In 2024, my senior team and I at KickStart Alliance interviewed dozens of C-Suite CAB members across a variety of industries. When asked how they define a “world-class CAB program for 2025”, here’s what they told us.
What defines a “world-class CAB program”?
To set the proper context for what they told us, it is important to unpack the term “world-class” because it means different things to you, the CAB sponsor, and to your CAB members. I share details in this article: Is your Customer Advisory Board world-class?
This is a question to be taken seriously because the best-run CAB programs are treated as “strategic assets” not marketing gimmicks. Success requires a careful balance of expectations not only on the program itself, but it’s strategic integration with your annual business planning process and your annual account reviews conducted by your sales team.
Read: How smart companies are using their CABs to double their annual revenue
Getting open and honest CAB Member Feedback
CAB Member interviews are a very unique form of customer research. We approach each project by acting as an extension of your team; literally, we are an advocate for you to ensure you get value from each and every interview question. But in the actual interview, our role shifts: we become your customer’s advocate. We act as an investigative journalist to understand the reasons behind their answers. This simple technique removes any real or imagined barriers your customers may feel about sharing their needs and expectations, desires and disappointments, with you. In some ways, it may feel like a therapy session. It is common to discover at least one “a ha!” moment that surprises the executive team.
7 takeaways from our 2024 CAB member interviews
Every company we work with, and every interview we conduct, is always treated with the utmost privacy and confidentiality. Here I will just share the trends, as they are undeniable across all industries we interviewed in 2024: tech, manufacturing, hospitality, healthcare, financial services, and cybersecurity.
1. “Don’t wine and dine us.” While CAB members enjoy your hospitality, that is not why they join CAB programs. “Hosting us at a 5-star hotel is nice, but that’s not why I’m making time to join your CAB.”
2. “Are you listening?” We often heard frustration from CAB members. They enjoyed the conversations. Later they discovered that the host company chose not to do anything with the information they learned. “Even if you decide to stay the course, at least tell us why.”
3. “Collaboration with my peers (on strategic topics I care about) is what I enjoy most.” When your CAB is focused on inviting collaboration on important, thorny questions your customers are wrestling with, the engagement is always at its highest. While they can learn things by attending a conference, there is not the same level of peer engagement, discussion and debate. This insight was shared the most often as to why they make the time to join CABs.
4. “Please don’t lecture me or sell me.” CAB members told us that at almost every turn, their vendors use every interaction to sell them something. This frequently happens in CABs even though the host company may think they are “educating” customers, not selling. (In truth, they are selling.) CAB members find this tiring. It is the most common reason why CAB members decline to return.
5. “Tell us your vision and your roadmap.” We found it surprising that even the most supportive of your customers actually do not know what your CEO’s vision is for your company. They don’t know or understand your mission. And, they are worried that if you acquire a company, or are acquired, their relationship with you will change in a way that jeopardizes their business. They don’t like surprises.
6. “We value the opportunity to share continuous feedback with you.” While meeting once a year in a CAB meeting is a good start, it is not nearly sufficient to ensure you know what is actually going on within your best customers. CAB members welcome the opportunity to participate in additional breakout sessions, or one-on-ones, or online surveys throughout the year. Most companies fail to take advantage of the full potential offered by their CAB members. Hosting a single meeting does not make your CAB a “program”. CAB members are willing to do more with you! All you need to do is ask.
7. “Please balance in-person meetings with virtual meetings and other forms of engagement.” Since COVID, many companies are now including 90-minute virtual CAB meetings, along with CAB-pods (small group, offline discussions) to augment the annual meeting. CAB members welcome this. Virtual meetings and CAB pod discussions are highly successful, but only when organized and executed correctly.
Planning your 2025 CAB program
Keeping your finger on the pulse of your best customers and your CAB program will be imperative in 2025. There is always room for improvement in any CAB program. Take the time to conduct an informal evaluation of your current CAB program to learn your program’s strengths and opportunities for growth. Your CAB members will reward you for it.
What to read next:
There is a lot of information and insights behind our “2024 CAB Interview Study“. If you are curious and would like to learn more about what we discovered, or if you’d like to explore our interviewing your CAB members as part of your CAB program, please contact us for a no-cost, no-obligation consultation.
For more information . . .
Mike Gospe and his leadership team at KickStart Alliance have been coaching C-Suite executives on how to design and execute their best CAB programs since 2002. His CAB Resource Center has become a trusted resource for CAB managers around the world. It includes articles, videos, books, and other resources. For more information on these and other CAB best practices, including information on our newly expanded CAB Coaching & Interviewing Services, contact Mike.