By Nigel Hammond, Co-Founder, Foresight
Why Preparing for Value-Focused QBRs Matters More Than Ever
This is the third part in our series about leveling up your QBRs. In our first installment, we talked about how to position the exercise—moving away from the traditional, one-directional QBR to a more intentional Value Review that truly resonates with your customers. In the second part, we focused on reframing your agenda to center around what your customer actually wants to discuss: how your solution is helping them achieve their business goals.
Now, we’re going to dive into how you can prepare for these meetings in a way that’s both efficient and impactful. Spoiler alert: it’s about working smarter, not harder.
Don’t hesitate to reach out if you’d like to talk about how your organization’s QBRs can be improved with some simple but powerful steps!
The Problem: Inefficient Preparation That Misses the Mark
We hear it all the time: reps spend hours—sometimes days—preparing for QBRs. They pull together usage stats, craft slides filled with product updates, and piece together data that, frankly, the customer might not even care about.
The reality is, time is a precious commodity—for both you and your customer. Spending countless hours preparing materials that don’t hit the mark isn’t just inefficient; it’s a missed opportunity to deliver real value.
The Solution: Smarter Preparation Through Customer Engagement
To make your Value Review truly impactful, you need to prepare in a way that aligns with your customer’s needs. Here’s how:
- Ask Your Customer to Do a Little Homework
Your customers are paying significant amounts of money – they want to maximize that investment. Don’t be afraid to ask your customer to invest a small amount of time before the meeting to ensure that happens. This is as simple as filling out a brief Value Assessment or answering a few targeted questions via email – the important this is that these questions are centered around the business value they are getting (or not getting) from your solution vs. feature / functionality.
By doing this, you’re showing that their input is crucial to helping them maximize the value they get from your solution. It also ensures that the time you spend together is focused and productive.
- Focus on Value as Defined by the Customer
Remember, value is in the eye of the beholder. It’s not about how much they use your product or their NPS score; it’s about whether they’re achieving their desired business outcomes.
Use the information they’ve provided to tailor your preparation. Understand their priorities, where they’re seeing success, and where there might be gaps.
- Dig Deeper into Business Outcomes
High-level outcomes are great, but to make your meeting truly impactful, you need to delve into the specific workflows and processes that drive those outcomes.
For example, if their goal is to accelerate their hiring process, what are the steps involved? Where are the bottlenecks? How can your solution specifically address these issues?
- Leverage Your Unique Position as an Expert
You work with numerous companies across the industry, giving you insights that your customer might not have access to. Share best practices and success stories that are relevant to their situation.
This not only adds value but also positions you as a trusted advisor rather than just another vendor.
The Outcomes: More Productive Meetings and Greater Value Delivered
By shifting your preparation strategy, you’re setting the stage for a meeting that’s highly productive and laser-focused on what matters most to your customer. You’re not wasting time on irrelevant stats or generic updates; instead, you’re engaging in a meaningful dialogue about how to help them achieve their goals.
We’ve seen this approach lead to significant improvements, including:
- Higher Executive Engagement: Executives are more likely to attend meetings that promise actionable insights into their business challenges.
- Opportunities for Growth: By identifying unmet needs, you’re opening the door to upsell opportunities that are genuinely beneficial to the customer.
Next Up: Executing the Value Review
Once you’ve positioned the exercise, set an agenda centered on customer value, and prepared efficiently, the next step is to execute the meeting effectively. In our next installment, we’ll explore best practices for conducting Value Reviews that not only meet but exceed your customer’s expectations.
