When developing a Customer Engagement Program, it is imperative not to think of the Council meetings, Summits, and Executive Sponsor meetings as one-off events to cross off your list of things you have to do.  When viewed as an ongoing initiative, the results are much more formidable and lasting.

Case in point:  One of our long-term clients could be viewed as a poster child for how to effectively create a customer engagement program and then above that, how to leverage the heck out of it.

After 4+ years of conducting advisory councils around the globe, the list of customer advocates they have created has grown significantly.  In fact, so strong are the relationships that at an upcoming Advisory Council meeting, three council member alums have agreed to not only come back to attend the meeting, but also to take on an active role in the agenda, speaking on the topic of collaboration opportunities with their end-users.  Our client is the conduit for discussions not only between themselves and their customers, but also between peers in their particular industry.  I believe it would be hard to find someone who could argue that this interaction does not solidify account retention. 

I can't overstate the importance of including Customer Engagement in your B2B strategies.  Additionally, thinking for the long-term is of extreme importance not only for market alignment, but for creating customer advocates to help validate your standing as a trusted adviser.

For more on leveraging happy customers, go to www.geehangroup.com/services/executive-summits/

I just read an article by Mike Mitchell, president of Mitchell Innovation and Research, discussing the advantages of "playing" when it comes to driving innovation.  Given his permission, I would like to share some excerpts of his article with you:

"Imagine this:  a group of business executives gather in the grand ball room of a posh resort to play a child's game of musical chairs.  Boardroom demeanor soon turns to childlike scurrying as they rush to capture the few remaining chairs when the music stops.  Laughter erupts as the VP of finance finds himself on the outs and has to take a seat on the sidelines.  Victors congratulate each other with high fives while fierce competitors plot the next move that will guarantee them a chair when the music resumes.

"Is this another example of corporate types wasting time at shareholders' expense?  Are these executives out of touch with the serious business of achieving sales and profit goals?  Hardly.

"Perhaps they have discovered the value of play as a driver of creativity and innovation.  Innovation will help maintain their organization's competitive edge and will push it into a successful future.

"Numerous studies have linked play to creativity and innovation.  Playtime pays back big time in the game of innovation.  It is rocket fuel for creativity.  The value of play at work includes:

Play activates the right brain:  The contribution of this type of thinking is critical to the imagination and thus the development of new ideas.

Play builds teamwork:  Playtime can be practice ground for how to work together to come up with innovative ideas and putting those ideas into practice.

Play breaks down defenses:  When defenses are down, ideas and solutions to vexing problems have the space to bubble up.

Play creates engagement:  Doing nothing but work at work turns people into drones and machines - a dangerous recipe for creating boredom and disengagement.  Having some fun at work keeps employees engaged.  When people are engaged, they care.  When people care about their organization, they naturally want to improve it.  From their efforts to improve the organization come innovative new ideas and solutions.

I have not recently engaged in a conversation about innovation without Google coming into play, (no pun intended).  In researching their culture, they clearly subscribe to the tenets mentioned above:

"Our corporate headquarters, fondly nicknamed the Googleplex, is located in Mountain View, California. Today it's one of our many offices around the globe. While our offices are not identical, they tend to share some essential elements. Here are a few things you might see in a Google workspace:

• Local expressions of each location, from a mural in Buenos Aires to ski gondolas in Zurich, showcasing each office's region and personality.

• Bicycles or scooters for efficient travel between meetings; dogs; lava lamps; massage chairs; large inflatable balls.

• Googlers sharing cubes, yurts and huddle rooms – and very few solo offices.

• Laptops everywhere – standard issue for mobile coding, email on the go and note-taking.

• Foosball, pool tables, volleyball courts, assorted video games, pianos, ping pong tables, and gyms that offer yoga and dance classes.

• Grassroots employee groups for all interests, like meditation, film, wine tasting and salsa dancing.

• Healthy lunches and dinners for all staff at a variety of cafés.

• Break rooms packed with a variety of snacks and drinks to keep Googlers going."

Hard to argue the point, eh?

What a fun day!

I just finished facilitating an online summit, and I'm all a-flutter based on one attendee's comment at the end of the event.

Let me back up a bit.  This online webinar was no lunch hour, multitask-friendly event.  This was a four-hour summit with a small break for lunch.  In other words, it required a commitment of time and energy to attend.

The forum included a keynote speech by an industry leader, breakout sessions (complete with whiteboards that provided that "as close to being there" experience as possible, a panel discussion with three more industry thought leaders and a lively Q&A session.  Throughout the webinar, participants were encouraged to submit questions that the presenters could take on the fly.  With the limitations of not actually being face-to-face with each other, it was a remarkably casual, comfortable and interactive engagement.

Upon the conclusion of the meeting, the hosts provided the opportunity for someone to win a brand new Apple iPad.  The lucky winner's name was announced and her phone line was opened up so everyone could hear her celebrate her good fortune.  Although she was quite excited about the iPad, she surprised us more by making the following comment:

"I am so excited to win the iPad, but really what I am excited about is that after listening to my industry peers, I am now looking at my constituents in a whole new way.  I've had this all wrong."

Although she invested a good chunk of her day, the ROI on that four hours was huge for her (iPad not withstanding).  It's a testament to the power of engaging -- engaging with customers, engaging with peers, and engaging with suppliers.

While nothing compares to the benefits of face-to-face meetings, the technology we now have at our fingertips allows for interactive dialog that leads to such "A-ha!" moments.  And other than her time, it didn't cost her a cent.

You've previously heard me talk about the benefits of Customer Advisory Panels from the vantage point of the host company.  Among the many benefits is that these panels often create advocates, the power of which is undeniable.

Springer, a publisher of Science, Medical and Technology (STM) content just released their quarterly eNewsletter to members of their Global Library Advisory Board (LAB) program.  In it were not one, but two articles penned by members of their councils.  Not only is this significant because of what they had to say, but these members are influential within their industry and respective geographic regions, and people naturally pay attention to what they have to say.

Rob Haran, Electronic Resources Manager at Shire in the UK and a veteran LAB member had this to say about the benefits of collaborating with Springer via the advisory council:

"This innovative interaction with a major supplier benefits Shire and the other customers in two principal ways:  Firstly, we (the customers) have an early insight into future Springer developments which is essential if we are to develop our own information resources to to take advantage of these developments.  Secondly, industry has a chance to communicate directly with the supplier experts and collectively influence Springer strategy."

Another LAB member, Houeida Kammourie-Charara from Lebanon noted the importance of having direct access to the leadership team at Springer. 

"Springer spirit was a major factor in the sucess of the LAB.  The presence of Presidents and VPs and their interaction with other colleagues is a model that, in my opinion, should be followed by other companies."  She continued, "One of the LAB objectives was to improve the strategic partnership between Springer and their customers.  I think Springer attained this objective in a bright way."

So if you have customers who will advocate on your behalf and who clearly recognize the value of engaging in high-level strategic discussions, why would any company make a conscious decision not to take the same course of action?

After recently attending a webinar about Building a Thought Leadership Platform presented by Scott Ginsberg (the guy who always wears a nametag and author of "The Approachable Leader"), I thought it might be fun to throw out some little nuggets of information and insight he shared:

• Consistency is far better than rare moments of greatness.
  
• Ideas are free but execution is priceless.
  
• Nobody notices normal.  Nobody buys boring.  Nobody pays for average.
  
• Create a strategy for staying constantly relevant.
  
• Thoughts are local; messages are global.
  
• Hustle while you wait.
• Make the mundane memorable.

And finally I leave you with this thought to ponder:
     If everyone did what you said, what would the world look like?

If you want more where that came from, go to www.hellomynameisScott.com

Have a great week!

~Betsy