We are just launching a Customer Advisory Board initiative for a new client.  Of course, I enjoy having longstanding relationships with our clients, but there is also a lot of excitement in starting with new names and new faces.

Building a CAB doesn't happen overnight and it takes a lot of thought and a well-planned process to make sure you have the right people serving on the board.  During the Discovery phase, we interview our client execs to get their insights on the following:

• key strategic objectives
• most value in the marketplace
• top initiatives in next 3-5 years
• largest challenges they face
• customer segment that can provide answers/information
• measures of success

Once we have the priority issues defined, we can then begin the process of recruiting the most strategic customers that can help drive the objectives forward and provide key market insights.  This is when it really gets fun!

Finding those people - the ones who not only can, but will, provide our clients with the insights they need is like working a puzzle.  It requires looking at the big picture as well as making sure that each individual piece fits well together.  And it requires patience.  We don't want numbers -- we want the right people.

We start our executive interviews today with this new client.  It will be exciting to see this picture start to unfold.