The technology industry isn’t great at enabling measurable business outcomes for customers. Outcome Leaders Club will play a role in fixing that problem. In so doing, members will improve the financial fortunes of their company and their customers. And help their own careers in the process.

• Believe vendors should make customer outcomes their central focus
• Are leading or have led an outcome program in their company (that’s where the name of the club comes from – the members are Outcome Leaders)
• Want to benefit from other people’s experience and knowledge
• Are willing to contribute to the club

• Help members improve their company’s outcome program
  • Through collaboration with other members
• Accelerate the adoption of outcome programs across the tech industry globally
• Help fellow members, and themselves, to
  • Increase their influence in their company
  • Get promoted to more senior roles (from which they will have a greater ability to drive outcome programs)

• Improve your company’s outcome program
  • Presentations from peers
  • Discussions
    • Key topics and current events
  • New tools, guides and methodologies
  • Collaboration
    • Small working groups
  • Learn how other members are using outcomes to
    • increase their influence
    • advance their careers
  • Peer Acknowledgement for outcome achievements and contribution to the Club
    • Formal accreditation
    • Higher levels of Club membership
  • Industry Influence
    • Influence the outcome approach of the technology industry

• Meetups – we will run regular meetups (virtual and some face-to-face). Agenda items could include –
• Member presentations – progress to-date, problems encountered and future plans on outcomes
• Topical discussion on outcomes – pick a topic and discuss
• Small-group activity reports (see below)
• What’s needed – input on training, tools, guides etc needed by members
• Forums and discussions – we’ll provide a platform for this interaction
• Small working groups- we’ll form small working groups to develop tools, guides, methodologies etc.
  • The output cannot be a copy of IP developed by an individual company (and we need to adhere to the spirit of IP protection, not just the ‘letter of the law’).
  • The intention is to create new IP based on input from a group of members.
  • Content will be placed in a library and available for members.

• For members in the Customer Success field, CS operates at three levels –
  1. Day-to-day customer problem resolution
  2. Product adoption
  3. Business outcomes

  The club will focus on the level 3 – business outcomes. But, we’re conscious that members will need levels 1 and 2 working well. It’s possible the Club can assist with these levels as well.

Outcome Leaders Pty Ltd (the Company)

• Founded by Paul Henderson, an author, speaker and consultant.
• The company offers Outcome-based Customer Success.
  • Shows technology vendors how to make customer outcomes their central focus (something Paul believes every vendor should do).

Outcome Leaders Club (the Club) will

• Need a common framework for working on outcomes. It will use the framework from Outcome-based Customer Success.
• Influence the content and offerings provided by the Company. In effect, it will act like an Advisory Board.
• Develop stand-alone tools, guides, methodologies etc
  • Which will be available to other members
    • Free of charge
  • Receive training from the Company
    • On the common framework of Outcome-based Customer Success
    • Free of charge

Intellectual Property

Neither the Company nor Club members will want disputes over ownership of intellectual property. Disputes can be time-consuming, divisive, a distraction from the objectives of the Club and costly.

For that reason, the Company will own all intellectual property created by the Club. This keeps things simple and limits the chance of future disputes. But, stand-alone content such as tools, guides and methodologies developed by Club members will be free to other members.

Membership will not be open to everyone. We want a working group to further the development of outcome programs. Initially, we seek people who can contribute. Later, we may include people who aren’t yet able to contribute but want to learn.

People interested will be asked to complete an application. We’ll assess each person against the criteria set out in the next section.

Members will have an individual membership. We don’t plan to offer company memberships. However, the member’s employer will benefit through the improvement in the outcome program.

There will be a monthly membership fee. This increases the chance that people who join the Club will actively participate. The Club isn’t a networking group or a social club. We want active members.

The fee will be paid to the Company (Outcome Leaders Pty Ltd). The Company will provide

• Administrative support
• The common framework from Outcome-based Customer Success
• Free training on the framework

It’s expected a member’s employer will reimburse the membership fee. The core objective of the club is to improve the outcome program in each company, so it’s reasonable that the fee be funded by the employer.

If an employer does not reimburse the membership fee, we’ll discount the fee. This will be an honour system. The member need only email the Company to advise they will not be reimbursed, and the lower membership fee will apply.

If a member is without income (eg between jobs), we’ll waive the membership fee. Send an email and we’ll suspend the membership fee.

Fees

• Member fee – USD69/month
• Self-funding member fee – USD19/mth
• Between jobs – free

• The primary criterion is the ability and willingness to help develop outcome programs
• Initially
  • We’ll apply tight eligibility criteria
    • We’ll limit the people who might join
      • Focus on individuals who can contribute to the development of outcome programs
    • Later, we may loosen the criteria
  • A member –
    • Will be running, or have run, an outcome program
    • Will have five or more reports
    • Will believe the central focus of vendors should be measurable business outcomes for customers
      • Something bigger than product ROI
    • Happy to work with the common framework of Outcome-based Customer Success
  • A person who has not run an outcome program
    • Will not be eligible
      • Initially, we want people who can add knowledge and content
      • Later, we may include people who want to learn
    • Individual Contributors
      • Outcome experts – people who have great knowledge or experience in enabling business outcomes
        • but aren’t leading a team of people
      • will be eligible for membership
        • provided they have the ability and willingness to help develop outcome programs ie to be active Club members
      • Non-experts
        • Will not be eligible
      • External Consultants
        • Will not be eligible
        • Two concerns have been expressed about bringing external consultants into the Club
          • Their consultancy practice revolves around their own IP.
            • They aren’t likely to freely share that with Club members
          • Prospecting
            • Consultants would use the Club as a way of prospecting for clients
          • Vendors
            • Will also not be eligible
              • The same concerns as for external consultants have been expressed

• It’s likely some Club members will be more active or contribute more than others. We want to recognize these members.We plan to offer different levels of membership –
  • Member
    • We expect all members to be active in the Club
  • Practitioner
    • Members who have implemented an outcome program
      • Based on (or close to) the common framework
    • Will be recognised as an Outcome Practitioner
  • Senior Contributor
    • Members who make a stronger contribution to building content
      • Will be recognised as a Senior Contributor
    • Mentor
      • Members who are strong enough in the implementation of the common framework
        • And are willing to assist other members with advice and guidance
      • Will be recognised as Mentors

  We’ll recognise promotions to these higher levels with formal certification. Members can note the certification on their CV’s or LinkedIn profile.

• • The Company will administer the Club
  • The Company will appoint an Advisory Board
    • The board will provide advice and guidance on policies, standards, membership, procedures etc.

The purpose of the club is to advance outcome programs in the technology industry. And later, perhaps in other industries.

The structure and approach set out above have one purpose. Maximise the chance of the Club helping members’ employers and customers. And in doing so, to help members advance their careers.