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SPECIAL                                  How To Profit From
  ACTION                                  Client Advisory Boards
  REPORT
                                Concept Outline

                                Client Advisory Boards (CABs) are semi-formal focus group-type meetings with
                                small numbers of selected clients. The objectives of CABs are:
A complimentary report
    provided by an               A.    To foster goodwill with representative clients, especially those at the centre
  independent BBG…
                                       of a notable circle of influence
Business Development             B.    To gather valuable information about the market and competition
      Specialist                 C.    To determine customers' perceptions of your business
                                 D.    To encourage referrals and further business, and…
  Our purpose:                   E.    To discover new ideas for improving your product or service range.

To provide practical            Preparation for CAB
business information
    that works…                 There is no strict format for CABs, so the preparation will vary between one
    Guaranteed!                 occasion and the next. As a general rule, the following points need to be considered:

In particular how to:            A.    Purpose - What is the purpose of the CAB? This purpose (or set of
   Increase Sales                      objectives) should be clearly defined before commencing. Once the desired
   Reduce Costs                        outcome is known, the appropriate audience, timing, venue and so forth
   Improve Productivity                becomes clear.

     Better Business             B.    Promotion - Generally speaking, people will be pleasantly surprised by an
       Group Ltd                       invitation to participate in a CAB and will attend if it is reasonably
                                       convenient for them. Nevertheless, a simple "marketing campaign" has
Serving Australian and
New Zealand Business.
                                       been provided to help maximise the response to the invitation.

    BBG Australia               A flowchart showing the variations of your marketing campaign is attached as
                                Appendix 1 with a sample of a cold marketing campaign letter as Appendix 2.
  U5, 51 Perry Street
 Bundaberg, Qld 4670
 Phone: 1300 711 743            Conduct of CAB
Phone: +61 412 667 559
 Fax : +617 3036 6174           The following points can be taken as a reasonable guideline:
          Email:
bbgau@betterbusinessgroup.biz
                                 A.     Group Size - The maximum manageable number of participants is around
  BBG New Zealand                       10 or 12. An ideal size is around 6 or 8.
 1329 Akatarawa Road             B.     Group Composition - The make up of the group should be dictated by the
   Upper Hutt 5372.                     predefined purpose and objectives. As a general rule, ensure there is a mix
     New Zealand                        of "old faithful" clients and new clients. The loyal old clients tend to be
 Phone: +64 4 5266880                   unshakably positive and supportive, while the new clients tend to have the
  Fax: +64 4 5264024
                                        fresher ideas. This mix of old and new helps to ensure that the meeting is
          Email:                        both a positive and worthwhile one.
bbgnz@betterbusinessgroup.biz

    Presented By:                C.     Venue and Catering - Virtually any board or function room is suitable ...
                                        except your own! Participants tend to feel restricted in their comments if
                                        they are sitting in your offices, and this may restrict the flow of information
                                        you get from them.

                                Page 1 of 5                                                   Copyright © Fred Steensma
How To Profit From Client Advisory Boards
The ideal venue seems to be one which offers the classic boardroom layout, with a large table and chairs
spaced evenly around it. Catering can range from coffee and croissants for morning meetings through to
pre-dinner cocktails and three-course meals for evening meetings. Obviously, the purpose of the meeting
and the identity of the participants will dictate which level of catering is most appropriate,

As a general rule, some catering should be provided. Acceptable minimums would be:

     Coffee, croissants and fruit juice for breakfast meetings
     Sandwich platters for lunch meetings, and…
     Sandwich platters for evening meetings, or nothing during the meeting but “money over the bar"
     afterward

D.       Preparation - As soon as your guests arrive, you should be able to pin a nicely-presented name
         tag on them. This will save you the trouble of remembering everyone's name, and will help
         participants relax with the other guests.


Have pencils and paper waiting for each person. These will be necessary later in the meeting.

Have coffee or juice waiting so that you can invite guests to partake as soon as they arrive. This sets a
nice, friendly tone to the meeting and it gives you a chance to relax with participants before the meeting
starts.

Most importantly, have a list of questions worked out (at least in your mind) so that you can keep the
meeting moving in the right direction once it starts.

Have a small tape recorder and a supply of blank tapes so that you can record the evening's discussions
and be sure of capturing all of the good ideas and feedback.

E.       General Conduct - Open the meeting by thanking the participants for attending, then give them
         an outline of the format of the meeting. Ask permission, then start the tape recorder. Some
         appropriate "Opening Comments" are attached at Appendix 3.

The key to making the meeting a successful one is to get the guests actively involved. The most effective
way of doing this is to ask questions and present problems, then act as "facilitator" while the guests
discuss (and argue) the ideas.

Ensure that no one person "hogs the floor". Encourage quieter people and lively discussion by using
involving questions such as, "What do you think, (name)?"

A list of suitable types of questions is shown at Appendix 4.

At the conclusion of the meeting, sum up the key points that you've taken note of, then ask each person in
the room to:

1. Write down, in one or two paragraphs, a summary of their thoughts about your organisation and its
   products and services. At this stage in the meeting, this exercise usually generates glowing
   testimonials, and…
2. Write down any suggestions (which have not already been raised, or which deserve special mention)
   on how to you can improve.


Page 2 of 5                                             Better Business Group Ltd                                        Copyright © Fred Steensma
              Australia- U5, Perry St, Bundaberg, Qld 4670 - +61 412-667 559 or   1300 711 743– Email: bbgau@betterbusinessgroup.biz
                   New Zealand- 1329 Akatarawa Rd, Upper Hutt 5372, NZ -   +64 4 5266 880 - Email: bbgnz@betterbusinessgroup.biz
How To Profit From Client Advisory Boards
Post Meeting

After the meeting, send each participant a personalised thank you note along the lines of the one shown in
Appendix 5.


Appendix 1: How to Profit from Client Advisory Boards



   FLOWCHART FOR PROMOTION OF CLIENT ADVISORY BOARDS

                                     Response                        YES                       MEET                   Follow Up
                                                                                                                         Note
    Invitation
      Letter
                                       No                       Follow Up                         NO                    THANK
                                     Response                      Call


Appendix 2: How to Profit from Client Advisory Boards

                                 SAMPLE COLD CAMPAIGN INVITATION LETTER

Good morning (name),

I need your expert advice.

You see, one of the things I've learnt in business is that "the customer is always right". And since you're
one of our valued customers, I figure that makes you an expert on how this business could serve you
better. So, if you could possibly find the time, I'd be really grateful if you could spend an hour or so with
me and a handful of other clients like you.

In the time we spend together I'd like you to give me your input and feedback on what we do at (your
company name). I'll briefly outline our intended future directions and plans and will look to your for your
comments and suggestions. But, most importantly of all, I'll be asking you to give me some specific ideas
on how to improve. How can we serve you better? What do we do well? What do we do poorly? What
else would you like us to do? Your input… all of it… will be very much appreciated.

If you can make it, please give me a call on XXXX as soon as possible. (If you can't make it, I'll need to
invite someone else in your place, so please call me at your earliest convenience.)

Either way, it'll be good to speak with you.

Sincerely,
(Your name)

P.S. This "Client Advisory Board" meeting will be held at the XXX at xx o'clock on the XXth. I hope
you'll be able to make it.


Page 3 of 5                                             Better Business Group Ltd                                        Copyright © Fred Steensma
              Australia- U5, Perry St, Bundaberg, Qld 4670 - +61 412-667 559 or   1300 711 743– Email: bbgau@betterbusinessgroup.biz
                   New Zealand- 1329 Akatarawa Rd, Upper Hutt 5372, NZ -   +64 4 5266 880 - Email: bbgnz@betterbusinessgroup.biz
How To Profit From Client Advisory Boards

Appendix 3 to: How to Profit from Client Advisory Boards

                                                 SAMPLE OPENING COMMENTS

                      Thank you for attending. As indicated, the purpose of this meeting is to look
                      for better ways to serve you.

                      Format of meeting - two ears and one mouth - that’s the proportion I want to
                      use!

                      My job is to ask questions - but I want you to be the ones who discuss and
                      come up with answers to those questions.

                      Please hold nothing back - if we’ve done something to annoy, mention it so we
                      can fix it.

                      If we’ve done something especially well, mention it so we can build on it.

                      Clear?

                      You’re bound to utter pearls of wisdom - okay to use the tape recorder?



Appendix 4 to: How to Profit from Client Advisory Boards

                                                        SAMPLE QUESTIONS

                Generally speaking, what is your perception of .... (your business)?

                What is the thing you’d most like us to do - which we don’t currently do?

                What can we do to make our service extraordinary?

                What would happen if ... ?

                How do you feel about the idea of us ... ?

                What is the most annoying thing about us?

                How can we fix it?

                What other products/services would you like us to supply?

                Are our products/services good value for money?

                What do you think of the idea of ... ?


Page 4 of 5                                             Better Business Group Ltd                                        Copyright © Fred Steensma
              Australia- U5, Perry St, Bundaberg, Qld 4670 - +61 412-667 559 or   1300 711 743– Email: bbgau@betterbusinessgroup.biz
                   New Zealand- 1329 Akatarawa Rd, Upper Hutt 5372, NZ -   +64 4 5266 880 - Email: bbgnz@betterbusinessgroup.biz
How To Profit From Client Advisory Boards

Appendix 5 to: How to Profit from Client Advisory Boards



                                                   SAMPLE FOLLOW UP NOTE

Dear (Name),

I wanted to drop you a quick note to thank you for your participation in the meeting the other day. As I
indicated at the time, “feedback is the breakfast of champions” - and we certainly got some feedback!

Thanks, especially for the part you played in making that happen. If you ever have any further thoughts
on how we can better serve you, please call me.

It’ll be a pleasure to speak with you again.

Regards,




(Your name)




Page 5 of 5                                             Better Business Group Ltd                                        Copyright © Fred Steensma
              Australia- U5, Perry St, Bundaberg, Qld 4670 - +61 412-667 559 or   1300 711 743– Email: bbgau@betterbusinessgroup.biz
                   New Zealand- 1329 Akatarawa Rd, Upper Hutt 5372, NZ -   +64 4 5266 880 - Email: bbgnz@betterbusinessgroup.biz

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How to profit from client advisory boards

  • 1. SPECIAL How To Profit From ACTION Client Advisory Boards REPORT Concept Outline Client Advisory Boards (CABs) are semi-formal focus group-type meetings with small numbers of selected clients. The objectives of CABs are: A complimentary report provided by an A. To foster goodwill with representative clients, especially those at the centre independent BBG… of a notable circle of influence Business Development B. To gather valuable information about the market and competition Specialist C. To determine customers' perceptions of your business D. To encourage referrals and further business, and… Our purpose: E. To discover new ideas for improving your product or service range. To provide practical Preparation for CAB business information that works… There is no strict format for CABs, so the preparation will vary between one Guaranteed! occasion and the next. As a general rule, the following points need to be considered: In particular how to: A. Purpose - What is the purpose of the CAB? This purpose (or set of Increase Sales objectives) should be clearly defined before commencing. Once the desired Reduce Costs outcome is known, the appropriate audience, timing, venue and so forth Improve Productivity becomes clear. Better Business B. Promotion - Generally speaking, people will be pleasantly surprised by an Group Ltd invitation to participate in a CAB and will attend if it is reasonably convenient for them. Nevertheless, a simple "marketing campaign" has Serving Australian and New Zealand Business. been provided to help maximise the response to the invitation. BBG Australia A flowchart showing the variations of your marketing campaign is attached as Appendix 1 with a sample of a cold marketing campaign letter as Appendix 2. U5, 51 Perry Street Bundaberg, Qld 4670 Phone: 1300 711 743 Conduct of CAB Phone: +61 412 667 559 Fax : +617 3036 6174 The following points can be taken as a reasonable guideline: Email: bbgau@betterbusinessgroup.biz A. Group Size - The maximum manageable number of participants is around BBG New Zealand 10 or 12. An ideal size is around 6 or 8. 1329 Akatarawa Road B. Group Composition - The make up of the group should be dictated by the Upper Hutt 5372. predefined purpose and objectives. As a general rule, ensure there is a mix New Zealand of "old faithful" clients and new clients. The loyal old clients tend to be Phone: +64 4 5266880 unshakably positive and supportive, while the new clients tend to have the Fax: +64 4 5264024 fresher ideas. This mix of old and new helps to ensure that the meeting is Email: both a positive and worthwhile one. bbgnz@betterbusinessgroup.biz Presented By: C. Venue and Catering - Virtually any board or function room is suitable ... except your own! Participants tend to feel restricted in their comments if they are sitting in your offices, and this may restrict the flow of information you get from them. Page 1 of 5 Copyright © Fred Steensma
  • 2. How To Profit From Client Advisory Boards The ideal venue seems to be one which offers the classic boardroom layout, with a large table and chairs spaced evenly around it. Catering can range from coffee and croissants for morning meetings through to pre-dinner cocktails and three-course meals for evening meetings. Obviously, the purpose of the meeting and the identity of the participants will dictate which level of catering is most appropriate, As a general rule, some catering should be provided. Acceptable minimums would be: Coffee, croissants and fruit juice for breakfast meetings Sandwich platters for lunch meetings, and… Sandwich platters for evening meetings, or nothing during the meeting but “money over the bar" afterward D. Preparation - As soon as your guests arrive, you should be able to pin a nicely-presented name tag on them. This will save you the trouble of remembering everyone's name, and will help participants relax with the other guests. Have pencils and paper waiting for each person. These will be necessary later in the meeting. Have coffee or juice waiting so that you can invite guests to partake as soon as they arrive. This sets a nice, friendly tone to the meeting and it gives you a chance to relax with participants before the meeting starts. Most importantly, have a list of questions worked out (at least in your mind) so that you can keep the meeting moving in the right direction once it starts. Have a small tape recorder and a supply of blank tapes so that you can record the evening's discussions and be sure of capturing all of the good ideas and feedback. E. General Conduct - Open the meeting by thanking the participants for attending, then give them an outline of the format of the meeting. Ask permission, then start the tape recorder. Some appropriate "Opening Comments" are attached at Appendix 3. The key to making the meeting a successful one is to get the guests actively involved. The most effective way of doing this is to ask questions and present problems, then act as "facilitator" while the guests discuss (and argue) the ideas. Ensure that no one person "hogs the floor". Encourage quieter people and lively discussion by using involving questions such as, "What do you think, (name)?" A list of suitable types of questions is shown at Appendix 4. At the conclusion of the meeting, sum up the key points that you've taken note of, then ask each person in the room to: 1. Write down, in one or two paragraphs, a summary of their thoughts about your organisation and its products and services. At this stage in the meeting, this exercise usually generates glowing testimonials, and… 2. Write down any suggestions (which have not already been raised, or which deserve special mention) on how to you can improve. Page 2 of 5 Better Business Group Ltd Copyright © Fred Steensma Australia- U5, Perry St, Bundaberg, Qld 4670 - +61 412-667 559 or 1300 711 743– Email: bbgau@betterbusinessgroup.biz New Zealand- 1329 Akatarawa Rd, Upper Hutt 5372, NZ - +64 4 5266 880 - Email: bbgnz@betterbusinessgroup.biz
  • 3. How To Profit From Client Advisory Boards Post Meeting After the meeting, send each participant a personalised thank you note along the lines of the one shown in Appendix 5. Appendix 1: How to Profit from Client Advisory Boards FLOWCHART FOR PROMOTION OF CLIENT ADVISORY BOARDS Response YES MEET Follow Up Note Invitation Letter No Follow Up NO THANK Response Call Appendix 2: How to Profit from Client Advisory Boards SAMPLE COLD CAMPAIGN INVITATION LETTER Good morning (name), I need your expert advice. You see, one of the things I've learnt in business is that "the customer is always right". And since you're one of our valued customers, I figure that makes you an expert on how this business could serve you better. So, if you could possibly find the time, I'd be really grateful if you could spend an hour or so with me and a handful of other clients like you. In the time we spend together I'd like you to give me your input and feedback on what we do at (your company name). I'll briefly outline our intended future directions and plans and will look to your for your comments and suggestions. But, most importantly of all, I'll be asking you to give me some specific ideas on how to improve. How can we serve you better? What do we do well? What do we do poorly? What else would you like us to do? Your input… all of it… will be very much appreciated. If you can make it, please give me a call on XXXX as soon as possible. (If you can't make it, I'll need to invite someone else in your place, so please call me at your earliest convenience.) Either way, it'll be good to speak with you. Sincerely, (Your name) P.S. This "Client Advisory Board" meeting will be held at the XXX at xx o'clock on the XXth. I hope you'll be able to make it. Page 3 of 5 Better Business Group Ltd Copyright © Fred Steensma Australia- U5, Perry St, Bundaberg, Qld 4670 - +61 412-667 559 or 1300 711 743– Email: bbgau@betterbusinessgroup.biz New Zealand- 1329 Akatarawa Rd, Upper Hutt 5372, NZ - +64 4 5266 880 - Email: bbgnz@betterbusinessgroup.biz
  • 4. How To Profit From Client Advisory Boards Appendix 3 to: How to Profit from Client Advisory Boards SAMPLE OPENING COMMENTS Thank you for attending. As indicated, the purpose of this meeting is to look for better ways to serve you. Format of meeting - two ears and one mouth - that’s the proportion I want to use! My job is to ask questions - but I want you to be the ones who discuss and come up with answers to those questions. Please hold nothing back - if we’ve done something to annoy, mention it so we can fix it. If we’ve done something especially well, mention it so we can build on it. Clear? You’re bound to utter pearls of wisdom - okay to use the tape recorder? Appendix 4 to: How to Profit from Client Advisory Boards SAMPLE QUESTIONS Generally speaking, what is your perception of .... (your business)? What is the thing you’d most like us to do - which we don’t currently do? What can we do to make our service extraordinary? What would happen if ... ? How do you feel about the idea of us ... ? What is the most annoying thing about us? How can we fix it? What other products/services would you like us to supply? Are our products/services good value for money? What do you think of the idea of ... ? Page 4 of 5 Better Business Group Ltd Copyright © Fred Steensma Australia- U5, Perry St, Bundaberg, Qld 4670 - +61 412-667 559 or 1300 711 743– Email: bbgau@betterbusinessgroup.biz New Zealand- 1329 Akatarawa Rd, Upper Hutt 5372, NZ - +64 4 5266 880 - Email: bbgnz@betterbusinessgroup.biz
  • 5. How To Profit From Client Advisory Boards Appendix 5 to: How to Profit from Client Advisory Boards SAMPLE FOLLOW UP NOTE Dear (Name), I wanted to drop you a quick note to thank you for your participation in the meeting the other day. As I indicated at the time, “feedback is the breakfast of champions” - and we certainly got some feedback! Thanks, especially for the part you played in making that happen. If you ever have any further thoughts on how we can better serve you, please call me. It’ll be a pleasure to speak with you again. Regards, (Your name) Page 5 of 5 Better Business Group Ltd Copyright © Fred Steensma Australia- U5, Perry St, Bundaberg, Qld 4670 - +61 412-667 559 or 1300 711 743– Email: bbgau@betterbusinessgroup.biz New Zealand- 1329 Akatarawa Rd, Upper Hutt 5372, NZ - +64 4 5266 880 - Email: bbgnz@betterbusinessgroup.biz