Chief Outsiders’ Post

Quarterly Business Reviews (QBRs) are essential for driving performance and transparency. Here are 11 steps to ensure they are productive, focused, and drive alignment and growth across your organization: 1️⃣ Define Objectives: Clearly outline goals and expectations for the QBR to ensure alignment and focus. 2️⃣ Set the Agenda: Develop a structured agenda covering financial performance, customer success metrics, product updates, and action items. 3️⃣ Prepare Data and Insights: Gather relevant data and insights to support discussions and decision-making during the QBR. 4️⃣ Engage Stakeholders: Invite key stakeholders from across the organization to participate and collaborate in the QBR. 5️⃣ Review Performance: Evaluate performance against key metrics and KPIs, highlighting successes and areas for improvement. 6️⃣ Discuss Customer Success: Review customer satisfaction scores and retention metrics, and develop strategies for improvement. 7️⃣ Share Product Updates: Provide updates on product enhancements and gather feedback from stakeholders. 8️⃣ Analyze Sales Pipeline: Review sales pipeline and forecast for the next quarter, identifying opportunities and challenges. 9️⃣ Identify Action Items: Summarize key takeaways and assign responsibilities for action items arising from the discussions. 1️⃣0️⃣ Plan for the Future: Develop a strategic plan for the upcoming quarter based on insights gained during the QBR. 1️⃣1️⃣ Solicit Feedback: Gather feedback from participants to continuously improve future QBRs and ensure they remain valuable. Read more, with Chief Outsider Yury Larichev: https://bit.ly/4bLLwME #CEOs #BusinessStrategy #RevenueGrowth

🌟 𝗕𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗣𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗲𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗤𝘂𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗹𝘆 𝗕𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗥𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄𝘀 (𝗤𝗕𝗥𝘀) 🌟 𝗘𝘀𝘀𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗤𝗕𝗥𝘀: Quarterly Business Reviews are pivotal for success in any organization. They're not just meetings; they're platforms for progress, performance assessment, and growth opportunities. A well-conducted QBR can mean staying competitive, meeting customer needs, and fostering closer ties. 𝗕𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗳𝗶𝘁𝘀: 🎯 Prompt problem-solving 🤝 Building trust and collaboration ✅ Progress tracking against goals 🔄 Continuous relevance and improvement 𝟵 𝗕𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗣𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗲𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗘𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗤𝗕𝗥𝘀: 1️⃣ Choose Your Customers Wisely: Focus on valuable, engaged, and diverse customers. 2️⃣ Define Clear Objectives and Goals: Set specific, measurable targets. 3️⃣ Invite Key Customer Stakeholders: Gather diverse perspectives. 4️⃣ Create and Share an Agenda: Guide focused discussions. 5️⃣ Use Data and Metrics Effectively: Guide decisions and improvements. 6️⃣ Encourage Active Participation: Foster a collaborative atmosphere. 7️⃣ Review Progress Against Goals: Adjust strategies based on feedback. 8️⃣ Share QBR Insights: Apply insights across teams. 9️⃣ Plan for the Next Quarter: Set actionable and measurable goals. Effective QBRs are crucial for long-term customer relationships and mutual growth. By implementing these best practices, you can turn QBRs into a dynamic tool for driving future growth and improvement.

Let's talk about my view on crafting effective QBRs and EBRs 🚀 Embracing a strategic approach to Quarterly Business Reviews (QBRs) and Executive Business Reviews (EBRs) has been a game-changer in my client engagements. Here's my take on how these sessions can truly evolve and elevate the client relationship: First QBR: Setting the Foundation In the first QBR, I focus on establishing a solid foundation with basic metrics that are not only relevant but tailored to the unique needs of my client. It's about laying the groundwork and understanding the key performance indicators that matter most at this stage. Furthermore it is a great way for clients to see what metrics you typically use. Second QBR: Iterative Learning Building upon the insights gained from the initial QBR, the second session becomes more dynamic. It's a collaborative process where we delve into the learnings from the first meeting and start calibrating the metrics and milestones. This iterative approach ensures that we are aligning our goals with evolving client expectations. Third QBR: Crystal Clear Alignment By the third QBR, the aim is to present the final 'version'—a comprehensive and crystal-clear alignment of objectives. This session reflects a refined understanding of client needs and a well-calibrated set of metrics that truly resonate with their business goals. EBR: Culmination of Insights The Executive Business Review (EBR) serves as the culmination of the insights gathered from the initial QBRs. It's built upon the solid foundation established in the early stages, using the building blocks to provide a holistic overview of achievements, challenges, and the strategic roadmap ahead. 🔗 Connecting the Dots for Success In essence, the QBR and EBR journey is about connecting the dots. Each session informs the next, creating a roadmap that evolves based on real-time insights and client feedback. This iterative process not only enhances the value delivered but strengthens the partnership, fostering a collaborative and strategic long-term relationship. #QBR #EBR #ClientEngagement #BusinessStrategy #Collaboration #SuccessJourney f.y.i. this is not me below, just another AI generated image 😮

The DEATH of the QBR Are you still conducting quarterly business reviews that merely skim over 90-day performance metrics, concluding with the worn-out inquiry of 'how can we do more together'? If so, I propose a challenge: delve deeper into the outcomes. I'm willing to wager that these QBRs amount to little more than a superficial face time session, devoid of tangible results. If you're not delving into the numbers monthly, and if the leadership teams from both sides fail to grasp their significance, I contend that this indicates a flaw in your internal systems rather than a deficiency in the partnership itself. Moreover, if your approach is merely centered around asking “how can we do more together”, then it suggests a lack of groundwork or a limited understanding of your partner's business. I can anticipate the counterarguments: face time holds importance; analyzing results for goal setting is crucial, and securing executive alignment makes a difference. I agree with these assertions but argue that the traditional QBR format falls short. So, what's the alternative? Partner visits should truly embody the essence of 'visiting' the partner. Each visit should serve to deepen understanding of their business by engaging with stakeholders across various departments, including sales, engineering, customer success, product, finance, and marketing. The objectives should encompass: Gaining a comprehensive understanding of the company's financial health, including insights into potential layoffs and departmental restructuring, with a view towards aligning your product to streamline operations. Identifying opportunities for collaboration, such as potential product integrations or features within upcoming releases. Staying abreast of any potential acquisitions, especially those involving companies that may be using your competitor’s solutions, to strategically position your product. Identifying product gaps and competitive advantages of your partner’s rivals to determine if your solutions can bridge those gaps. Exploring avenues for greater involvement in their sales processes, particularly in Request for Proposal (RFP) scenarios and where your products could fit Understanding their marketing strategies to identify areas where your company can complement their efforts. These visits may extend over several days, if necessary, to accommodate diverse stakeholder schedules. Above all, refrain from imposing quarterly, multi-hour time commitments on partners. Instead, opt for semi-annual visits aligned with your financial calendar. Gone are the days of marathon meetings spent staring at PowerPoint slides, merely to fulfill a checkbox on the partnership obligations list. Here to stay are the strategic meetings that encompass all aspects of organizations. Please share your experiences in optimizing partner visits to drive meaningful outcomes. #QBR #partnerships #saas #strategicplanning #strategicpartnerships #payments #planning #goalsetting

Customer-Centric approach in QBRs brings value to both - the client and the vendor.

Product teams can learn so much from QBRs. Attending Quarterly Business Reviews (QBRs) has always been something I really enjoy because I'm on the product side of the business. It's great to hear customer wins, frustrations, feedback, use cases, etc. Hearing the voice of the customer helps trigger new ideas for how to improve their experience. If you're a client success manager, you likely feel anxiety and stress in prep for a QBR. If I get called in, it's usually because the customer has already requested to learn about a new offering or feature or because they want advice or insights from other customers. What is the relationship like between client success at product at your organization? Are you eager for product to be more involved or afraid that they'll do more damage than good? I'd love to hear from you--what are the things you hope your product/service people do when they are called in to help with customer calls? #clientsuccess #productinnovation #retentionstrategies

Turn every review, good or bad, into the fuel that propels your business to new heights—all within a single platform! ⚙️🚀 With Savage Sales Review Management System, transform feedback into a driving force for growth. Embrace the power of constructive criticism and accolades alike. Ready to elevate your business? Discover the unified solution at https://vist.ly/t8ci and propel your success journey! 🌟💡 #ReviewFuel #BusinessGrowth #SavageSales #SavageSalesReviewManagement #SavageSales #OnlineReputation #CustomerReviews #businessreviews #brandreputation #reviewmanagement

Recent updates to our Backlog are designed to help you better organize, prioritize and plan work. You can now view more Stories at once, make quick Story adjustments with new right-click options and toggle on/off views to make Story details more meaningful to your workflows. For a deeper dive into the Backlog improvements, read our blog post (link in the comments below)👇

The really fundamental things often get overlooked. We all want to think about the next big thing for our business. But oftentimes the simple, mundane tasks are where major impacts can be made. → Is every call getting answered? → Is every inquiry getting responded to? → Is the highest-quality product getting delivered every time? → Are we following up with every lead? → Are we regularly checking in with our team? → Are we requesting and building online reviews? None of these individual tasks will greatly change the trajectory of your business. But together, they will. So all of them need to be handled consistently.

When commercial teams talk about accountability, they think about monthly report outs or (worse) big QBRs. For me accountability is zooming in for 10 minutes every day, checking the pulse with the team and ensure you identify issues before they become problems. Keeping up is easier than catching up: https://lnkd.in/ecNq4x4S