Advisory Councils
Executive advisory councils are a popular feature of the business landscape, but they often fail to achieve their full potential. Common complaints are inconsistent attendance; delegation to last-minute replacements; agendas that are more akin to briefings than to board meetings; and a lack of follow-through or accountability to drive real change.
Truman Company's approach delivers higher levels of engagement and impact through
- Rigorous member selection and recruiting process
- Comprehensive interviews to develop strategic meeting agendas
- Preparation of executives to promote open discussion and insight
- Systematic communication of findings internally and externally
- Follow-through in working groups to drive real change
The value of this approach to one of our clients, Avaya, a leader in enterprise communications, has been documented by ITSMA, the IT Services Marketing Association.
"In 2003 ... Avaya found itself with many strategic buyers yet few truly strategic customer relationships. To build deep and meaningful relationships with executive buyers and influencers, the company ... launched a ground-breaking customer council program for the senior-most executives of Avaya’s most strategic customers.""According to Nancy Maluso, Avaya's global marketing director, 'The most important outcome our relationship-building program has created is an avenue for our executives to learn from our customers, without there being a sales or service issue involved. It enables them to keep the marketplace up front in their minds as they develop their business. Culturally, it brings the customer closer to our organization.”
For more on Avaya's customer councils, please see the August 2006 issue of the ITSMA e-zine and the ITSMA case study. (Note this work began while Truman Company was part of Tapestry Networks.)
To learn more about our work on advisory councils, please contact Adrian Forde.