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Bruce Frymire at CyberSource would like to exchange ideas with reference managers who find themselves under-funded and over-committed. In particular, he runs CyberSource's reference program by himself with no outside resources. If you'd like to explore forming a community of similarly strapped, smaller scaled programs, please see Bruce's email to... read more →

Amy Shever is leaving a year-long contract gig at BEA in their customer reference program. If you're looking for an experienced reference manager, or know someone who is, you can find out more about Amy as well as her contact information, below. ********** Hi, Bill! I am wrapping up a... read more →

In its current issue, Fortune magazine lists 7 new rules of business -- and trashes no less than Jack Welch himself in the process. Perhaps the most respected manager of the last generation (he led GE from 1981 to 2001), Welch focused on increasing shareholder value. And he did a... read more →

Yesterday we had the first of our Summer Teleconference Series. Following is a summary and some key takeaways. Also, we've moved the discussion here, online, as our panelists continue answering questions on this important subject. Whether you participated in the teleconference or not, feel free to join the discussion. By... read more →

Following is a great little checklist to refer to the next time you're putting together a success story campaign, customer videos, events or other messaging efforts based on your customer references. It's from a great blog put out by Kathy Sierra called Creating Passionate Users. It will help you avoid... read more →

PROJECT KNOWLEDGE EXCHANGE: Tanya Orman from WebEx Communications asks: I’m wondering if other companies have branded their customer reference programs like Network Appliance did (Evidence 2WIN). I need a few more examples including any examples of the logos that were created as part of the branding. For those companies that... read more →

At the March Customer Reference Forum in San Francisco, some 100 reference professionals spent a very intense half day addressing three critical issues in reference management: 1. Measuring the value of a reference program 2. Gaining executive support 3. Recruiting customers 1 and 2 are important because "everyone knows" that... read more →

One of the most exciting developments in the reference community this year has been the exchange of ideas and information between its members. At the March Customer Reference Forum in San Francisco, some 100 reference professionals spent a very intense half day addressing three critical issues in reference management: Measuring... read more →

Bill Lee helps clients reinvent customer relationships and achieve dramatic growth through the creation of engaged, passionate customer communities. He has pioneered the concept that customer relationships constitute the most important off balance sheet assets in companies large and small, public and private. For the last six years, Bill has... read more →

This blog provides a Reference Point for professionals like you who organize and run Customer Programs such as Customer Reference Programs, Customer Advisory Boards and Customer Communities. Your job is to engage with, understand, and deepen relationships with customers in ways that provide mutual value. This blog's job is to... read more →