In my last blog I talked about the importance of keeping Council members engaged between meetings – to Keep the Momentum Going after everyone has returned to their everyday business lives. In this blog I’ll discuss Sub-Committees and a few best practices for integrating them into your Advisory Council pr
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The Sub-Committee: High Impact, Light Lifting
It is important to follow a process and approach when organizing these working groups. “High impact, light lifting” refers to the effort we put forth to make it as easy as possible for our customer and their council members to “continue the conversation” between meetings. See below for an outline the four-step process we follow for managing Sub-Committees.
1. Topics for Discussion
The Sub-Committee should focus on a specific topic or subject. What is good “Sub-Committee” material? Here are a few examples:
- A next step identified by the host that requires further input/feedback from the Council members (or a subset of members).
- A “hot topic” that came up during the meeting that a number of members clearly could spend more time discussing.
- An innovative idea and/or suggestion that came up during the meeting that members expressed an interest in exploring.
- A specific topic/area of the business where a Subject Matter Expert is needed to continue the discussion.
2. Structure
It is very important to clearly define the purpose of the Sub-Committee and expectations of members. Develop a Sub-Committee “Charter” for all participants (customer and host) outlining:
- Mission
- Duties (for both customer and host)
- Participants (Leader, facilitator and customers)
In addition, it’s a good idea to share a “Timeline of Activities” with all members early in the process so they have an understanding of the frequency of meetings and can reserve time on their calendars in advance.
3. Format
To stay mindful of the time commitment of customers, we recommend Sub-Committee meetings are in the form of conference calls, and no more than one hour. Based on the subject, several calls (as communicated via the Timeline) may be needed to accomplish the goals of the Sub-Committee. Agendas are sent in advance, as is any pre-work that may be required for the discussions, and progress is shared among the group at regular intervals. 
4. Sharing Results
This is the best part! A “celebration” is included at the next face-to-face meeting to report accomplishments back to the group and recognize the efforts of all Sub-Committee members. It’s a great way to thank your customers for their contributions and it encourages others to join in future Sub-Committee groups.
By following these four steps, your Sub-Committee engagements will be focused, well-planned meetings, easy for members to participate in, with clear goals and purpose.
t a few of the attributes for each of these customer segments.
As a result of this shift, 2010 
The Beatle's classic song Come Together has been released by other legendary bands such as: Joe Cocker, U2, Aerosmith, Guns N’ Roses, Michael Jackson, and of course Marilyn Manson. The chorus is simple, yet powerful:
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:
A.G. Lafley, CEO at Proctor and Gamble made a keen observation of the impact internal focus rather than external focus can have on an organization. In a recent HBR article entitled “What only the CEO can do”, he says that shaping values and standards of your organization is one of the critical roles of the CEO. But his point is that you can’t focus your values and standards internally – rather, you must define and focus your values and standards externally - to your customers and gain market alignment through the voice of the customer.
Let's focus on the first element: an outside-in approach.
et back on solid ground? You feel like you’re still “moving.” I’ve experienced that same feeling after a Customer Advisory Council meeting. Things go so fast, there’s so much to talk about that when it’s over, you feel like you’re still going 100 miles an hour! 
xecutive Summit. An Executive Summit provides a non-sales gathering between executive peers to learn and explore services and solutions offered by your B2B Company. A well planned, organized and executed Executive Summit accelerates a call to action from all prospects and can yield a 50% conversion rate. Can you say that about other Marketing Campaigns or Sales Tactics, or are you just throwing money at a target hoping you hit a bull’s eye? 
ur product portfolio? Your communications? I dare say it would be immeasurable.
ll too often, when companies think about their Customer Advisory Boards, they think about individual meetings. They know their advisers meet twice a year (say April and October) so they begin reserving hotel rooms and planning an agenda for each meeting three months out. That's easy enough, isn't it? No! In fact, it's a big mistake. That mindset needs to change!
For those of us on a January-December fiscal year, Q3 is NOW – and it is the time when we are very aware of exactly where we stand for meeting our year-end sales goals. If you're concerned about reaching your goal, you might want to consider forming a Customer Advisory Council (CAC). 
ng resources in areas that are viable and important to the decision makers of your most important customers and markets, you will consistently drive your firm’s revenue. It will also cut out the time, energy and money investing where there is little or no business value.
Opportunity: Evaluating your marketing mix today and making the proper adjustments from acquisition to account growth can make a huge difference in top and bottom line results. Now that’s something the entire leadership team will be thrilled to hear about. 
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