with the structured methodology then mold it to each unique client.
Variations begin when setting objectives. There are four primary objectives that may apply to a CAB program or initiative, although it is extremely rare for all four to be applied to the same CAB meeting. For example, when holding an inaugural CAB meeting, two objectives are often combined:
- To gain a better understanding of the trends, drivers, and priorities shaping your customers’ businesses, and to explore how your company can become a more valuable partner in light of these influences.
- To validate your company’s value proposition and strategic direction, ensuring your business is in sync with your customers’ needs and expectations
So, depending on your specific objectives, the type of questions you are interested in exploring, and a clear assessment of who in your customer base can answer those questions, the CAB agenda and meeting will take shape. Like those found a carpenter’s tool box, there are a variety of CAB-related tools and techniques a skilled facilitator can use to help shape the meeting and guide the conversations. (Also, read Help! I Have the Wrong Customers Attending my CAB)
In the end, you want a CAB engagement that is as unique as you are.
3) You get out what you put in, and lots more.
And this third learning point is easily the most challenging. It is easy for a busy company to think they can completely outsource the preparation for a world-class CAB meeting. Sometimes I’m asked to “put together an agenda you think we should use, then tell me when it’s ready for review.” This line of thinking is the first step to a disappointing CAB experience.
There is no substitute for having executive leadership and content owners engaged appropriately in the preparation process. This does not mean they need to do all the heavy lifting. However, they need to have skin in the game to ensure the meeting is on topic and relevant. This is why the methodology I designed is based on 10 weeks of engagement prior to the CAB meeting. Here’s a synopsis of how the “aha!” moments unfold:
- CAB kickoff meeting – this 1 hour meeting is held with the core team and executive stakeholders. The objective of this meeting is to synchronize expectations and talk about the desired outcome. Not only for the specific CAB meeting, but also in how the information and knowledge collected will be distributed and shared internally.
- Working session #1 – this is where we brainstorm agenda topics that correlate to the CAB objectives. Other factors come into play, such as topics being debated at the board of directors meetings, scheduled product launches, and other company initiatives. By the end of the meeting we may be able to draft an agenda for the CAB meeting. Some participants may ask, “aren’t we done now?” And here’s where life gets interesting, because . . .
- Working sessions and content development exercises – the discussion topics and questions evolve over time as the team starts to really think about the implications associated with the draft agenda. This is when the “aha!” moments arrive. And they are often unanticipated. The final agenda can be quite different from the agenda drafted in the first working session. There really is no substitute for allowing quality time to think about the CAB engagement.
The bottom line
Your CAB may be the most important meeting you hold all year. It is the one place and one time where members of your executive staff are in the same a room with a dozen of your most important customer decision makers. It’s worth allowing some time to get comfortable with the process and the desired outcome before you commit yourself. If your goal is to deliver a world-class CAB experience for your customers AND for your leadership team, these three lessons will guide you to success.
For more insight and CAB advise, email Mike Gospe, or visit the CAB Resource Center.