There are many ground rules that employees should follow to ensure a smooth, well-run advisory board meeting. Here are 3 of them.
1) Don’t sell
A most awkward moment occurred in London in a global advisory board meeting. A customer was answering a question about an industry trend that was affecting his business. He explained that his priorities were shifting and he was rethinking his strategy in favor of a different type of IT infrastructure. It was at this time when a regional sales manager rudely interrupted with, “You know we make that, don’t you?” You could have heard a pin drop.
2) No in-and-out privileges
Customers can’t get up and leave, so neither should you. Customers also hate when a CEO joins the meeting in the morning only to say, “Have a great meeting,” and then leaves. CAB attendees are executives, too. They’ve been told the CAB is of strategic importance, and they expect to have a dialog with the executive staff. When the CEO (or other company executive) doesn’t have time to participate in the entire meeting it sends the wrong message.
3) Don’t be defensive
It is not required that CAB participants agree with everything your company does, nor do you need to agree with everything customers say. It’s human nature to want to show that you are right, earning endorsements from customers at every turn. But, when customers don’t understand your presentation or offer another opinion, your first instinct may be to respond quickly with a “but ….” Some executives, without realizing it, begin to speak faster, louder, or longer, as if the sound of their voice will sway the audience to his or her point of view. Relax. It’s okay. Do no defend. Instead, try to understand where the confusion is or why they don’t agree.
For more on these and other ground rules, please see The Flipchart Guide to Customer Advisory Boards, Volume 2: How to execute a world-class CAB meeting.