#cabs

haha, that is better.

@Mary Green (Owner CMAweekly) I believe the webinar is today!

Did you all see that UE is doing a call tomorrow on CABs? It's a busy day with Peerbound doing a call as well, but check out Mark Huber's linkedin if you are interested.

I have found that it can depend on who is making the “ask”. As an example, if the executive sponsor makes the “ask”, the conversion rate is much higher (versus an account manager or a member of the marketing team making the “ask”).

Hey all 👋 As our team begins to prep for CAB recruitment in the new year, I'm wondering if y'all would share any insights on conversion rates for your CAB pipeline? (i.e. If your CAB is 10 folks, how many did you need to reach out to?)

I understand this will vary widely based on a lot of factors (i.e. specificity of the persona, organizational relationship with customers/strategic accounts, etc.), but am curious on your experiences. At my previous gig, I think our conversion rate was ~25%-30%, so our outreach list was ~4x-5x our target size

Having an alumni CAB virtual meeting works well for those who are inactive. I don't have an year-end survey.

UserEvidence is doing a webinar w/Boardstream (who's entire business is running CABs for tech companies) on how to build a Customer Advisory Board that drives retention, expansion, and advocacy. Will dive into getting internal alignment on CAB purpose, assembling the right CAB members (size of group, seniority mix), CAB meeting structure, and post-CAB follow-up. Tues Dec 9 at 9 AM PT/12 ET. Register here - https://userevidence.com/how-to-build-a-customer-advisory-board-that-drives-retention-expansion-advocacy

A short podcast with some good CAB and award program tips from Cate Vanasse from Talkdesk

https://www.linkedin.com/posts/catevanasse_building-customer-advisory-boards-that-drive-activity-7396905369568186368-SOSw?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_ios&rcm=ACoAAABdKtcBs6hXkJ9iARxBUYHlDfHaJ8sWi20

Hi!! Has anyone held their CAB in Charleston, SC by chance? I have been to the city several times but haven’t held a meeting there so curious to hear what others might have booked!

over budget but cannot recommend these enough - https://remarkable.com/shop

Good question for 'no vendors' channel - I'm looking for some non-swag, customer speaker thank you ideas:
• Something that can be delivered digitally
• For decision makers/hands on (not C Suite) personas
• Budget ~$200 or so
Thank you!

<@U09EYKPL7BQ>, Amanda asked a follow up. 🙂

for internal or for CAB members?

Hiya, Does anyone have a template or advice on writing a summary report about a Customer Advisory Board?

Thank you!

I'll DM you shortly our charter we just put together for our ex CAB. It's unfortunately light on product feedback as our Engineering team didn't want to be a big part of the CAB process🫤. It works though, as the members are all C-level so deep product discussions wouldn't occur.

Hello 👋

Anyone have a one or two page (pdf or slides) outline of their CAB, executive sponsor or executive engagement program they would be willing to share?

Thanks 😊

Hi folks! What have been your most unique or lovely CAB venues in the East Coast and West Coast? What made the city and/or hotel unique and special? What experiences did you invest in?

Here are two of mine:
• The Arizona Biltmore in Phoenix, AZ. The day before the event, we got our customers into branded hot air balloons with execs, and ended with a champagne toast.
• Ritz Carlton Half Moon Bay in Half Moon Bay, CA. The venue was dramatic and classy.

Does anyone have an example of comms around sunsetting a CAB? One of my clients wants to shut the CAB down and instead invest the time into a larger advocacy play. Our CAB members love the program, so I want to be thoughtful about the messaging!

Does anyone have a good recommendation on how best to record/capture CAB conversations? We'll all be in the same room at the same time and it's a boardroom style setup. Should it be as easy as having a microphone setup in the middle, connected to a laptop recording on Zoom with our call recorder?

Seems simple enough, but any tips would be welcomed!

<@U09FN6YKFCM> If you’re going for holiday, I’d do Thanksgiving over Christmas for gifting-it stands out more (and bypasses religious associations). Token gift for the welcome and the nice gift for Thanksgiving after they’ve done something. Give something meaningful to them, not swaggy.

Are folks giving Welcome and/or holiday gifts to CAB members? What has been well received by your CAB members?

+1 to Convene as a general recommendation. we're using one in NY for our user conference (including a CAB meeting) next month, but i will likely use for CABs around the world next year. they're a litttttle generic/corporate for my taste BUT super easy to work with and well suited for lots of different events

That is so cool <@U08V0DUNXQB> can you take a pic?

@Daniel Palay im at that venue right now and use the library to film a session lol

We're actually doing this next month @Leslie Barrett. Though we're taking advantage of the location of our conference to do a CAB along side of it, so ours is the "Library" of the Covene near St. Pauls. But there are certainly other good venues and places to consider depending on where in London you want your folks to experience.