How a Well-Run Customer Advisory Board Can Help Your Company Collect Corporate and Product Feedback to Expand Revenue

1. Creating Executive Advocacy
Through Customer Advisory Boards
How a Well-Run CAB Can Help Your Company Collect
Corporate and Product Feedback to Expand Revenue
Eyal Danon
President and Founder
Ignite Advisory Group
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2. Eyal Danon
President, Ignite Advisory Group
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• Former CMO for privately held and publicly
traded software companies
• Consulted for Xerox, Adobe, Aetna,
Qualcomm, Symantec, Brocade, Akamai,
Reuters, Iron Mountain, Verizon, Equifax,
many others
• Appeared on CNN Headline News, NBC,
ABC, Forbes, Fortune, BBC News, Wall
Street Journal, Washington Post, Chicago
Tribune, Boston Globe and Business Week

3. © 2018 Ignite Advisory Group 3
Ignite Advisory Group Overview
• Only worldwide firm
dedicated to CABs
• 20 consultants
• 200 advisory board
engagements
• Founded 2007 by CMO of
NICE Systems
• Only firm providing training
in CABs
• Experience in US, Europe,
Asia (simultaneous
translation)
• Developed many industry
best practices
TECH / SOFTWARE FINANCIAL SERVICES SECURITY
OTHER: Business Services, Healthcare, Insurance, IT, Legal,
Manufacturing, Payment Solutions, Retail, Transportation, Travel

4. © 2018 Ignite Advisory Group 4
“Consultants from Ignite Advisory Group help B2B
marketers design programs that connect executives
with their most strategic customers to maximize
customer retention, sales, profits, and long-term
market alignment.”
Source: Forrester Research - “Establish Your B2B Advocate Marketing Goals Before Choosing Tech Suppliers”,
November 26, 2015

5. Agenda
1. The Challenge: Generating
Executive Customer Advocacy
2. How Customer Advisory
Boards Support Executive
Advocacy Initiatives
3. Resources to Help Establish or
Improve CAB Programs

6. The Challenge:
Generating Executive
Customer Advocacy
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7.  Overbooked with meetings
 Overwhelmed with information
 Inundated with invitations
 Skeptical of overt sales pitches
 Executive Advocacy Network
 Enduring relationships
 Compelling content
But Executives are …
Companies Want to Create …
The Executive Engagement Challenge

8. © 2018 Ignite Advisory Group 8
Executive Advocacy Mindset
• Less bandwidth for ‘tactical’ advocacy
• Surveys, likes and shares, tweeting, product reviews, etc.
• More interested / available for ‘strategic’ engagement
• Networking with peers and vendor executives
• Providing / sharing strategic guidance and best practices to growing
companies
• Drawn to prestigious engagement programs and boards
• Contributing name to industry advisement, media opportunities or
thought leadership
• Executives will participate in programs and mediums that support
their own companies and personal brand

9. Traditional Engagement Programs Can Miss the Mark
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Method PROS CONS
Account / relationship management /
sales interaction
Leverage existing sales team • Ad-Hoc, Hit and Miss
• Perceived as sales engagement
Customer satisfaction scoring (e.g.
NPS or CSAT)
Formal, comprehensive • Expensive, resource intensive
• No face-to-face engagement
Surveys Fast, inexpensive • Tactical input (or complaints)
User group meetings Larger group participation • One-way communication
• Minimal opportunity for deeper discussions
Social media (e.g. LinkedIn Group) Minimal commitment • Rarely uncovers strategic material input
Informal/ad-hoc input Low commitment • Reactive -- “Squeaky wheels”
• Missteps taken on single data points
No customer engagement No action required • Miss-fire on crucial corporate, product and
marketing execution
• Missing strategic opportunities

10. 10
Trusted
Relationship
s
Relevant
Insight
Real
Engagement
X=
Relevance builds trust.
Trust amplifies insight.
The Formula for Engagement

11. Peer
Exchange
Peer-to-peer
dialogue
Audience
Engagement
Participant driven
agenda
Content co-creation
Ongoing Relationship
Building
Community
development
Creating an Engagement Engine

12. How Customer Advisory
Boards Support Executive
Advocacy Initiatives
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13. What is a Customer Advisory Board (CAB)?
Panel of your most influential clients
who share their challenges and
opportunities with your company’s
leadership team, to guide your
business strategy and product
offerings.

14. How CABs Support Executive Advocacy for the
Benefit of Your Company
1. Uncover Strategic Business
Direction
2. Input to Product Development
3. Generate Incremental Revenue
4. Create Customer Satisfaction and
Loyalty
5. Establish a Marketing and Thought
Leadership Platform

15. Strategic Business Direction
• New customer segments
• Emerging industry trends
• New product/service categories
• Competitive opportunities
• Companies to merge or acquire
• Viable partnerships to pursue
• Potential reseller channels
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16. DISCOVERY
Asking each CAB
member to bring 3
ideas to each CAB
meeting on top
business problems
they need solved
LAUNCH
Ask each member to
suggest companies that
could use the product in
their industry.
Ask the CAB what
marketing channels they
would advise using.
TESTING
CAB members are
ideal beta program
candidates
BUSINESS CASE
Collect CAB member
data on internal costs
& time estimate to
understand ROI
CO-DEVELOPMENT
Ask CAB members to
contribute
code/technical skills
to development
IDEA SCREEN
Review & Rank
product features to
gain consensus
SCOPING
Ask advisory board
members to gather
requirement from
their end-users
Product Development2

17. Customers that participate in Customer Advisory Boards add more value:
According to Ignite AG research (n=85) B2B companies that have active
and successful Customer Advisory Boards enjoy:
• A retention rate of 95%+ among program participants
• 9% increase in new business, starting in year 2
Continue Purchasing 18%
Willing to Recommend 24%
Overall Satisfaction Rating 25%
Source:
Incremental Revenue3

18. Bringing members into your
company’s “inner circle” they become
professionally and emotionally
invested in your success:
• Their enthusiasm and passion for
your product tends to permeate their
immediate team and beyond
• Less likely to defect to your
competition – will work through
problems!
Creates Customer Satisfaction
and Loyalty
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19. • Nurture clients into advocates and
references
• Create and publish joint research from
advisory board discussions:
o Benchmarks
o Dashboards
o Case studies
o White papers
o Best practices guides
o Analyst interviews
o Roadshows
o Investor meetings
o Town hall meetings
Marketing Platform5

20. Top 10 MEMBER Benefits of Participating
on Customer Advisory Boards
1. Influence Host Company Product or Solutions Roadmap
2. Acquire Best Practices from Peers and Benchmark against Peers
3. Obtain Insight Into Host Company’ Strategic Initiatives
4. Opportunity to Beta Test New Products
5. Interact with Executive Management Teams
6. Improve Customer Service and Support
7. Learn About Industry Trends
8. Help Solve a Business Issue Impacting Everyone on the Panel
9. Opportunity for Thought Leadership
10.Network for Potential Personal and Professional Growth

21. Resources to Help
Establish or Improve CAB
Programs
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22. Customer Advisory Board.org
Annual Conference
• Dec 4th, 2018
• Boston, MA
• World’s largest gathering
focused on customer
advisory boards
• www.customeradvisoryboard.org

23. Customer Advisory Board Manager Training
• Feb 27-28, 2019
• Miami, FL
• Train Yourself or Your Staff
to Run a World-Class
Customer Advisory Board
Program
• www.igniteag.com/training

24. Customer Advisory Board Resources:
www.igniteag.com/resources
• Videos
• Newsletter
• Webinars
• Infographics
• eBooks
• More!

25. 3 Key Takeaways
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1. Executives respond well to participating in CAB
programs, as they are prestigious, strategic and
deliver material value back to them.
2. There are significant benefits for hosting a
customer advisory board. (for participating
members too!)
3. There are myriad resources available to help
companies create and manage their CAB
programs.

26. Questions?
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27. Eyal Danon, President,
Ignite Advisory Group
eyal.danon@igniteag.com
888-667-7027