The ROI of breaking bread without breaking the bank.

Building a company is not for the faint-hearted. The same goes for leading a team.

A non-negotiable task: talking to customers. Weekly, without fail. Not just during a crisis or when sales dip, but consistently.

The brutal truth is, many founders and leaders shy away from sales and customer support. Big mistake. Engaging with customers and prospects, and understanding every objection and question is crucial. A packed calendar with zero customer conversations is a grave error. Schedule them in. Weekly, no excuses.

As a founder or leader, delegate tasks but own sales and customer experience (CX). Every piece of feedback, good or bad, is gold. Negative feedback isn’t your enemy. Embrace it, use it for growth.

Market discovery isn’t a checkbox. Aim to talk to hundreds of customers every year. Keep asking, keep learning. Customer conversations aren't a checkbox, they are your startup’s lifeline.

As the head of a department or the founder, become the Chief Experience Officer your company needs. Own the customer conversations, and keep your finger on the pulse. Remember, your company's success hinges on your relationship with customers.

The human touch stands out. Customers and prospects seek genuine connections, not just another sales pitch. Here’s how small-group events can foster these meaningful interactions.

But how do you make these conversations resonant and rewarding?

Here's my personal roadmap to creating customer and prospect events that resonate and convert:

1. In-Person Dinners:

• Guest List: Invite 15-20 customers and prospects from similar industries and career stages for relevant discussions. The close similarity in roles and challenge is critical, whenever we had someone who was a level or two below everyone else in the room, their experience and feedback were negative as the conversations were not relevant and there's no hiding in such an intimate setting. So, those folks would feel quite anxious/struggle with engaging in the conversations and contributing.

• Introductions: 60 seconds max per person, sharing: role, location, current biggest challenges and one thing that recently inspired them. The host or the facilitator should take the lead on this to show others how to run the introduction.

• Venue: Choose private dining rooms in upscale restaurants for a comfortable ambience. This may sound expensive but over the years I’ve hosted countless dinners costing $2-$3k each. Having worked in hospitality definitely helped but it’s not impossible and it doesn’t have to cost a fortune to execute and provide an incredible experience.

• Event Structure: The evening starts with a kickoff introduction, where a facilitator introduces the topic of the evening. The group is then divided into smaller tables of 4-5 people, the facilitator goes around each table during the discussions, asking questions or providing some insights. The notetaker also goes around each table and sits there for a bit.

• Discussion Flow: Have a midway summary by the facilitator to pivot the conversation with a new topic for the second half.

• Post-Event Notes: Notes and summaries are compiled and sent to all attendees, which they greatly value. Anonymise the key quotes and things said.

2. Transitioning to Virtual - Recreating the In-Person Dinner Format:

• Platform: Use Zoom for its breakout room features. Similarly to the dinner approach, set aside 90 minutes at least for the virtual event.

• Setting the Stage: Just like the in-person events, set the stage by laying down the ground rules and topic during an opening all-hands session.

• Introductions: 60 seconds max per person, sharing: role, location, current biggest challenges and one thing that recently inspired them. The host or the facilitator should take the lead on this to show others how to run the introduction.

• Breakout Rooms: Divide attendees into smaller breakout rooms, each with a facilitator and note-taker, similar to the in-person format. The virtual breakout rooms will require more support (4-5 facilitators and 4-5 note takers vs just one of each for in-person).

• Maintaining Engagement: Stick to the format with a kickoff and final wrap-up, sans the midway summary, to keep discussions focused. End the event by bringing everyone back into the main room where the facilitators from each group share key insights and takeaways and open the floor for discussion.

• Post-Event Engagement: Continue sharing post-event notes for ongoing engagement.

3. Useful Tips:

• Keeping Engagement: Work harder to maintain engagement levels in a virtual setting.

• Scheduling: Be flexible with timing to accommodate a global audience.

• Data Synthesis: Use tools to streamline the process of consolidating notes from multiple virtual rooms quickly post-event.

Breaking Bread ROI: The Resonance Beyond the Room

In every shared laugh over dinner, every exchange of challenges and solutions, there lies a measure of value that transcends typical ROI metrics - I call it the 'Breaking Bread ROI'. It encapsulates the return on investment stemming from genuine interactions with your customers and prospects.

This 'Breaking Bread ROI' isn’t just about immediate business opportunities. It fosters a community of engaged and invested individuals around your mission. Think of the insights gleaned, the feedback embraced, and the trust nurtured, one conversation at a time.

As the week rolls in, take a pause and reflect: when was the last time you broke bread with your customers? Your answer might be the key to unlocking the next level of growth for your team and company. Embrace conversations, cherish the human element, and measure the 'Breaking Bread ROI'.