B2B

Building & Running a Client Advisory

Board    

Jennifer Maldonado

Cornerstone OnDemand

Show & Tell

Why a Client Advisory Board?• Be clear about your purpose

– If you don’t know the goals of your CAB, your members won’t either!

Typical Company Benefits Typical Member Benefits

Gather focused feedback Become key influencer

Align strategic direction w/client needs Help set corporate direction

Balance market input with existing base Share best practices with peers

Showcase innovative success stories Network with other thought leaders

Identify potential ancillary offerings Share unmet needs/challenges that need solving

Build collaborative, stronger client partnerships

Gain atypical access to executives, product team & strategic roadmap

Better understand actual use cases Share pain points in “real world” use

Validate (& expand!) value proposition Recognition via advocacy activities

Composition • “Sweet spot” typically 12 companies

– Typically 1 delegate each for balance (potential exception for Client Co-Chair company, if applicable)

• Identify core “internal CAB members”– Key leaders from client-facing departments for participant continuity– Rotate in “guest” speakers & observers for breakout topics, focus groups

• Be cognizant of balance without sacrificing benefit– Represent diverse vertical markets (avoid inviting competitors)– Identify & adhere to member profile requirements in terms of role/title– Don’t dilute! Consider subgroups when value proposition is threatened

(examples -> “Product Steering Committee” or “Small Business Special Interest Group” where needs/contributions don’t align with strategy

– Regional v. Global? Thoughtfully consider pros/cons

Forum & Format• Don’t be constrained by budget or resources:

Make it work through multiple channels• Ongoing engagement is key; keep momentum

Onsite meetings

Working Groups

Online Comm.

Webinars & Calls

To tackle short-term projects of focus on specific initiatives

Private forum to post best practices, share material, seek off-cycle input, encourage dialogue

Even if you can only afford 1 onsite-

meeting a year, you can run an effective

virtual CAB

To Reward, or Not to Reward?

• Some companies offer tangible benefits for membership in addition to the intangibles– Examples: Free attendance at annual conference,

expense-paid airfare or hotel, lavish gift baskets• Be mindful of:

Gift policies

Public sector & regulated industries

Mixed message re: benefits/motivators

Manual administration nightmares

Governance

• Strong recommendation: Strike the right balance for your company’s culture & introduce/enforce from start– Difficult to gracefully add OR take away rules later– With small groups, too easy to ID catalyst “offender”

• Now is not the time to stray from your corporate voice (level of formality & rigidity of governance structure should align w/brand and promised experience)

• Processes to pre-define:– Nomination/selection of Client Co-Chair– Nomination/selection of Client Advisory Members themselves– Length of term (YES, you want an end date!) & allowing renewals or not– Formal voting v. consensus approach– Confidentiality requirements (CAB-specific NDA recommended)

Expectation Setting• Set clear expectations from start about:– Attendance (and consequences of absences)– Delegation (for individual events as well as overall seat)

• Consider guideline of same level or higher in organization

– Time requirements (including preparation or sidework)• Consider socializing in advance before commitment is made

– Advocacy expectations• Does client company have a policy against public testimonials or

endorsements?Tip: sometimes “live” public advocacy is allowed while written or recorded isn’t

• If so, would a generacized case study be acceptable?• If not, would an internal use only clause be approved instead?

CAB Best Practices• Remember, the “A” stands for ADVISORY not ANNOUNCEMENT… Let

them advise! Real world examples:– STRATEGIC: Cornerstone sought the CAB members’ perspective on the

appropriate number of releases to allow before sunsetting legacy functionality: New policy announced to all clients globally based on CAB input

– TACTICAL: Icons for new UI previewed to CAB members to validate intuitiveness/global resonance

• Don’t pull the members together just to have them listen to a presentation: leverage live meetings for brainstorming & interactive sessions (schedule conference calls for the rest)

• Don’t shortchange their personal benefits: incorporate plenty of unstructured networking time

• If you host multiple onsite meetings a year, rotate them geographically but don’t be “too convenient” (members within driving distance who don’t have to book airfare or hotel are more apt to unexpectedly cancel or split their time w/work)

In Closing

• Don’t overthink it ~ you can’t reap any benefits of a CAB without starting one!

• Consider positioning first participants as “charter members” who can help define & shape Advisory Board as it evolves

• CLOSE THE LOOP! – Document all meetings & action items– Share CAB inputs high & wide internally– Celebrate when CAB recommendations are adopted– Report back to board the business reasons for when they are not