Creating A Customer Advisory Board For Product Input

One of the best ways to create authentic relationships with your customers, get honest feedback on your product and surface game changing ideas is to create a Customer Advisory Board (CAB). Here are the lessons I’ve learned about how to create and run a successful CAB. Your personal involvement as CEO is critical. If you lead it yourself, customers will engage at a deeper level. They’ll be more honest, more vulnerable, and more likely to become evangelists for your company. No one else can unlock this dynamic the way a CEO can. Be clear on the persona. Is your CAB for buyers, users, or budget holders? At BetterCloud, our sweet spot was Directors of IT. Not the CIO, not the IT admin. Know exactly whose voice you want in the room and tailor everything to them. Skip the compensation, give them “status”. Don’t pay CAB members—it gets messy. Instead, make them feel like insiders. Give them a title, early access to roadmaps, VIP treatment at events, and public recognition. People want to feel valued and influential, not bought. Set a cadence you can maintain. I tried monthly meetings once. That was a mistake. Quarterly is the sweet spot. One in-person gathering per year—ideally tied to an industry event—goes a long way in deepening relationships. Structure matters. CABs aren’t just roundtables. They’re curated experiences. Keep meetings tight (90-120 minutes), show real products that are still in the development process (even rough wireframes or high level ideas), and create space for interaction. Done right, they become the ultimate feedback engine. Build real relationships. Your CAB shouldn’t just exist in meetings. Build one-on-one connections. Text, email, check in at events. Keep it small enough that people feel seen and valued. When they have a direct line to the CEO, they stay engaged—and they speak the truth. Done right, your CAB becomes more than just a feedback mechanism. It becomes a strategic asset. It can shape your roadmap, sharpen your positioning, and strengthen your customer relationships in ways no survey ever could. For a deeper dive and detailed tactics behind each of these, check out the full writeup on the Not Another CEO Substack.

“If you want to know how to improve—ask the people you serve.” — Unknown Post #19: Engage Customers as Advisors In turbulent markets, customer insight isn’t a nice-to-have—it’s a competitive advantage. While competitors hunker down or rely on stale assumptions, winning CEOs get closer to their customers than ever—and not just as vendors, but as partners. Your customers are your best consultants. They're already living through the same volatility you are. They know what’s changing, what’s no longer working, and what would make you indispensable. When I was preparing to launch a major product expansion in the gaming payments space, we didn’t just build in a vacuum—we brought our customers in early. We identified a group of high-value operators and convened a Customer Advisory Council ahead of the rollout. Their input directly influenced UX design, feature prioritization, and the go-to-market strategy. They told us what they loved. More importantly, they told us what they didn’t. We listened, iterated, and improved. The result? A product that not only performed better at launch—but was already backed by early adopters who felt like co-creators, not end users. Here’s how to turn customers into strategic advisors: + Select a diverse mix of strategic accounts—look for breadth in geography, size, and use case. + Create a recurring feedback cadence—formal advisory boards, listening sessions, 1:1 outreach. + Frame the ask clearly: “We’re navigating change. We’d value your voice in shaping what comes next.” + Act on what you hear—and close the loop. Customers want to feel heard, not surveyed. + Celebrate co-creation wins—when your customers help shape something, they champion it. In uncertain markets, don’t guess what your customers need. Ask them. Invite them into the process. Let them help you build what matters most. Next up: Post #20 – Implement Real-Time KPI Tracking #CEOPlaybook #CustomerAdvisory #VoiceOfTheCustomer #CoCreation #LeadershipInTurbulence

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗶𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗰𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗰𝗼-𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁 𝗿𝗼𝗮𝗱𝗺𝗮𝗽—𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗹𝗼𝘃𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗶𝘁? Here’s how: Gather 5–6 of your best customers. Bring them together periodically as a 𝗖𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗿 𝗔𝗱𝘃𝗶𝘀𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝗕𝗼𝗮𝗿𝗱 and use these conversations to go deeper than surface-level feedback. Here’s what this group can do for you: 𝟭/ 𝗨𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁’𝘀 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘄𝗲𝗹𝗹—𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁’𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝘁 You might learn that only a third of your customer’s team is using your product. That’s a huge gap. Maybe you respond by creating a simple how-to guide for onboarding so every employee sees the value. 𝟮/ 𝗟𝗲𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗰𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵 𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵 𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 One customer says, “You’re missing half the value of this tool. Here are three ways we’re using it to solve problems.” Suddenly, you’ve got a customer helping another customer see the full potential of your product. 𝟯/ 𝗦𝗵𝗮𝗽𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗻𝗲𝘅𝘁 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁 𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 Ask the group: “If I made one investment to improve the product, where should it go? Speed? Functionality? Data insights?” Their answers will tell you what matters most—and who’s ready to pilot a new feature when it’s built. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁? A Customer Advisory Board builds trust. Your customers see you care—not just about selling them a product but about making it work for them. And that turns casual users into loyal advocates who stick around. 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗻𝗲𝘅𝘁 𝗯𝗶𝗴 𝗯𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗸𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵 𝗱𝗼𝗲𝘀𝗻’𝘁 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝗮 𝗺𝗮𝘀𝘀𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗥&𝗗 𝗯𝘂𝗱𝗴𝗲𝘁. 𝗜𝘁 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘃𝗼𝗶𝗰𝗲𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗱𝗮𝘆. P.S. If you liked this post, you'll love my 2-minute newsletter. Link in my profile > @michaelburcham