Get pleasure from complimentary entry to prime concepts and insights — chosen by our editors. A couple of months in the past, I did one thing I not often do; I signed up for a high-priced out-of-town workshop. These sorts of gatherings are sometimes disappointing for me, however I figured this one could be completely different. It promised two full days of perception from one of many main voices about enterprise progress and scaling, which is one thing I have been fascinated by rather a lot recently. I flew within the night time earlier than, confirmed up early the following morning, and settled into my seat, pocket book in hand, able to be taught. One downside: The knowledgeable, whose identify was all around the promotional supplies and my ticket, wasn’t there. As a substitute, we needed to sit by means of a sequence of shows from the chief’s group. The content material wasn’t dangerous, however it wasn’t what I got here for. After a couple of hours, I noticed this workshop wasn’t the very best use of my time (or cash).So, I left.Again in my lodge room, I opened my laptop computer and pulled up ChatGPT. I typed in: “I would like you to be [this expert business leader]. These are the questions I would like answered for my enterprise. Assist me construct a 12-month motion plan.”And it labored. (Disclaimer: The writer receives no compensation or promotional consideration for services and products talked about on this article.)As a result of a lot of this chief’s pondering was already within the public area — in podcasts, books and interviews — my AI bot may channel his voice very precisely. My AI expertise wasn’t simply higher than sitting within the convention room with the knowledgeable’s group, it was like having a personal advisory session with the chief himself. Via AI I may ask follow-up questions, drill down into specifics, and get suggestions that was tailor-made to my actual situationThat’s when it hit me: If I may do that with one knowledgeable, why not use AI to construct a whole advisory board composed of the individuals I most wish to be taught from?The dream-team advisory boardMost accounting corporations are wrestling with related challenges at the moment: pricing, course of enchancment, recruiting, retention, new expertise adoption, bettering shopper expertise, and standing out within the market.Now, think about calling a board assembly and having Jeff Bezos (pricing and scale), Elon Musk (innovation), Charlie Munger (psychological fashions) and Indra Nooyi (tradition and management) sitting across the desk with you. That is not wishful pondering anymore. With AI, you will get their views in actual time on a variety of topics.This is what I did after my disappointing workshop: I prompted ChatGPT with the next: “Act as Jeff Bezos. How would you redesign the pricing technique of an accounting agency to scale whereas including extra shopper worth?” Then I attempted this immediate: “You’re Charlie Munger. Stroll me by means of the decision-making traps I could be falling into as I take into consideration M&A”.Are the solutions good? No. However they’re thought-provoking. They shake you out of the identical round conversations you retain having with companions. Generally simply listening to the phrases phrased differently can unlock a unique approach. It is like attending to borrow another person’s mind for an hour — and it is totally free.Giving your shopper a seatThe second sort of advisory board could be much more essential: your shopper avatar.This is the truth — most corporations do not actually know what their shoppers suppose. We prefer to assume. We prefer to venture. We prefer to think about. But when we ask shoppers immediately we uncover that they care about issues we by no means thought had been essential. Now, you may give your shoppers a everlasting seat on the desk.This is how:Begin by defining your best shopper intimately. To illustrate it seems to be a 50-year-old actual property investor with a handful of rental properties and rising curiosity in multifamily offers. Let’s additionally say she makes use of LLCs and partnerships however is not absolutely assured that the construction of her companies is tax-optimized. Her greatest worry is lacking deductions or organising an incorrect entity construction that results in an audit. Her greatest frustration? Having to elucidate actual property fundamentals to her CPA as a substitute of the opposite approach round.Feed that profile into AI and inform it: “Any longer, you might be this shopper. Reply my questions as she would.”Then ask AI what you’d ask if the shopper was actually within the room: “What frustrates you about working with an accounting agency?” or “What would make you’re feeling we had been indispensable?”Once I tried this strategy, the solutions had been uncomfortably trustworthy. They jogged my memory that whereas I take delight in my technical sophistication, my best shoppers care extra about my availability and proactive steerage. And that is the sort of shopper perception you need shaping your choices.You may make the avatar sharper by layering in actual shopper survey information or suggestions from previous tax seasons. The purpose is not to keep away from speaking to shoppers — it is to maintain their voice current in each strategic dialog you and your group have.Why this mattersHere’s the massive takeaway: Entry to experience is now not the issue. Execution is.Ten years in the past, a midsized accounting agency could not entry Jeff Bezos’s perspective on pricing or run a role-play with their good shopper avatar. At the moment it will possibly. Meaning the corporations that get forward will not be those with probably the most cash or the fanciest consultants. It is going to be those that construct execution self-discipline round at the moment’s instruments.If you wish to make this actual, schedule a quarterly “advisory board assembly.” Invite your chosen “members.” Perhaps Bezos, Munger and your shopper avatar. Include three questions you want answered. Run the prompts. Debate the responses along with your group. Then stroll away with three concrete choices to behave on.It’d sound unconventional, however after attempting a digital advisory board assembly myself, I can let you know it really works. And when you begin, you will by no means wish to return to guessing or recycling the identical stale concepts.Closing thoughtI spent 1000’s of {dollars} and half a day at a workshop to appreciate one thing I may have completed from my very own workplace: One of the best advisory board you will ever have is already obtainable to you. The one query is whether or not you will invite them into the room.What’s your agency doing to get extra out of your advisory board conferences? I would love to listen to from you.