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The Customer-First Toolkit: How I meet 500+ customers a year as a CEO
The Customer-First Toolkit: How I meet 500+ customers a year as a CEO
Setup
Client-time score
Ghost Notes
10 customer centers
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Setup

Get started with the toolkit in 4 steps.
The Customer-First toolkit has two users: an executive + contributors across the company. Each user will need to go through a separate setup process (see below).
If you haven’t already, copy this doc, then share the doc with the person who will be sending the ghost notes (if that’s not you). This is usually an executive, like the CEO. Then, ask the executive to follow the instructions below.

⁠
Copy this doc
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⁠

⁠

Executive setup

Step 1 connects your Gmail account with this doc, which is needed for the
Ghost Notes
⁠
and
10 customer centers
⁠
portions of the toolkit. Steps 2-3 set up your Google Calendar pack so you can calculate your
Client-time score
⁠
. Ready to get set up? Expand the three steps below:
Time to complete: 20 minutes.

Step 1: ✉️ Ghost note setup

Right click on the words “Create draft” right above the red button below 👇.
Select Button options
Under Account, your email may appear if you connected to Gmail when you copied the doc. If an email other than your own is listed, select + Add another account. Sign in to your Gmail and complete the setup.
Now right click on “Create draft” again and go back to Button options. Double check that your account is listed.
Okay, now you’re ready to test it out. Click the green Apply template button, then click the red Create draft button. You’ll know the ghost notes setup is complete when you get a dummy ghost note in your Gmail
drafts folder
⁠
with the subject Gainsight CEO Connect *.
Apply template
Create draft
Reset
1
​
​
​
No results from filter
⁠

Did the ghost note show up in your Drafts folder? Woohoo - you’re ready to use the toolkit! 🚀
If you got stuck, no worries - click the question mark in the bottom right of the screen to get free help from a Coda expert.

Step 2: 📆 Client-time score: categories

Before you sync in your Google Calendar events, you’ll want to establish your calendar color categories. We’ll use these colors in the next step to categorize your events. Here’s how to set up your categories:
👇 Rename categories. Match calendar colors with event categories by renaming the Category Name column below.
If you already color your calendar, rename the categories below to match your own color system.
If you don’t color you calendar, take a few minutes to think of the most common reasons for your meetings (e.g. client meeting, travel, etc.). Assign each of those categories to a color. It’s okay if you don’t have a category for each color, but make sure you have a “client” category included.
✔️ Identify client categories. Once you’ve set up your color categories, check the box next to the category (or categories) that best represents your “client” meetings. For example, if you have a category called “sales calls”, that would count as a client category. Any category where you’re meeting with customers counts towards your
Client-time score
⁠
.

⁠
Clear examples
⁠
⁠
Color Name
Category Name
Count as client meetings
1
Banana
Client
2
Peacock
Internal
3
Tomato
Travel
4
Sage
Event
5
Grape
Alone
6
Tangerine
Biz Dev
7
Graphite
Personal
8
Flamingo
Misc 1
9
Lavender
Misc 2
10
Basil
Misc 3
11
Blueberry
Misc 4
There are no rows in this table
⁠

Did you rename your categories and identify your “client” meetings? Great work - you’re ready to move on to the next step below 🙌.

Step 3: 📆 Client-time score: sync events

a) Now it’s time to sync your Google Calendar events into this doc so you can calculate a client-time score. Did your calendar automatically sync into the table below 👇 when you copied the doc? Expand your answer for next steps:
Yes, my calendar events successfully synced when I copied the doc.
Awesome! Move on to Step B below.
No, my calendar events did not sync when I copied the doc.
No worries! You just need to manually sync your events. Hover over the table below, then click Options (appears at the top right of the table) → Google Calendar Events → Account. Sign in to your Google Account and sync your events.
That worked! 😀 Move on to Step B below.
That didn’t work 😞 - I need more help
Try re-copying the doc. After copying, you should be prompted to connect with your Google Calendar.
Still stuck? You can chat with a Coda expert, for free, who can help you get it set up. Just click the question mark in the bottom right of the screen.

b) Do you already color your calendar? Expand your answer for next steps.
Yes, I typically color my calendar.
Great! When you copied the doc, it should have automatically categorized your calendar events based on the event color. You should see the events below colored to match your Google Calendar. You’re ready to move on to Step 3.
No, I don’t typically color my calendar.
First off, I highly encourage coloring your calendar. If you want an easy way (and a lecture on why), check out:
The Color-What-Matters Calendar Guide
⁠
.
But in the meantime: If you don’t already color your calendar, manually select a category for each event below. Remember, you can copy and paste just like you would in a spreadsheet.
💡 Looking for a shortcut?
The thought of categorizing every single event in the table below might feel overwhelming. Don’t worry! You can take a shortcut.
Instead of categorizing every single event, just categorize events that are most likely to be with clients. Because most client meetings include external attendees and are typically non-recurring, you can use the filters 🔍 below to show narrow the list to events that are most likely to be “client” meetings.
This works because you only need to know what % of your time was spent with clients to calculate your your
Client-time score
⁠
. The other categories don’t matter as much for the score.

⚡ Optional: Apply colors to your calendar so it matches the table
Once you’ve categorized your events, click Update to color your Google Calendar events to match the categories. Perhaps it will convince you to keep coloring your meetings?
⁠
Update all event colors
⁠
⁠

Filters 🔍
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⁠
Only show meetings with external attendees
⁠
⁠
Only show non-recurring meetings
Color
Event Title
Start
Duration
Attendee domains
Recurrence
Set category
Update calendar color
1
Team dinner
Thu, Sep 2, 2:00 PM
1 hr
codadoc.io
Recurring
Internal
​
2
Daily standup
Thu, Sep 2, 9:00 AM
30 mins
codadoc.io
Recurring
Internal
​
3
Meeting with TJ
Thu, Sep 2, 8:00 AM
1 hr
codadoc.io
Recurring
Biz Dev
​
4
Lunch & Learn
Wed, Sep 1, 9:30 AM
1 hr 30 mins
codadoc.iogolddex.complusstrip.com
Recurring
Alone
​
5
Daily standup
Wed, Sep 1, 9:00 AM
30 mins
codadoc.io
Recurring
Personal
​
6
Product review
Tue, Aug 31, 11:00 AM
1 hr 15 mins
codadoc.io
Recurring
Event
​
7
Daily standup
Tue, Aug 31, 9:00 AM
30 mins
codadoc.io
Recurring
Internal
​
8
Strategy session
Tue, Aug 31, 8:00 AM
1 hr
codadoc.io
Recurring
Client
​
9
Alan / Joel
Mon, Aug 30, 11:00 AM
30 mins
codadoc.io
Recurring
Alone
​
10
Weekly Kick Off
Mon, Aug 30, 10:00 AM
1 hr
codadoc.io
Recurring
Event
​
11
Daily standup
Mon, Aug 30, 9:00 AM
30 mins
codadoc.io
Recurring
Event
​
12
Coffee with Lola
Mon, Aug 30, 8:00 AM
1 hr
codadoc.io
Recurring
Event
​
13
Friday demos
Fri, Aug 27, 11:00 AM
1 hr
codadoc.io
Recurring
Internal
​
14
Daily standup
Fri, Aug 27, 9:00 AM
30 mins
codadoc.io
Recurring
Travel
​
15
Team dinner
Thu, Aug 26, 2:00 PM
1 hr
codadoc.io
Recurring
Event
​
16
Daily standup
Thu, Aug 26, 9:00 AM
30 mins
codadoc.io
Recurring
Internal
​
17
Meeting with TJ
Thu, Aug 26, 8:00 AM
1 hr
codadoc.io
Recurring
Client
​
18
Lunch & Learn
Wed, Aug 25, 9:30 AM
1 hr 30 mins
codadoc.iogolddex.complusstrip.com
Recurring
Biz Dev
​
19
Daily standup
Wed, Aug 25, 9:00 AM
30 mins
codadoc.io
Recurring
Travel
​
20
Product review
Tue, Aug 24, 11:00 AM
1 hr 15 mins
codadoc.io
Recurring
Alone
​
21
Daily standup
Tue, Aug 24, 9:00 AM
30 mins
codadoc.io
Recurring
Personal
​
22
Strategy session
Tue, Aug 24, 8:00 AM
1 hr
codadoc.io
Recurring
Personal
​
23
Alan / Joel
Mon, Aug 23, 11:00 AM
30 mins
codadoc.io
Recurring
Client
​
24
Weekly Kick Off
Mon, Aug 23, 10:00 AM
1 hr
codadoc.io
Recurring
Internal
​
25
Daily standup
Mon, Aug 23, 9:00 AM
30 mins
codadoc.io
Recurring
Internal
​
26
Coffee with Lola
Mon, Aug 23, 8:00 AM
1 hr
codadoc.io
Recurring
Biz Dev
​
27
Friday demos
Fri, Aug 20, 11:00 AM
1 hr
codadoc.io
Recurring
Internal
​
28
Daily standup
Fri, Aug 20, 9:00 AM
30 mins
codadoc.io
Recurring
Event
​
29
Team dinner
Thu, Aug 19, 2:00 PM
1 hr
codadoc.io
Recurring
Travel
​
30
Daily standup
Thu, Aug 19, 9:00 AM
30 mins
codadoc.io
Recurring
Travel
​
31
Meeting with TJ
Thu, Aug 19, 8:00 AM
1 hr
codadoc.io
Recurring
Alone
​
32
Lunch & Learn
Wed, Aug 18, 9:30 AM
1 hr 30 mins
codadoc.iogolddex.complusstrip.com
Recurring
Event
​
33
Daily standup
Wed, Aug 18, 9:00 AM
30 mins
codadoc.io
Recurring
Event
​
34
Product review
Tue, Aug 17, 11:00 AM
1 hr 15 mins
codadoc.io
Recurring
Event
​
35
Daily standup
Tue, Aug 17, 9:00 AM
30 mins
codadoc.io
Recurring
Internal
​
36
Strategy session
Tue, Aug 17, 8:00 AM
1 hr
codadoc.io
Recurring
Internal
​
37
Alan / Joel
Mon, Aug 16, 11:00 AM
30 mins
codadoc.io
Recurring
Biz Dev
​
38
Weekly Kick Off
Mon, Aug 16, 10:00 AM
1 hr
codadoc.io
Recurring
Personal
​
39
Daily standup
Mon, Aug 16, 9:00 AM
30 mins
codadoc.io
Recurring
Event
​
40
Coffee with Lola
Mon, Aug 16, 8:00 AM
1 hr
codadoc.io
Recurring
Event
​
41
Friday demos
Fri, Aug 13, 11:00 AM
1 hr
codadoc.io
Recurring
Internal
​
42
Daily standup
Fri, Aug 13, 9:00 AM
30 mins
codadoc.io
Recurring
Internal
​
43
Team dinner
Thu, Aug 12, 2:00 PM
1 hr
codadoc.ioblackzim.com
Recurring
Biz Dev
​
44
Daily standup
Thu, Aug 12, 9:00 AM
30 mins
codadoc.ioopentech.comrantouch.comdambase.comblackzim.comy-corporation.com
Recurring
Biz Dev
​
45
Meeting with TJ
Thu, Aug 12, 8:00 AM
1 hr
codadoc.io
Recurring
Event
​
46
Lunch & Learn
Wed, Aug 11, 9:30 AM
1 hr 30 mins
codadoc.io
Recurring
Event
​
47
Daily standup
Wed, Aug 11, 9:00 AM
30 mins
codadoc.io
Recurring
Event
​
48
Product review
Tue, Aug 10, 11:00 AM
1 hr 15 mins
codadoc.iodonware.comy-corporation.comfinhigh.comcancity.comzoomit.com
Recurring
Client
​
49
Daily standup
Tue, Aug 10, 9:00 AM
30 mins
codadoc.io
Recurring
Internal
​
50
Strategy session
Tue, Aug 10, 8:00 AM
1 hr
codadoc.io
Recurring
Event
​
51
Alan / Joel
Mon, Aug 9, 11:00 AM
30 mins
codadoc.io
Recurring
Internal
​
52
Weekly Kick Off
Mon, Aug 9, 10:00 AM
1 hr
codadoc.io
Recurring
Travel
​
53
Daily standup
Mon, Aug 9, 9:00 AM
30 mins
codadoc.io
Recurring
Internal
​
54
Coffee with Lola
Mon, Aug 9, 8:00 AM
1 hr
codadoc.io
Recurring
Internal
​
55
Friday demos
Fri, Aug 6, 11:00 AM
1 hr
codadoc.io
Recurring
Personal
​
56
Daily standup
Fri, Aug 6, 9:00 AM
30 mins
codadoc.io
Recurring
Travel
​
57
Team dinner
Thu, Aug 5, 2:00 PM
1 hr
codadoc.io
Recurring
Travel
​
58
Daily standup
Thu, Aug 5, 9:00 AM
30 mins
codadoc.io
Recurring
Biz Dev
​
59
Meeting with TJ
Thu, Aug 5, 8:00 AM
1 hr
codadoc.io
Recurring
Personal
​
60
Lunch & Learn
Wed, Aug 4, 9:30 AM
1 hr 30 mins
codadoc.io
Recurring
Travel
​
61
Daily standup
Wed, Aug 4, 9:00 AM
30 mins
codadoc.io
Recurring
Travel
​
62
Product review
Tue, Aug 3, 11:00 AM
1 hr 15 mins
codadoc.io
Recurring
Internal
​
63
Daily standup
Tue, Aug 3, 9:00 AM
30 mins
codadoc.io
Recurring
Client
​
64
Strategy session
Tue, Aug 3, 8:00 AM
1 hr
codadoc.io
Recurring
Event
​
There are no rows in this table
⁠

Are your calendar events categorized/colored? Fantastic - move on to the next step 👏.

Contributor setup

If you’re a contributor on this doc, your primary goal will be to draft ghost notes for the executive to send on your behalf. Your setup process is relatively straightforward:
Time to complete: 10 minutes.
Share this doc with your team so that anyone in the company can use the
Ghost Note sender
⁠
.
Customize your
Ghost Note email templates
⁠
to match your own workflows and team structure.
Check out
10 customer centers
⁠
for easy starting points to source customer meetings.

And that’s it! You’re ready to start using the Customer-First Toolkit! 🎉

⁠

Setup and ready to go? Head to
Client-time score
⁠
⁠

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