An Agile Multi Customer Advisory Board Program that Scales

TOOLS, TIPS & TECHNIQUES

BUILDING A SCALABLE CUSTOMER ADVISORY BOARD PROGRAM

IT WAS A BRISK OCTOBER MORNING

The Year was 2013…

HEY, WOULD YOU MIND TAKING A LOOK AT OUR CABS?

FIRST VIEW

10,OOO FOOT OBSERVATIONS▸ 6 CABs

▸ Industry Oriented

▸ Met once a year, For one day

▸ All at the same time, In the same

place (at our annual conference).

▸ All CABs managed independently;

no operational consistency

GOING IN FOR A CLOSER LOOK

STAKEHOLDER FEEDBACK▸ Purpose is to build relationships & better

solutions

▸ Solution Execs & SME’s must run from CAB

to CAB, since they run at the same time

▸ chaotic logistics, chaotic experience

▸ no chance for solution execs to establish

relationships with CAB members

▸ Too many Akamai people in CAB meetings

▸ Poor Akamai observer meeting etiquette

▸ Sales too influential in picking CAB members

GOING TO THE SOURCE

CAB MEMBER FEEDBACK▸ It feels like 8 hours of sales presentations

& roadmaps - speed dating style

▸ Some members never contribute & don’t

stay for whole meeting

▸ Too many Akamai “observers”, feel like

we’re on stage

▸ Akamai people are continuously coming

in and out of the room

▸ Sales reps in meetings can make us feel

more guarded in our discussons

TOP PROBLEMS..ER, CHALLENGES TO ADDRESS

1. CAB ORGANIZATION & ORIENTATION AT ODDS WITH PURPOSE

2. CAB MEETING WAS A HEAVY “VENDOR PRESENTATION” EVENT

3. MEETING ETIQUETTE & MEETING ATTENDANCE ISSUES

4. STAGNATED MEMBERSHIP

5. CAPRICIOUS CORPORATE COMMITMENT

6. INCONSISTENT QUALITY OF CAB MANAGEMENT

LEARN FROM THE EXPERTS

IGNITE ADVISORY GROUP▸ Took the CAB Manager training

▸ Learned

▸ best practices

▸ do’s, don’ts,

▸ common pitfalls

▸ industry standards

▸ Acquired

▸ proper tools

▸ successful management techniques

HOW DO I FIX THIS?

TURN THE SHIP… gently

CHALLENGES #1 & 2

INCONSISTENT QUALITY OF CAB MANAGEMENTCAB ORIENTATION AT ODDS WITH PURPOSE

Retail Financial Services High Tech

BroadcastingGaming Carrier

Media Delivery Solutions Cloud Security Solutions Web Performance Solutions

Cloud Networking Solutions Network Operator SolutionsServices & Support

BEFORE





6 Industry CABs





6 Industry CABs

discussing all 6

solutions





Each

Individually

Managed

6 Industry CABs

discussing all 6

solutions

Financial Services Solutions

Gaming Solutions



AFTER

6 Solution

Oriented

CABs

Covering all

Industries


Gaming Solutions



Plus Two More

for Good

Measure

Managed

Together

Under One

Program


Gaming Solutions



Recruited

people they

already like

and work with

well everyday

to be the CAB

Mgrs - mostly

Directors of

Product

Marketing


Gaming Solutions



Recruited

VP’s of

Product

Mgmt as

Executive

Sponsors

CHALLENGE #3

CAB MEETING WAS A HEAVY “VENDOR PRESENTATION” EVENT▸Solutions:

▸Training

▸Repetition

▸Brainwashing

▸Repetition

▸Built a website and filled it with propaganda training

▸and tools.

MORE ON THIS LATER

CHALLENGE #4

MEETING ETIQUETTE & MEETING ATTENDANCE ISSUES▸Meetings with Sales & Marketing Leaders to explain reasons for meeting attendance limits

▸Organization-wide communication of the CAB meetings as now being “Closed Meetings”

“Attendance by Invitation Only”

▸Asked Executive Sponsors to submit their approved attendee list (limited to no more than 6

people)

▸Reached out to all internal invitees and communicated expectations for meeting etiquette

at our CAB meetings

▸Posted staff outside CAB meeting conference rooms with lists of approved invitees

▸Recorded and transcribed all meetings and posted these to the CAB Program’s internal

community site so that all wannabe attendees would have access to the meeting “virtually”

after the fact.

CHALLENGES #5 & 6

STAGNATED MEMBERSHIPCAPRICIOUS COMMITMENT

New CAB Proposal

CAB Execution

CAB Evaluation

CAB Renewal or Discontinuance

New CAB Proposal

CAB Execution

CAB Evaluation

CAB Renewal or Disconintuance

ANNUAL PROCESS WRITE CHARTER

PURPOSETARGET MEMBERSTERM

ACQUIRE BUDGET

TO EXEC LEADERSHIP COMMITTEE FOR APPROVAL

IMPORTANT POINT ABOUT TERM DATES AFTER ANIMATION

New CAB Proposal

CAB Execution

CAB Evaluation


RECRUIT MEMBERS (DURING ANNUAL CALL FOR NOMINATIONS)

ONBOARD MEMBERS

HAVE MEETINGS

GET VALUE

New CAB Proposal

CAB Execution

CAB Evaluation


END OF TERM EVALUATION

NEW BUSINESS, NEW PRODS,

NEW MARKETS, NEW MESSAGING, NEW USE CASES

MEMBER CONTRIBUTION

New CAB Proposal

CAB Execution

CAB Evaluation

CAB Renewal or DisconintuancePRESENT TO

EXECUTIVE LEADERSHIP COMMITTEE FOR CONTINUANCE

PROOF OF VALUE

ABILITY TO CONTINUE TO SUPPORT

New CAB Proposal

CAB Execution

CAB Evaluation


DISCONTINUE?ANNOUNCE END OF CAB TO MEMBERS & THEIR REPS

RETIRE & THANK MEMBERS

NOMINATE GREAT MEMBERS TO

OTHER BOARDS

DISCONTINUE? ANNOUNCE END OF CAB TO MEMBERS & THEIR REPS



OTHER BOARDS

PRESENT TO EXECUTIVE LEADERSHIP COMMITTEE FOR CONTINUANCE

PROOF OF VALUE





MEMBER CONTRIBUTION


ONBOARD MEMBERS

HAVE MEETINGSGET VALUE



ACQUIRE BUDGET


REPEATABLE

PROCESSES




OTHER BOARDS


PROOF OF VALUE





MEMBER CONTRIBUTION


ONBOARD MEMBERS




ACQUIRE BUDGET


CLEAR

EXPECTATIONS




OTHER BOARDS


PROOF OF VALUE





MEMBER CONTRIBUTION


ONBOARD MEMBERS




ACQUIRE BUDGET


FLEXIBLE

SCALABLE

CHALLENGES #5 & 6

STAGNATED MEMBERSHIP

▸Akamai Executive Leadership agrees that they will not discontinue a CAB

before its term date

▸Members understand that Akamai is only making commitment to having

that CAB up until its term date

▸Members understand therefore their term date will coincide with the

CAB’s term date

▸When CAB’s DO renew, we may ask highly valued members to join the

newly chartered CAB

▸When CAB’s do NOT renew, we may ask highly valued members to join

other CABs that are renewing

CAPRICIOUS COMMITMENT

LEVERAGE TECHNOLOGY TO POWER, SCALE, COMMUNICATE &


PHASE 1BUILT A GOOGLE SITE, LEVERAGING GOOGLE DRIVE & APPS, CREATE A PAGE FOR EACH CAB, AND A LIBRARY TO STORE FORMS, GUIDES, TO DO LISTS & PRESENTATIONS


PHASE 1

BUILT A GOOGLE SITE, LEVERAGING GOOGLE DRIVE & APPS, CREATE A PAGE FOR EACH CAB, AND A LIBRARY TO STORE FORMS, GUIDES, TO DO LISTS & PRESENTATIONS

PHASE 2

BUILT A CAB PROGRAM “SPACE” ON JIVE (CORPORATE MANDATE)USE CRM TO KEEP TRACK OF MEMBER COMMUNICATIONS

LET’S HAVE A LOOK, SHALL WE?

GOOGLE SITE:

SITES.GOOGLE.COM

JIVE SPACE

JIVE.COM

HUBSPOT CRM (FREE) HUBSPOT.COM/PRODUCTS/CRM/FEATURES

http://sites.google.com/

http://ww2.jive.com/

http://www.hubspot.com/products/crm/features

http://hubspot.com/products/crm/features

AGILE: MAKE THE PROGRAM PLUG AND PLAY READY

LOWER LEVEL CAB MANAGEMENT PROCESSES DEFINED & COMMUNICATED

WHAT DOES THIS DO FOR THE BUSINESS?

EXECUTIVE SPONSOR ABLE TO FOCUS ON:

⦁ WHAT DOES THE BUSINESS NEED TO KNOW THIS YEAR?

⦁ WHAT NOMINEES TO ACCEPT

⦁ MAKE BETTER PRODUCTS BASED ON MEMBER ADVICE

⦁ BUILD RELATIONSHIPS

CAB MANAGER ABLE TO FOCUS ON:

⦁ GETTING TO KNOW THE MEMBERS

⦁ BUILDING MEETING AGENDAS

⦁ CREATE POST MEETING NOTES

⦁ SCHEDULE NEXT MEETING

COMMUNICATES BOTTOM LINE IMPLICATIONS TO EXECUTIVE LEADERSHIP

MAKES RECOMMENDATIONS TO EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

MAKES IT AS EASY AS POSSIBLE FOR EXEC SPONSORS & CAB MANAGERS TO ENGAGE WITH THEIR CAB & DO THEIR DAY JOB

DOES WHAT ANYONE ELSE CANNOT DO TO MAKE

CAB PROGRAM MANAGER

An Agile Multi Customer Advisory Board Program that Scales

Business

Transcript of An Agile Multi Customer Advisory Board Program that Scales