How to Keep CXOs Engaged

Is there a way to keep client/prospect senior executives involved in a long, complex, evaluation process? Where they typically are most active at the beginning setting direction, then back off and delegate evaluation details to staff, only to reappear at the end in final decision making? Is there a way to stay in touch with them without overstepping boundaries?

There is. Send them a running progress summary.

A progress summary is an encapsulation of all the key events that have taken place in their evaluation of you and your team. You update it after each event. 

The kind I like to use is a simple 5 column spreadsheet (or table). The column headings are Date, Event, Objectives, Attendees, & Results.

Here’s a little more detail about each column:

Date - List the date the event occurred (or you could say “week of” to consolidate many short phone calls/video conferences).

Event - These are key meetings you have with the client or prospect in their evaluation. They include things like needs analysis, presentations, demonstrations, RFP reviews, etc. But I like to be even more precise using terms like “Executive Dashboard Demo” or “Implementation/Transition Plan Review”.

Objectives - Here’s where you list the key goals of the event. It’s why you’re meeting from their perspective. Use verbs like: “to understand, to confirm, to observe, to verify, or to compare” when writing these.

Attendees - Record who was involved from both sides. I’ll use name and title for the first event that person is there and skip titles in later events.

Results - This is where you get to own the narrative. Point out what you proved by the end of the meeting. Again, it’s most powerful if you lead with a verb. Show how you allayed concerns they had. Add benefits they didn’t expect but were able to see during the event.

So, you lay them out in a table or spreadsheet, summarized as cogently as you can, and email them out with each update. You can lay them out chronologically, with the last event in the last row or in reverse, with the last event at the top. Either way, I like to highlight in yellow the last event each time I send the chart so it stands out and they see it’s a fresh report (meaning they can toss the old one).

Here are a few reasons I like this approach:

• It’s simple.
• Most senior execs just want summaries, not having to wade through details.
• It makes change easier to swallow. You’re chipping away at their concerns with each event.
• If you have an inside advocate (coach) you can make them look good by letting them forward it to their C-level execs. Saves them time too.
• It can differentiate you from the competition.
• It uses their language (but is framed by you).

Consider using a progress summary to keep C-level client executives involved in your lengthy evaluations. 

Have a great week!

Bob

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