In developing customer listening systems – whether digital tools like Twitter or more complex systems like Advisory Boards – avoid course correcting for the loudest voice in the room. Instead, listen for the most important.

In our work at Farland Group, we talk to many different types of business leaders — CIOs, CTOs, EVPs, you name it. During our discussions, we ask them to prioritize topics and security is often top of mind. There are many reasons for the importance placed on security —the threat landscape is always changing, hackers are becoming more creative, vast amounts of data make it difficult to predict attacks, and the list goes on.

An ongoing customer engagement strategy requires planning and an investment in the development of compelling content and interactions that keep your customers coming back. Here are tips in building a more systematic engagement approach with your customers.

It’s only early February, but we’re full speed ahead into our spring meeting season here at Farland Group. As we plan for the coming months, below are a few items we work on sooner, rather than later, when pulling together an advisory board meeting.

Difficult customer feedback can be challenging to listen to, but can provide the foundation for a very positive future relationship.

Strong relationships with your c-level customers can accelerate change, uncover opportunities, and strengthen your company’s position. What keeps B2Bs from earning those relationships—and realizing their value? We’ve identified 10 common—but surmountable—barriers that hold B2Bs back.

Strong relationships with your c-level customers can accelerate change, uncover opportunities, and strengthen your company’s position. What keeps B2Bs from earning those relationships—and realizing their value? We’ve identified 10 common—but surmountable—barriers that hold B2Bs back. In Part 2 of this series, we explore the struggle and barriers to realize value.

As 2018 comes to a close and we look forward to the new year, I find myself reflecting on some of our priority areas at Farland Group — both for the boards we work on as well as my own day-to-day work. While we concentrate on these areas throughout the year, we need to maintain the momentum we began on January 2. Below are a few things that are imperative as we soon start the New Year.

During a recent client advisory council meeting, one business leader stated that while everyone talks about AI, only about 1 in 20 companies are actually using it. One reason is a lack of understanding of how it all works and how to apply it; but for some it is also based on the fear that AI will eliminate jobs.

Many marketers are stuck in an activity mindset, focused more on the event calendar and the client reference database than strategic conversations with customers. In contrast, an engagement mindset creates a strategy focused from the outside-in rather than from the inside-out. Here are ways to shift your approach toward an engagement mindset, even when you can't achieve a full-scale transformation.

A couple of years ago, I ventured out on Black Friday to find uncrowded stores, likely due to technology and the shift in the way consumers buy products. And last year on Thanksgiving night, I decided to switch it up a bit and opted to shop online.

How do you extend the value of a customer advisory board beyond those who participate in the meeting room to the rest of your organization? Here are a few of the most common challenges we see, and some recommendations to tackle them.

At the 2015 ITSMA annual conference, we considered, "If it is all about the customer experience, why are we still pitching?" We share the key takeaways from our discussion with Janis Fratamico, Director, Relationship Marketing at Bloomberg and David Coates, Director, Customer Programs at Iron Mountain, about relationship-based engagement...and four ways your can help your organization work from a customer point of view.

The Net Promoter Score (NPS) is a customer loyalty measurement that brings great value and a simple measurement for organizing companies around customer centricity. Here are some pros and cons to the metric.

McKinsey's article, “How to Scale your Digital Disruption,” highlights key leadership and organizational changes that help businesses think about digital as more than a sideshow. We share three major themes we hear from c-suite executives about what challenges keep them from making this shift and driving the change fast enough.

During a recent council meeting, both our client, and their customers in attendance, acknowledged that it’s difficult to hear the negative advice, and much credit was given to our client for listening to the more challenging feedback. Both parties appreciated the openness of this type of forum, and agreed that if the candid advice turns into actions and outcomes, it’s a win for all participants.