Hello – I’m Karen Penney, Sr. Account Manager at Geehan Group. Welcome to my blog! My goal is to share with readers some tips and best practices I’ve learned through planning, organizing and managing customer programs. I’ll also share some of the challenges we’ve faced, and how Geehan Group has developed solutions to overcome those challenges.
I recently ran a poll on the LinkedIn group for CAB.org. Many Customer Advisory Board (CAB) Program Managers belong to this group, so I thought they would be a great source for posing the question, "What is your most challenging obstacle in planning your CAB programs for 2012?"
From the three options provided, here are how the votes came in:
14% - Executive team buy-in
50% - Recruiting the right members
35% - Drafting an engaging agenda
I was not surprised by the results. After working with customer programs for over 7 years, this continues to be an area where we provide a great deal of assistance to our clients in building Recruiting Plans to help them successfully recruit their top customer executives.
If you're having difficulty recruiting the right members for your Customer Advisory Board, ask yourself these questions:
1. Have I developed the right profile for a CAB member? Be sure you're aligned with your executive sponsor and stakeholders on the criteria for the ideal CAB member. Develop a profile outlining the characteristics they have identified as "must haves" and circulate among the team.
2. Do I have a defined process for recruiting? A consistent message and approach are important when reaching out to customer executives. Be sure your recruiters have the necessary tools to be successful (talking points, a clear Charter to help communicate the benefits of membership, etc.)
3. Are the right people recruiting? Who in your organization owns the highest level relationship? This is who should be recruiting. If your target member is a senior executive, the owner of that relationship should extend the invitation; if no one owns that relationship, then a senior executive should extend the invitation.
4. Have I allowed enough time to recruit the right members? If you're trying to get C-level executives to join, their time is limited, and chances are they're already serving on several boards/councils. All the more reason to start the recruiting process early - at least 6 months prior to the meeting. If you get turned down, you'll have time to move on to the next candidate.
Watch for my next blog on Drafting an engaging agenda - the #2 challenge for CAB Program Managers.
From the three options provided, here are how the votes came in:
14% - Executive team buy-in
50% - Recruiting the right members
35% - Drafting an engaging agenda
If you're having difficulty recruiting the right members for your Customer Advisory Board, ask yourself these questions:
1. Have I developed the right profile for a CAB member? Be sure you're aligned with your executive sponsor and stakeholders on the criteria for the ideal CAB member. Develop a profile outlining the characteristics they have identified as "must haves" and circulate among the team.
2. Do I have a defined process for recruiting? A consistent message and approach are important when reaching out to customer executives. Be sure your recruiters have the necessary tools to be successful (talking points, a clear Charter to help communicate the benefits of membership, etc.)
3. Are the right people recruiting? Who in your organization owns the highest level relationship? This is who should be recruiting. If your target member is a senior executive, the owner of that relationship should extend the invitation; if no one owns that relationship, then a senior executive should extend the invitation.
4. Have I allowed enough time to recruit the right members? If you're trying to get C-level executives to join, their time is limited, and chances are they're already serving on several boards/councils. All the more reason to start the recruiting process early - at least 6 months prior to the meeting. If you get turned down, you'll have time to move on to the next candidate.
Watch for my next blog on Drafting an engaging agenda - the #2 challenge for CAB Program Managers.
In October of this year the Information Technology Services Marketing Association (ITSMA) held their 18th Annual Marketing Conference and Marketing Excellence Awards Ceremony. Our CEO, Sean Geehan, spoke at that conference on "How Winning B2B Companies Achieve Profitable Growth." It was exciting to be part of that conference for two reasons: 
experts, organizations were judged upon innovation, execution, and business results - three critical aspects to marketing success.
HCL won the award based on its Customer Advisory Council (CAC) programs. HCL's global, collaborative initiatives involve over 80 of its Fortune 500 C-level customers and thought leaders who convene on a regular basis to advise HCL on industry trends, changing business priorities, and HCL's strategic direction. HCL applies the advice received from Council members into actionable plans that transform business and technology needs, creating more value for their customers. With their customers' help, HCL has achieved 25% CAGR (compound annual growth rate) over the last five years, going from revenues of $1.4B to $3.5B. The CAC also serves as an exceptional platform for HCL's customers and their industry peers to exchange ideas and best practices, and to network.
Awards such as this exemplify the value of spending time with your customers to build solid relationships, gaining a better understanding of their business, and becoming a trusted advisor over time. Customer engagement programs like HCL's Advisory Councils are key drivers for account retention, customer loyalty and revenue growth.
A fundamental reason for the success of HCL's Council program is the internal team leading the initiatives. Executive Sponsor Shami Khorana, President, HCL America, leads the team, stays closely involved, communicates to members, and attends all CAC meetings. Samir Bagga, VP and Head of Marketing, and Gowri Shankar Vembu, Associate General Manager and Head of Global CACs, are equally committed to keeping the Councils at a high-quality and strategic level. They work hard to ensure meeting agendas are robust with relevant, engaging topics, while at the same time giving members the opportunity to serve as "advisors" to HCL.
We at Geehan Group are honored to work with a company the caliber of HCL, and look forward to our continued partnership to help them run world-class customer engagement programs and continue to lead their industry with a market driven strategy, bringing company-wide internal team alignment. Congratulations to Shami, Samir, Gowri and all of the HCL team on this much-deserved award!
- The opportunity for Sean to present the principles of his new book, The B2B Executive Playbook
- The chance to witness one of our customers receive the ITSMA Diamond Award for Marketing Excellence in the category of Building Client Loyalty and Trust.
experts, organizations were judged upon innovation, execution, and business results - three critical aspects to marketing success. HCL won the award based on its Customer Advisory Council (CAC) programs. HCL's global, collaborative initiatives involve over 80 of its Fortune 500 C-level customers and thought leaders who convene on a regular basis to advise HCL on industry trends, changing business priorities, and HCL's strategic direction. HCL applies the advice received from Council members into actionable plans that transform business and technology needs, creating more value for their customers. With their customers' help, HCL has achieved 25% CAGR (compound annual growth rate) over the last five years, going from revenues of $1.4B to $3.5B. The CAC also serves as an exceptional platform for HCL's customers and their industry peers to exchange ideas and best practices, and to network.
Awards such as this exemplify the value of spending time with your customers to build solid relationships, gaining a better understanding of their business, and becoming a trusted advisor over time. Customer engagement programs like HCL's Advisory Councils are key drivers for account retention, customer loyalty and revenue growth.
A fundamental reason for the success of HCL's Council program is the internal team leading the initiatives. Executive Sponsor Shami Khorana, President, HCL America, leads the team, stays closely involved, communicates to members, and attends all CAC meetings. Samir Bagga, VP and Head of Marketing, and Gowri Shankar Vembu, Associate General Manager and Head of Global CACs, are equally committed to keeping the Councils at a high-quality and strategic level. They work hard to ensure meeting agendas are robust with relevant, engaging topics, while at the same time giving members the opportunity to serve as "advisors" to HCL.
We at Geehan Group are honored to work with a company the caliber of HCL, and look forward to our continued partnership to help them run world-class customer engagement programs and continue to lead their industry with a market driven strategy, bringing company-wide internal team alignment. Congratulations to Shami, Samir, Gowri and all of the HCL team on this much-deserved award!
I'm a Netflix subscriber, so, when I received my "personalized" email from Netflix CEO Reed Hastings on September 19, with the first line stating, "I messed up. I owe you an explanation," I thought to myself, "Too bad Netflix didn't have a Customer Advisory Board!"
Hastings said that he should have been more communicative about the changes and why the company was making them, which he said was that the two divisions were becoming very different businesses, and the company wanted each to grow independently. Enter "Qwikster".
Then, on October 10, I received my second "personalized" email, this time from The Netflix Team, informing me that it was clear that many Netflix members didn't care for the "two websites" idea, so they were going to keep Netflix as one place to go for streaming and DVDs - no change: one website, one account, one password ... in other words, no Qwikster.
Wow ... again I thought, if only Netflix had a Customer Advisory Board. They could have avoided all of the above mess ... they would have saved themselves much time, effort, embarrassment, lost revenue, and lost subscribers. With a CAB, they would have proactively sought feedback and learned how the market would react to their "two separate websites" idea. Additionally, CAB members could have provided guidance on how best to communicate changes to their customers.
A recent LA Times article stated that Netflix shares recently plummeted nearly 35% after it reported a loss of 800,000 U.S. customers in the third quarter. Even more troubling is that the defections have continued through October, leading Netflix to predict lower-than-expected growth through the end of 2012.
You would think it obvious that a price increase of up to 60% would not bode well with customers, but add to that the rebranding attempt of its DVD service, and you have a recipe for disaster. Still, had these ideas been vetted to a group of customers in an Advisory Board setting, there is no doubt Netflix would have heard the "voice of the customer" loud and clear and could have avoided the losses they have experienced.
Customer Advisory Boards have proven results for ROI. Our clients not only see increased revenue from CAB member companies, but also receive guidance on how NOT to invest dollars in the WRONG places. As an example, a new product in development was presented to members at a recent CAB meeting for feedback; it was "nixed" for being off-target and simply not a fit for the company. That one recommendation alone saved our client $2 million.
Just think what a CAB could have done for Netflix ...
Hastings said that he should have been more communicative about the changes and why the company was making them, which he said was that the two divisions were becoming very different businesses, and the company wanted each to grow independently. Enter "Qwikster".
Then, on October 10, I received my second "personalized" email, this time from The Netflix Team, informing me that it was clear that many Netflix members didn't care for the "two websites" idea, so they were going to keep Netflix as one place to go for streaming and DVDs - no change: one website, one account, one password ... in other words, no Qwikster.
Wow ... again I thought, if only Netflix had a Customer Advisory Board. They could have avoided all of the above mess ... they would have saved themselves much time, effort, embarrassment, lost revenue, and lost subscribers. With a CAB, they would have proactively sought feedback and learned how the market would react to their "two separate websites" idea. Additionally, CAB members could have provided guidance on how best to communicate changes to their customers.
A recent LA Times article stated that Netflix shares recently plummeted nearly 35% after it reported a loss of 800,000 U.S. customers in the third quarter. Even more troubling is that the defections have continued through October, leading Netflix to predict lower-than-expected growth through the end of 2012.
You would think it obvious that a price increase of up to 60% would not bode well with customers, but add to that the rebranding attempt of its DVD service, and you have a recipe for disaster. Still, had these ideas been vetted to a group of customers in an Advisory Board setting, there is no doubt Netflix would have heard the "voice of the customer" loud and clear and could have avoided the losses they have experienced.
Customer Advisory Boards have proven results for ROI. Our clients not only see increased revenue from CAB member companies, but also receive guidance on how NOT to invest dollars in the WRONG places. As an example, a new product in development was presented to members at a recent CAB meeting for feedback; it was "nixed" for being off-target and simply not a fit for the company. That one recommendation alone saved our client $2 million.
Just think what a CAB could have done for Netflix ...
I realize I've written about this before - the importance of dialogue among attendees during meetings - but once again I've seen the positive results first hand. I just returned from a very successful Executive Summit. What made it successful?
Attendees had the opportunity to have small group discussions on relevant topics.
You might think that's a "no-brainer" but you would be surprised at the number of leaders who think they should "present" at meetings. They have much to say about their company and the great things they can do for customers and prospects, and often overlook the benefits of listening to what "the market" is saying - or the Voice Of The Customer.
By "teeing up" the discussion and actively listening to the conversations among your customers and prospects, you will better understand the biggest issues they struggle with in their businesses. It gives you important insight to develop more relevant solutions and, in turn, gives the attendees a chance to learn from one another and share what has worked for them, what hasn't worked, and why.
We find Peer Interaction to be one of the highest rated benefits of participating in Executive Summits and Customer Advisory Board meetings. Don't make the mistake of dominating the discussions at your next meeting. Be sure to include time for peer-to-peer dialogue and exchange. You'll be viewed as a "listener" and you attendees will rate the meeting as a more valuable learning experience, worth their time.
Attendees had the opportunity to have small group discussions on relevant topics.
You might think that's a "no-brainer" but you would be surprised at the number of leaders who think they should "present" at meetings. They have much to say about their company and the great things they can do for customers and prospects, and often overlook the benefits of listening to what "the market" is saying - or the Voice Of The Customer.
By "teeing up" the discussion and actively listening to the conversations among your customers and prospects, you will better understand the biggest issues they struggle with in their businesses. It gives you important insight to develop more relevant solutions and, in turn, gives the attendees a chance to learn from one another and share what has worked for them, what hasn't worked, and why.We find Peer Interaction to be one of the highest rated benefits of participating in Executive Summits and Customer Advisory Board meetings. Don't make the mistake of dominating the discussions at your next meeting. Be sure to include time for peer-to-peer dialogue and exchange. You'll be viewed as a "listener" and you attendees will rate the meeting as a more valuable learning experience, worth their time.
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