Pick One Area to Focus on for the Rest of 2021

Let’s pause for a moment. It’s mid-November, some of the major holidays are coming at us full force and you think your work is (sort of) winding down…. well, not quite! If you are like us at Farland Group, we’re already in the midst of planning for customer advisory board meetings taking place in 2022. And with only 6 weeks left in this year, if you had to pick one area to focus on, what would that be?

My advice — aside from identifying future meeting dates, gathering input on meeting agenda topics for next year, and the usual housekeeping items — my top priority would be membership and recruiting.

We know that establishing a customer advisory board recruiting pipeline is critical to keeping board membership consistent and stable; a pipeline enables you to easily track status throughout the year and send out new invitations on an as-needed basis. We also know that keeping your eye on membership and recruiting throughout the year is essential because executives and roles constantly turn over, especially given the impact COVID has had on resources over the last two years.

With that said, now is a good time to revisit that recruiting pipeline. There may be potential board members who previously declined invitations due to time constraints… or maybe you recently sent an invitation and have yet to receive a response — in either scenario, you have the opportunity to follow up and close the loop. Who knows — maybe you’ll add a new member just before you close out 2021!

As you think about what needs to be completed before year’s end, I urge you to reassess your customer advisory board membership. Do your due diligence now — close those loops on outstanding items related to recruiting and gather and vet a short list of potential new members to add. Doing this before the end of 2021 will help set up your customer advisory board in the best position possible for 2022 when it comes to membership and recruiting.

Related Stories

Customer Advisory Boards: How Difficult Conversations Drive Change

Posted on 04.27.2023 by in Customer Advisory Boards

One of my first jobs out of university was working in the headquarters office of a local business with several locations. In this role, I worked closely with the customer service representatives, and we received feedback, questions, and  

Continue Reading »

Ramping up Customer Advisory Council Recruiting

Posted on 01.31.2023 by in Customer Advisory Boards, Featured

When the end of a calendar year closes, hand in hand come a number of retirements and role changes in the C-suite, which has an impact on Customer Advisory Council membership. While a number of open seats on your  

Continue Reading »

How to Make Working Groups Work For You

Posted on 12.8.2022 by in Customer Advisory Boards

Coming out of Customer Advisory Council meetings, there is generally a list of action items, and areas identified for further exploration. There are many ways to follow through, but one vehicle is invaluable when it comes to keeping  

Continue Reading »

Looking Back on One Year: An Interview with Mike Abbott, Thomson Reuters

Posted on 12.1.2022 by in Client Interviews, Customer Advisory Boards, Featured

Mike Abbott is the Head of Market Insights, Global Thought Leadership and the Thomson Reuters Institute, which brings together people from across the legal, corporate, tax and accounting, and government communities to ignite conversation and debate. Mike and the Thomson  

Continue Reading »


Customer Advisory Boards

Customer Advisory Boards are powerful engines of engagement, insight, and business transformation. Make the most of yours.

Meeting Facilitation: Virtual and In-Person Boards » Taking Your Customer Advisory Board Meetings Virtual »

Learn More »

Engagement Strategy

Like any good relationship, customer engagement is a long-term, reciprocal effort. When done well, meaningful engagement leads to better business results, faster.

Engage Your Customers to Help You Stop Pitching » Getting to a Customer Engagement Mindset »

Learn More »

Understanding the C-Suite

Building C-level programs that are meaningful and bring value to you as well as to your c-suite customers is challenging. Veiled sales pitches won’t win the day with this audience. Deliver what executives want: ideas, inspiration, innovation, influence.

Building a C-Suite Client Experience Strategy » Do you Know What Your Customers Value? »

Learn More »