Build a Product Advisory Council for Your Startup

The Evolving Need for Customer Insight

The recent pandemic has dramatically accelerated the rate of change for businesses striving to meet customer expectations.

However, this rapid digital transformation has simultaneously made it more challenging to predict shifts in those very needs.

Leveraging Product Advisory Councils

To effectively design, develop, and support products that align with evolving customer demands, organizations require a system for obtaining impartial feedback from a representative user base.

Product advisory councils (PACs) are, by their nature, a highly beneficial resource offering direct insight into customer expectations.

Benefits of Establishing a PAC

A well-structured PAC delivers crucial perspectives on addressing challenges within a wider, dynamic market.

Furthermore, it humanizes customer personas, fostering a stronger connection and increased motivation among teams to deliver demonstrable value.

Impact on Business Decisions

PACs exert influence on business choices in several ways, but their primary contribution lies in assisting with feature prioritization based on actual customer value.

They also refine feature messaging, ensuring it resonates with customers by utilizing their own terminology.

Additionally, PACs can stimulate future content creation by identifying unexplored opportunities.

Seven Steps to PAC Implementation

Here's a guide outlining seven steps to establish and effectively implement a PAC:

• Step 1: Define Objectives. Clearly articulate the specific goals you aim to achieve with the PAC.
• Step 2: Identify Ideal Members. Select participants who genuinely represent your target customer segments.
• Step 3: Establish a Structure. Determine the frequency of meetings, communication protocols, and overall PAC organization.
• Step 4: Prepare Engaging Agendas. Develop meeting agendas focused on relevant topics and actionable discussions.
• Step 5: Facilitate Open Dialogue. Encourage honest and constructive feedback from all PAC members.
• Step 6: Analyze and Implement Feedback. Thoroughly review insights gathered and translate them into tangible product improvements.
• Step 7: Show Appreciation. Recognize and value the contributions of PAC members to foster continued engagement.

Establishing Objectives for Your Product Advisory Council

The initial step involves clearly defining and aligning the objectives of your Product Advisory Council (PAC). These objectives should be specifically tailored to your business, considering your sector, clientele, and overarching aims.

A productive starting point is to contemplate your desired growth trajectory. Perhaps you aim to extend your reach beyond your present customer base. Achieving this necessitates a thorough understanding of the perspectives of these prospective customers. What obstacles do they encounter? What drives their actions? How do they articulate their professional experiences?

This insight will guide the development of features designed to address their needs and shape the messaging that highlights the product’s benefits. Consequently, a key objective for the PAC should center on identifying and refining your market potential.

Well-defined objectives are essential for determining the ideal composition of your PAC. Consider both demographic factors – such as age, gender, profession, and geographic location – and psychographic elements, including fears, motivations, and influences.

Our implementation of a PAC was guided by these straightforward goals:

• Maintaining close contact with our current customer base to effectively prioritize product and marketing enhancements.
• Improving our ability to address obstacles in the purchasing process by gaining deeper insights into buyer behavior and decision-making.
• Confirming and expanding our understanding of our target growth market – the customer segment we intend to serve in the future.

These goals are valuable as they provide the necessary data to inform our product development strategy, both in the short and long term. They also help us optimize how we communicate the value proposition we aim to deliver.

Providing Tangible Benefits to PAC Participants

Careful consideration should be given to the value proposition offered to members of your Partner Advisory Council (PAC). Maintaining engagement necessitates a clear understanding of what can be realistically delivered, factoring in budgetary limitations, time availability, and the capacity of your team.

The range of potential benefits is extensive, encompassing opportunities for professional networking with peers, access to specialized content and training materials, or even preferential pricing on chosen member services.

Benefits for Non-Customers

For members who are not current customers, we prioritize facilitating connections with industry leaders and fostering potential collaborative ventures. These individuals also benefit from a platform to exchange best practices and gain insights from fellow members, all within a stimulating and enjoyable environment.

Benefits for Existing Customers

Our existing customer PAC members receive prioritized access to upcoming product features. Furthermore, they play a crucial role in shaping our product development roadmap, are featured in case studies, and gain visibility through customer spotlights on our website.

They also have the opportunity to exchange knowledge and successful strategies with their counterparts.

Key Considerations for PAC Value

• Networking Opportunities: Facilitate connections between members.
• Exclusive Content: Provide access to materials not publicly available.
• Product Influence: Allow members to contribute to roadmap decisions.
• Recognition: Showcase member successes through case studies.
• Discounts: Offer preferential rates on relevant services.

Pinpointing Key Participants and Influential Figures

After setting your objectives and outlining the reciprocal benefits, pinpoint and invite individuals who can offer significant insights for your business. Simultaneously, identify influencers capable of attracting further PAC (Product Advisory Council) members.

These individuals should contribute value, bolster credibility, and ideally, inject a degree of enthusiasm into the council. A well-rounded PAC necessitates representation from diverse market segments and distinct buyer personas.

Diverse Representation within Your PAC

The specific aims of your PAC should guide the inclusion of individuals offering varied viewpoints. Consider incorporating a blend of the following:

• Individuals embodying the roles of decision-makers and purchasers.
• Representatives of the ultimate users of your product or service.
• Those capable of providing an impactful or novel perspective.
• Individuals possessing knowledge regarding your competitive landscape.
• Participants willing to constructively challenge your concepts, plans, and strategies.

Their contributions will prove essential in comprehending how to effectively cater to both your existing and expanding market demands. Members gain from peer-to-peer learning and exposure to more established organizations they may seek to emulate.

Having considered these categories, compile a list of potential members from your existing network for each, and collaboratively evaluate it with your team. The scope of this list will determine your overall engagement strategy.

A concise initial list of potential members is perfectly acceptable. Extend invitations to a PAC session and solicit their feedback on how to optimally position the council to attract other prominent leaders and influencers. Should your list prove extensive, contemplate segmenting it into smaller groups based on market opportunity, buyer persona, or other relevant criteria.

Cultivating a Sense of Belonging and Exclusivity

Once you’ve successfully onboarded crucial individuals into your Political Action Committee (PAC), it’s essential to foster a feeling of appreciation and significance for their participation.

This can be effectively achieved through strategic investments in high-quality experiences, including personalized items like branded merchandise, detailed member profiles, refreshments, and access to exclusive information.

Branding and Theatrics for Engagement

Consider developing a distinct brand identity for your PAC to enhance its perceived exclusivity. We employed a tactic of creating “top secret” digital folders.

These folders contained valuable resources such as screenshots and detailed member personas, adding an element of intrigue. Such approaches are readily adaptable to virtual environments, proving that impactful engagement doesn't necessitate physical presence.

Pre-Event Engagement Strategies

Prior to any event, thoughtfully curated packages containing branded items, snacks, or personalized messages can significantly elevate the experience.

Careful consideration should be given to the contents of these packages and their recipients, ensuring a heightened sense of importance and value for each member.

• Personalized Swag: Items tailored to individual member interests.
• Member Dossiers: Comprehensive profiles showcasing contributions.
• Exclusive Content: Information not available to the general public.

These elements contribute to a more engaging and rewarding experience for PAC members, strengthening their commitment and fostering a sense of community.

Maintaining a Consistent PAC Meeting Schedule

One area where improvement could have been made from the beginning involves establishing a predictable schedule for your Partner Advisory Council (PAC). It’s crucial to define a realistic frequency for regular PAC meetings.

A minimum of quarterly meetings for the entire PAC is recommended. More frequent, focused sessions can be scheduled for specific user groups, like buyers and end-users, or industry segments such as agencies and consulting firms.

Planning and Communication are Key

Publish the PAC calendar, including planned themes, well in advance. Distribute meeting invitations promptly to ensure maximum participation.

PAC members are eager to contribute, but their time is limited, and schedules become quickly occupied.

Our objective is to conduct PAC meetings on at least a quarterly basis. Each meeting centers around a particular focus, challenge, or insight that we aim to explore.

Depending on the subject matter, we often invite guest speakers or prominent business leaders to share their valuable perspectives and experiences.

• Regular Cadence: Essential for consistent engagement.
• Quarterly Meetings: A foundational frequency for the full PAC.
• Targeted Meetups: Beneficial for specific personas and verticals.
• Early Communication: Maximizes attendance and preparation.

Prioritizing Discussion Over Workshops in PAC Meetings

It's understandable to want to leverage your Product Advisory Council (PAC) for feature testing and gathering direct feedback. This approach can be highly effective with smaller, targeted groups.

Consider segmenting your PAC members to facilitate these focused sessions. However, when convening the entire PAC, it’s crucial to remember the core purpose and the reciprocal benefits of the meeting.

Our experience indicates that discussions centered on broader industry trends and the resulting challenges and opportunities are significantly more beneficial for PAC members.

These conversations foster a more profound comprehension of user perspectives, thought processes, and the language they employ when articulating their needs.

The intentionally less structured nature of these discussions allows for stronger interpersonal connections, the spontaneous generation of ideas, and the expression of individual viewpoints.

These elements collectively enhance nuance, refine language, and build emotional resonance. Furthermore, they reinforce the perceived value of participation, as members readily recognize the benefits of engaging in conversation rather than solely providing feedback.

Understanding the difference between a feedback session and a strategic discussion is key to maximizing your PAC’s potential.

Maintaining Momentum: Follow-Up and Follow-Through

The concluding phase is crucial for both your internal team and the members of the Product Advisory Council (PAC). Subsequent to each meeting, ensure you follow up with all participants.

Share a summary of the discussions held, emphasizing key highlights, important conclusions, and clearly defined next actions. Demonstrate how their contributions are influencing product development, marketing strategies, and team operations.

Think about featuring PAC members in your company newsletter. Identify individuals who possess significant influence or are engaged in innovative work within their respective fields.

Provide them with dedicated recognition – always securing their consent prior to publication, of course.

At the close of the year, distribute a comprehensive recap outlining observed trends and identifying emerging opportunities or challenges relevant to the group’s interests. This aims to sustain the reciprocal value exchange beyond scheduled meetings.

Consistent communication of this nature will also prove beneficial when the time comes to expand the PAC membership, and a newsletter is an effective channel for this.

Based on the PAC’s makeup, establishing a dedicated Slack channel could facilitate more continuous dialogue and foster a stronger sense of community between formal meetups.