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Customer advisory boards are rapidly becoming a standard part of a company's marketing program. CAB meetings allow your executives to meet with a dozen or more of your most important customer decision makers. But not all CAB meetings are successful. The secrets to designing and executing a world-class CAB program are revealed in this 2-volume set of books: The Flipchart Guide to Customer Advisory Boards. This short presentation will give you an overview. Enjoy!
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Designing a Customer Advisory Board for your business
How to connect with your most important customers
Mike GospeKickStart Alliance
www.kickstartall.comhttp://customeradvisoryboards.wordpress.com
2013© KickStart Alliancehttp://customeradvisoryboards.wordpress.com
Do you know the “voice” of your customer?
How well do you know the business issues driving your customer’s decision process?
Without this bit of strategic insight, your company’s vision may fail to take root or a well-intended product may turn out to be irrelevant or difficult to sell.
2013© KickStart Alliancehttp://customeradvisoryboards.wordpress.com
What is a Customer Advisory Board?
A CAB is a strategy-level focus group – a sounding board for your leadership team to learn from and better understand your most important customers.
CABs consist of a dozen or so customers, ensuring an intimate conversation.
CABs are invitation-only meetings; delegation should not be allowed.
CABs are not:• Sales meetings• Product focus groups• Social events
2013© KickStart Alliancehttp://customeradvisoryboards.wordpress.com
CABs & the “voice of the customer” model
Read more about VOC models in The Flipchart Guide to Customer Advisory Boards, Volume 1: Is your company ready?
2013© KickStart Alliancehttp://customeradvisoryboards.wordpress.com
Four CAB Objectives
1. 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.
2. Validate your company’s value proposition and strategic direction, ensuring your business is in sync with your customers’ needs and expectations.
3. Review, assess, or brainstorm product direction and opportunities for improving solutions, interaction, and customer satisfaction.
4. Collaborate on shared business issues, thereby strengthening the relationship between your executives and customer decision makers, and fostering peer-to-peer networking opportunities.
2013© KickStart Alliancehttp://customeradvisoryboards.wordpress.com
Typical CAB Format
Face-to-face meetings take place 1-2 times per year
Facilitated format to establish an unbiased environment
Round table discussions among customers Hosted in a comfortable, relaxed offsite location Typical Agenda
• Welcome dinner (hosted the night before)• 9 am to 3 pm working session comprised of 3 – 5 topic areas
concluding with a prioritization discussion on the most important action items/opportunities, as defined by the CAB members
2013© KickStart Alliancehttp://customeradvisoryboards.wordpress.com
Keys to your CAB Success
Invite only your most strategic customers to participate Don’t treat the CAB as a sales event Set the right agenda Invest in a facilitator Be prepared to act on the information you collect
2013© KickStart Alliancehttp://customeradvisoryboards.wordpress.com
The Flipchart Guide to Customer Advisory Boards, Volume 1: Is your company ready?
Written for executive leaders, this guidebook explores CAB strategies and helps readers assess their organizational, operational, and cultural readiness for embracing a CAB.• Discover if a CAB is appropriate for your company• See how executives use CABs to tune their
company’s strategic direction• Learn where CABs fit into the overall “voice of the
customer” (VOC model)• Study the Top 10 List of what all executives need to
know about CABs
Visit the blog: http://customeradvisoryboards.wordpress.com
2013© KickStart Alliancehttp://customeradvisoryboards.wordpress.com
The Flipchart Guide to Customer Advisory Boards, Volume 2: How to execute a world-class CAB meeting
Written for first time CAB managers and others who want to hone their skills, Volume 2 is your CAB operations manual.• View the master timeline for producing successful
CAB meetings• Unlock the criteria for determining which customers
to invite and how to invite them• Discover how to build an agenda that will engage
customers• Review tips and tricks for working cross-functionally
to prepare effective content and presentations• Know what to expect from a facilitator• Learn how to share CAB feedback internally so your
organization can take action
Visit the blog: http://customeradvisoryboards.wordpress.com
2013© KickStart Alliancehttp://customeradvisoryboards.wordpress.com
About KickStart Alliance
25+ years of marketing leadership experience (HP, Sun, plus start-ups)
Co-founded KickStart Alliance in 2002 10+ years of customer advisory board
experience Focus on B2B hi-tech companies Author of B2B marketing leadership books
• The Flipchart Guide to Customer Advisory Boards, Volume 1: Is your company ready?
• The Flipchart Guide to Customer Advisory Boards, Volume 2: How to execute a world-class CAB meeting
• The Marketing High Ground• Marketing Campaign Development
A sales & marketing leadership consulting team
Mike Gospe leads KickStart’s CAB practice
http://customeradvisoryboards.wordpress.com
2013© KickStart Alliancehttp://customeradvisoryboards.wordpress.com
CONTACT US
Mike GospeOffice: 650-947-8974Cell: 650-464-7662Email: [email protected]
www.kickstartall.com
KickStart AllianceInspiring Companies to become Customer-focused
