“I invite Executives to EBRs, but they never show up.”
I’ve heard this statement—or a version of it—countless times. In one memorable instance, a team of Customer Success Managers (CSMs) said to me, “So it’s not our fault if they don’t show up; they ignore our invites.” This defeatist attitude won’t get anyone very far. Instead, let’s discuss what actually works in getting executives to not only attend your Executive Business Reviews (EBRs) but also to keep coming back.
The mistake that some CSMs make is that they simply send out an invite or ask their ‘champion’ to invite additional stakeholders but don’t address WHY the client should set aside time for this meeting.
If senior stakeholders, and especially executives, do not see how it would be a good use of their time, what’s in it for them, and why it should take up precious space on their calendars, they will be no-shows.
We are competing for their attention, so we need to stand out in a crowded room full of noise. We can’t do that if we don’t prepare. This brings us to our first step in getting executives to attend not only one EBR but also to come back for more: Preparation.
1. Preparation: The Foundation of a Successful EBR
Before invites even get discussed, you need to prepare, do your research, and align to the priorities and problems the executives care about the most.
The preparation phase is crucial. This isn’t just about setting an agenda; it’s about aligning the EBR with the executives’ most pressing problems, priorities, and the strategic goals of their organization. To do this, consider these steps:
- Understand Their Problems and Priorities: Research the executives’ key business priorities and current challenges. Tailor the EBR content to address these areas directly. If we’ve been disengaged with this client, prepare hypothesis and problem statements that you can use in your outreach.
- Work Closely with your Champion: Align with your champion and any stakeholders who are engaged to get inside intel and perspective on problems, priorities, and challenges. Work with them to do relationship mapping and identify who holds influence within the organization so you can multi-thread and expand your own influence and buy-in within the account.
- Clear Objectives: Define the EBR’s objectives and consider it from THEIR perspective first and foremost. These objectives must be clear and relevant to even get them to consider attending.
2. Leading Up to the EBR: Building Momentum
Now that you’re prepared and starting to get executive buy-in, or at the very least, consideration of attending, then you need to keep building that momentum. The period leading up to the EBR is about building anticipation and ensuring attendance:
- Engage Stakeholders Early: Involve key stakeholders in the preparation process. Consider having a ‘call before the call’ with your champion and other key stakeholders who can help you align the EBR agenda to what’s top of mind for the executives.
- Asynchronous Pre-EBR Briefings: Provide briefings to the executives and/or their teams to review the executive summary, the agenda, discuss expectations, and gather input. This ensures alignment and demonstrates that their input is valued. It also sets the tone that this will be a collaborative discussion, not a ‘put you to sleep by slide deck’ meeting.
- Personalized Invitations: Send personalized invitations that highlight the meeting’s importance and relevance. Mention specific topics that will be covered, which align with their interests. I’m not suggesting that individual calendar invites go out (that would be a logistic nightmare). Rather I am suggesting that each stakeholder receives an email or message that is personalized to them immediately following the calendar invite.
- Reminders: Send timely reminders leading up to the EBR. These should be professional and underscore the importance of the meeting. I like doing reminders a week before and a day before, but adjust this to what will be well received by your customers.
3. Conducting the EBR: Making the Meeting Valuable
On the day of the EBR, focus on delivering value and fostering engagement:
- Structured Agenda & Clear Objective: Start with a clear and structured agenda that leads to a clear objective. Share the goal and purpose of the meeting. This should already be known, but it serves as a good way to set the tone and ensure everyone is on the same page. Remember that everyone has a lot on their respective plates, so while this may have been top of mind for you all week leading up to the meeting, it may not have been for them, so don’t skip this step and assume alignment.
- Relevant Results: Present results and data directly relevant to their business and the top priorities and goals they are expecting you to help them ultimately achieve. Avoid generic presentations and product usage stats (unless the latter is asked for). Instead, provide insight into the progress towards their goals. If goals have been missed or are not on track to hit, be prepared to share a root cause diagnosis on why and a plan to get things back on track.
- Future State. Align on the upcoming period’s goals and share insight on how your product can be leveraged to achieve new goals and solve new problems. However, don’t make it about your product and go in with a feature pitch; rather, focus on the future state that they can expect to achieve through the use of your product. This will help ensure your solution stays relevant.
- Interactive Discussion: Encourage an interactive discussion. Ask open-ended questions and seek their feedback. This turns the EBR into a two-way conversation rather than a one-sided presentation.
4. Post-EBR Follow-Up: Ensuring Continuity
Now that the EBR is over, it’s important to continue the momentum. The follow-up is as important as the meeting itself:
- Summarize Key Takeaways: Immediately after the EBR, send a summary of key takeaways and action items. Be as concise as possible, and keep in mind who the audience is and what they care about. A brief executive summary is one of my favorite things to send after an EBR. It reinforces the value of the meeting. I also caution against sending very detailed and tactical notes after the call. Beyond immediate next steps, save the minutiae for a separate follow-up with your champion and other relevant stakeholders.
- Action Plan: Develop a clear action plan based on the EBR discussions. Assign responsibilities and set deadlines to ensure accountability. Align this with your Success Plan to connect tactical actions and milestones to the overarching business problems and goals.
- Regular Updates: Keep the executives informed about the progress on agreed action items. Provide regular updates, maintain engagement, and demonstrate your commitment; just be sure to keep these updates relevant to the topics and level of information that is appropriate for them.
Conclusion
Getting executives to attend EBRs and ensuring they find value in these meetings is about more than just sending an invite. It involves thorough preparation, strategic alignment, engaging presentations, and consistent follow-up. By implementing these steps, you can turn your EBRs into indispensable sessions that executives look forward to attending.
Remember, the EBR process is not just a meeting; it’s an ongoing motion of engagement and value delivery. Evaluate your current approach and see where these foundational steps can be integrated to improve executive attendance and participation.
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Need help with creating an engagement framework that leads to executive buy-in and ultimately renewals? Reach out and let’s chat.
