Read our Customer Advisory Board Best Practices Newsletter, Fall 2018
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CAB Connection is a quarterly resource newsletter from Ignite Advisory Group for Customer Advisory Board (CAB) Managers, Facilitators and Executive Sponsors.
In the News
Top 5 Benefits of a Customer Advisory Board
Formalized customer engagement programs are ideal for gathering input to product development, validating corporate strategies and deepening relationships with key customers.
What to do AFTER Your Customer Advisory Council Meeting
Your CAC members will want to know that you have heard and captured their important input, guidance and suggestions, and that you and your company are moving right away to implement some changes.
CustomerAdvisoryBoard.org Association Annual Conference: Dec 4th, 2018, Boston
Don't miss the largest conference focused on customer advisory boards. Network with your peers, gain best practices and tips to use with your customers, and challenge your thinking on how CABs can drive business value. Join us and your peers next month, December 4th. More info>>
“How do you ensure a CAB's longevity? Its all about building value beyond the board.” – David Coates, Director, Customer Marketing, Iron Mountain
"What I learned in the first year of managing a CAB" – Dan Skaggs, Group Product Manager, Middle Market, Corporate Payment Systems, U.S. Bank
Refreshment Break
“Leveraging a CAB program to drive Customer Advocacy” – Melanie Gomez, Program Manager, Global Advocacy, Citrix
“Proven Approaches to Facilitating Customer Advisory Boards” – Eyal Danon, Founder, Ignite Advisory Group
"How to manage a CAB more efficiently with technology" – Adam Smith, Senior Manager, Customer Connections, Smartsheet
"How a consulting organization uses a CAB to drive Employee Effectiveness" – Stephanie Schrankler, Director of Customer Advocacy, Sagitec
Ignite CAB Manager Training: February 27-28, 2019, Miami
Each year, Ignite hosts comprehensive training for customer advisory board managers to learn proven best practices, develop their skills in managing their programs, and apply these lessons to their own advisory board initiatives.
We've compiled 12 essential customer advisory board planning and strategy items to help you achieve business value from your advisory board program. During the live webinar, we'll share valuable best practices you can implement for your advisory board meetings. Sign up now>>
[Webinar On-Demand] CAB Recruitment Strategies
Discover what it takes to effectively manage customer advisory board membership and keep them engaged year round. Watch now>>
Ask Eyal
Eyal Danon is the President and Founder of Ignite Advisory Group, and a world-renowned expert on customer and partner advisory boards.
Question: Eyal, we are having trouble getting our executives to attend our on-site prep meeting the day before our CAB meeting starts. Do we really need to hold this meeting, and how can we communicate its importance to our executives?
Answer: On-site prep meetings are crucial to ensuring all content changes have been made, and the latest data is contained by all session owners. In other words, are you just going to assume that everything is perfect as you show your content to your best customers? In addition to reviewing the content one last time, the on-site prep meeting is important to ensure all host company executives are clear of their roles in meeting participation, group exercises and expected meeting outcomes. Also, reviewing the accounts of the attending members ensures everyone is aware of any potential sensitive issues. Finally, this meeting confirms everyone arrives to the location on time and knows where to go for all activities. Communicating the purpose and importance of this meeting should (hopefully) convince your executives to attend. Companies who have less than full participation in these meetings (or worse, skip them) usually have executives who are unsure of their roles, go rogue or get lost – and achieve less than optimal results from the meeting itself.
Got a CAB management question for Eyal? email him at eyal.danon@igniteag.com. Your question could be included in the next CAB Connection.
Contents
In the News Events Ask Eyal Free Webinars CAB Best Practices Blog
Did you know?
Customers that participate in CABs are more likely to recommend their host companies. In fact, CAB member participation in reference programs, testimonials and thought leadership efforts is 57% higher than non-CAB members. Learn more>>
“Ignite is the master chef of CAB management. They provide the cookbook, the best practices, the entire process from soup to nuts, with great attention to detail. I can immediately unlock value from this training.”
Paul Comeau, SVP Support and Customer Success, Kyriba
Ignite Advisory Group is the world’s leading consultancy focused exclusively on customer and partner advisory board programs for global B2B companies. Ignite’s proven methodology for managing and evolving Customer Advisory Boards (CABs) includes a 4-stage process, encompassing 48 deliverables and measured by 20 metrics to deliver a clear ROI. Learn more>>
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Eyal Danon is the President and Founder of 
