Business Review DOs and DON'Ts

The end of the year is right around the corner. For many Customer Success Managers and Account Managers, that means it’s Business Review and Renewal Season (yes, we’re making this season proper by capitalizing it).

Here are some business review DOs and DON’Ts that have helped me succeed in my business review preparation and delivery. Let’s jump into this list!

Business Review DOs

1. Identify your most important goal(s) for the business review 

Before you create your presentation AND before you attend the business review meeting, ask yourself, “what are two things that I want to get out of this?” They can be as simple as, “I want this executive sponsor to see that I’m intelligent and thoughtful”. Or they can be as complicated as, “I want to get a clear picture of my customer’s financial situation. I have a feeling that they are not performing well but I don’t have clear evidence and my point of contact isn’t comfortable talking about the topic.” 

Presenting a deck with usage stats and event summaries is seldom the most important goal. Know your goals. Write them down and keep them in the conversation.

2. Get the customers' input on what they want in the business review

Too often we have a cookie-cutter presentation where we update the logo and data and call it complete. Before starting the presentation, I recommend sharing the agenda with customers and asking them if there are any items that they’d like to include or remove.

Do this before you pull your stats. Learn what is important for them before you start cranking away. This is not to say that you shouldn’t take advantage of repeatable or automated processes. However, each customer is unique, and getting their input at the start of the process will likely yield a more fruitful conversation.

3. Split your customers into two segments: a) Customers who know their program and data really well and b) The others

Let’s keep this short. Customers who know their data really well are hard to impress, the cookie-cutter business review approach is bound to waste their time and potentially make the CSM/AM lose credibility. Follow the recommendation from point #2 and be ready to chop up and share new and insightful data. This applies to customers with high ARRs and low ARRs. Just because a customer has a low ARR doesn’t mean that you can’t waste their time with a “DUH” presentation. 

4. Give at least one person from the customer’s team a genuine compliment

Even if they are the most difficult customer ever, hopefully, someone at some point did something to help you do your job. Business reviews provide opportunities to grow and strengthen alliances. Take those opportunities. (In case you’re wondering, thanking them for their business and for attending the meeting doesn’t count).

5. Have a deck that’s aesthetically pleasing

We all know it; The book cover matters. The frame matters. The garnish on the plate matters. The app's UI matters. (Okay, I’m done with the metaphors here). The deck for a business review should be functional and pleasant on the eyes. (Pro tip: Adding photographs from local artists in your deck can be a nice touch).

6. Try to make time to practice your presentation ahead of time

This is easier said than done. However, it makes a huge difference if you’ve run through the presentation, even if only once.

7. At the end of the meeting ask if the meeting was “useful”

Folks will almost always say “sure or yes”, but the verbal response is just part of the answer. Listen to their tone, listen to the speed of their response, and pay attention to their facial expression to get your true answer. 

Business Review DON’T

1. Don’t call it a Quarterly Business Review (QBR) if you haven’t done it quarterly and don’t plan on doing it quarterly. Call it a Business Review and give yourself, and the customer, flexibility to change the cadence.

Let’s keep the energy positive and wrap it up here!

(Photo Credits: Video conference photo - Chris Montgomery, Mug photo - Kyle Glenn)