1. Do the match-up analysis. Take time prior to the meeting, perhaps en-route to the meeting destination so it’s good and fresh, to review the profile and photo of each member. Knowing each member's responsibilities, background, and interests will help you connect with them on a more personal basis and help you introduce them to their fellow Council members. Additionally, during the Prep Session, assign an executive to serve as “host” to 1-2 Advisory Council members, especially if they are new to the group.
2. Know the stats. Review company profiles, financials, recent news and press releases, and have an understanding of the volume and types of business they do with you. This information will help you better understand their perspectives on key issues discussed during the meeting.
3. Identify the 1-2 things to win. Since these are your top customers, chances of good that you have deals pending. Know what they are, what it will take to win them, and any other opportunities that may be coming your way.
4. Calculate the risks. Likewise, know if there are any unresolved customer-service issues that may come up in conversation. You don’t want to be caught off-guard and ill-prepared to address them if they do.
5. Understand the game-changers.  Know who the other key leaders are and how your Advisory Board Members may influence them. 

Every year at this time, you hear all of the hoopla around one of Pennsylvania's most recognized residents - Punxsutawney Phil. I always end up laughing as my mind then shifts to Bill Murray's classic performance in the movie Ground hog's Day. We all know the premise: a guy gets to "re-do" the same day over and over and over again, but discovering little nuances and trying new things along the way, in order to get to the outcome he really desires (to get the girl).

In business, wouldn't it be great if we had that ability? Not to 'get the girl', but to be able to see every possible angle before we execute. Every strategy, every sales call, every marketing campaign, all fully vetted through numerous attempts of trial and error. Well, of course we can't really do that. Not exactly anyway. But, we do have some terrific  'guidance' tools at our disposal: personal experience and the collective experience of our customers.

When setting strategy, designing a marketing program or campaign, or virtually anything else, our own personal experience can be a directional guide - allowing us to move generally in the right direction. By leveraging the collective experience of others - our peers and most importantly, our customers, we can fine-tune our direction, exacting a path to success. The experience of the collective is akin to the trial and error in Ground hog's Day, only we didn't have to experience it ourselves. Customers will (in one form or another) tell us everything we need to know. We just need to provide a forum to enable us to listen.

Sometimes in business it feels like many companies are caught in the same loop - making similar mistakes over and over again. Progress and growth have slowed, and there can be a sense of frustration. Organizations that actively engage and listen to their customers (or collective) are breaking out of these never-ending loops and are thriving. What path is your company on? Start your journey by answering this question: "Are you actively listening or are you living in your own Ground hog's Day???"

Gary Vastola, Vice President of Field Marketing & Service Support from Xerox and I participated in a Whale Hunters Expert Series call last week. The call and discussion was focused around the common challenges companies faced as they closed out 2011; flat sales, retention, and customer satisfaction issues. 

As we kick off the New Year companies want to turn the tide towards exponential growth.  The quickest way to achieve exponential growth is by focusing on your most important customers at a decision maker level.  That sounds so simple but so many companies become distracted trying to do that with all their existing customers. The truth is that all customers are all not worthy of that type of attention and resources.  As we all know, if you don’t prioritize your efforts than the efforts get diluted and so do the results.

Once you have focused on your most important customers at a decision maker level, the next question is what do you do with them?  The days of “howdy calls” are over.  You remember those days, an executive comes in to visit one of your important customers and basically the executive takes them to breakfast, lunch or dinner or meets in their office to introduce themselves and talk about sports and something else that is meaningless.  The executive leaves and the customer executive is thinking nice guy, but I don’t have time to waste doing that again. One way to engage your decision makers in a meaningful valuable way is through an Executive Sponsor Program (ESP).  An ESP is that one on one relationship (executive to executive) that is outside of any sales transaction.  When launched well, the results are undeniable.  

• Done right, an Advisory Board is synonymous with continuous improvement and can be transformational.
• An Advisory Board implies that change is about to happen. After all, that’s why you are investing in it! You see the need for change (a new direction, increased sales, improved relationships, etc.) and realize that your customers can provide you with the guidance you need to make it happen.
• Stakeholders inherently resist change, so communicate progress early and often.
• Culture impacts an organization’s ability to change, so build a tolerance for ongoing change into your corporate strategy. 
• Change doesn’t just happen overnight. It takes time and requires a certain set of skills, so designate a change agent/architect to manage the process.