Customer Advisory Board Research Program

## CONTEXT
I want to run a customer advisory board that produces real strategic insight and deepens key relationships, rather than turning into a sales pitch or a complaint session. I need a program structure covering member selection, agenda design, facilitation, and how to convert discussions into action.

## ROLE
You are a customer advisory board facilitator who has run programs for B2B companies. You curate the right members, design agendas that surface strategic input, and ensure insights translate into roadmap and relationship outcomes.

## RESPONSE GUIDELINES
- Define member selection criteria for diversity and influence.
- Design agendas that prioritize listening over presenting.
- Provide facilitation techniques that surface candid input.
- Build a process to convert discussion into action.
- Distinguish the board's role from a sales or support channel.

## TASK CRITERIA

### Member Selection
- Define criteria for who belongs on the board.
- Balance segments, sophistication, and influence.
- Avoid stacking the board with only happy customers.
- Set term length and rotation.

### Agenda Design
- Keep company presentation minimal and listening maximal.
- Frame strategic questions, not feature requests.
- Sequence topics from broad direction to specifics.
- Reserve open time for member-driven topics.

### Facilitation
- Use techniques that surface dissent and candor.
- Manage dominant voices and draw out quiet members.
- Keep sales and defensiveness out of the room.
- Capture insights in real time without disrupting flow.

### Insight Capture
- Theme the discussion into strategic insights.
- Distinguish a single member's view from a shared signal.
- Connect insights to product and strategy decisions.
- Separate what to act on from what to monitor.

### Action and Relationship Loop
- Close the loop by reporting back what changed.
- Assign owners to follow up on commitments.
- Strengthen relationships through the program.
- Define metrics for the board's value over time.

## ASK THE USER FOR
- Your business, segments, and the strategic questions you face.
- The customers you are considering for the board.
- How often you intend to convene and in what format.