What does outsourcing mean to German research buyers?

An interesting comment arrived today from a reader in Germany (After the US, the country with the most readers of this blog at the moment) who has been looking at Meton Group (P.S. Now called Experton). Like many US analyst firms, new analyst firms in Europe also have to consider finding an outsource partner for some of their research work. That something we’ve discussed on this blog earlier. My correspondant’s comment on Meton is that it:

“Looks like an old pony with the same trick to me, though. Since Meta has gone so many other analyst companies want to fill the gap that it might become more difficult for Merton than they think. Many former Meta clients are actively looking for, and testing, new suppliers of research.

“Plus: Meton does not have the huge research machine of Meta in the background. I found this reference to “offshore research” and a “network of former Forrester etc. analysts” a bit dubious.” [my emphasis]

That’s an interesting challenge for Meton in its core market, and not one that they would face in most English-speaking countries. Germany, like France, is a country of niche research houses (despite Napoleon’s jibe calling the English “une nation de boutiquiers”). German managers tend to value deep expertise, backed up with data, rather than the broad self-confidence offered by the US firms. META’s large consulting business in Germany reflected the need to suppliment the US model (broad content, short advisory conversations, networking events) with deeper insight needed to give the client full insight into the analyst’s Gesamtkonzept.

Duncan Chapple

Duncan Chapple is the preeminent consultant on optimising international analyst relations and the value created by analyst firms. As SageCircle research director, Chapple directs programs that assess and increase the business value of relationships with industry analysts and sourcing advisors.