Market research
Walk me through how you’d set up and run a customer advisory board. What value should it create?
Write a charter first, because a board without a purpose drifts into a customer party or a lobby for features. Recruit ten to twelve customers weighted toward the market the company is growing into, meet on a fixed rhythm with specific agendas, and give members something they value, such as early access and peers.
Keep it advisory, close the loop after each session, and count the decisions it shaped.
5 min read
Free 10-minute mock
Practice “Running a customer advisory board” free
Your first mock interview is free (10 minutes). No card needed.
The decision behind a customer advisory board
An advisory board costs money and executive time, so the first question is what it is for. Common purposes include testing strategy with the customers who matter most, getting early reactions to direction, and deepening ties with accounts the company needs to keep. Each purpose leads to different members and different agendas.
Interviewers also listen for what the board isn’t. It isn’t a roadmap vote, a sales event, or a reward for loyalty. Saying that early shows you have seen boards go wrong.
A working plan for the advisory board
- Charter. One paragraph on purpose, what members give, what they get, and what the board doesn’t decide.
- Members. Ten to twelve people, weighted toward the segment you’re growing into, chosen for candor over enthusiasm.
- Rhythm. Two half-day working sessions a year and a short call each quarter.
- Agendas. Two or three real questions per session, with pre-reads, and product demos kept brief.
- Payback for members. Early previews, time with peers, and direct access to leaders.
- Closing the loop. A note after each session listing what you heard and what you did.
- Measurement. A yearly count of decisions the board shaped, reviewed with leadership.
An advisory board plan for clinic software, spoken
“I’d start with the charter, since a board without a purpose drifts. Imagine software for physical therapy clinics, moving from single clinics toward regional chains. The board’s job would be to test that move with the customers who matter most to it. I’d recruit eleven members. Six would be operations leaders at chains, three would own our most loyal single clinics, and two would be clinic directors who’d pushed back hard in the past, because I want people who’ll tell us we’re wrong. We’d meet in person twice a year for half a day, with a pre-read and three questions, such as how chains choose software across sites. A forty-five-minute call each quarter keeps it warm. Members get early previews, a private peer group, and an hour with our CEO. After each session I’d send a note listing what we heard and what we’re doing about it, including what we decided against and why. A year in, if I couldn’t name three decisions the board shaped, I’d change the charter or end it.”
Choosing members who have pushed back is the detail interviewers remember. It shows you want insight from the board and not applause.
Trade-offs in who sits on the board
- Loyal core against target segment. Loyal customers are easy to recruit and tell you about today. Target-segment customers tell you about the market you want, and they are harder to get.
- Senior titles against practitioners. Executives bring budget views and credibility. Practitioners know where the product fails. Mixed boards need agendas that give both a role.
- Open sharing against confidentiality. Real roadmap discussion needs an NDA, and it risks leaks if members also use rival products.
- Relationships against commercial pressure. A member in the middle of a renewal may use sessions to negotiate. Keep account managers out of the room.
How customer advisory boards drift
The first drift is toward presentation. Sessions fill with product demos and slides, members stop talking, and attendance drops by the second year. Protect most of the time for discussion.
The second is the lobby. One large customer uses every session to push the feature it wants, and the board starts to feel like its account plan. A facilitator from outside the product team can redirect without offending anyone.
The third is the silent board. Members hear nothing after the session, assume nothing happened, and stop engaging. The follow-up note prevents this, especially when it says what you won’t do.
Follow-ups on the advisory board plan
| Question you may get | Why it comes up | Your move |
|---|---|---|
| How do you handle a member who dominates? | Facilitation | Structured rounds, a neutral facilitator, and a private conversation if needed |
| What do you say when a member asks for a feature you can’t commit to? | Honesty under pressure | Thank them, explain how input is weighed, and say when you will report back |
| How do you keep it from becoming a sales tool? | Integrity | No selling in sessions, and account teams stay out of the room |
| How would you refresh membership? | Long-term thinking | Two-year terms with staggered renewals, so part of the board turns over each year |
More questions in this category
Frequently asked questions
- Should advisory board members be paid?
- Usually not in cash. Access, influence, and peers are the usual draw, and travel is typically covered. Explain what would motivate the specific members you have in mind.
- How big should a customer advisory board be?
- Ten to fifteen keeps everyone talking. Larger groups turn into presentations and lose the candor that makes the board useful.
- Who should run the advisory board?
- Product marketing often owns it, with an executive sponsor who attends every session. The sponsor’s presence tells members their time is valued.
Guides that help with this question
All guidesFree 10-minute mock
Practice “Running a customer advisory board” free
A Mokk session asks this question, follows up on your answer, and scores it on five competencies. Your first mock is 10 minutes, scored like a full interview. No card needed.
Your first mock interview is free (10 minutes). No card needed.
Practice “Running a customer advisory board” free
10 minutes · no card needed