Why 90% of tech companies sound exactly the same – and how the smart ones are breaking free I spent a hour walking through #DTWignite, a major telecom trade show, photographing booth displays and asking software and services companies about their taglines. What I discovered was both fascinating and terrifying: the entire B2B tech industry…
Two years ago, our friend and peer Dominic Pannell died. He leaves a huge gap in the influencer relations community, both for his professional contribution and his human energy. Last year I wrote a reflection on his views on analyst relations, and so did his colleagues at SageCircle. This year, with their help, I’m sharing…
The global economic turmoil means B2B solution providers face anxious buyers. Understanding the deeper motivations behind customer purchasing decisions is more crucial than ever for effective marketing. Traditional segmentation models often miss important nuances that drive decision-making, making the Shiver Grid approach invaluable. First published during a project for Mimecast by Billy Hamilton-Stent and his…
Still time to register for the hybrid 2025 Analyst Relations Forum, both online and at the University of Edinburgh Business School. The keynote speakers Robin Schaffer, Chris Holscher and Ian Scott have great presentations. Covid has knocked out a few people at the school, including Neil Pollock, so Duncan Chapple will share some of the…
As someone who’s spent decades in the analyst relations field, I’ve observed a growing disconnect between how analyst services operate and what today’s technology buyers actually need. This was the focus of a March 2025 webinar I hosted with Susan Tonkin from Wrike and Patrick Lethert, where we explored how analyst firms can better serve…
After back-to-back briefings with analysts here at Mobile World Congress, I’m hearing that many analysts find themselves caught in a familiar tension: focus on the technical facts or emphasize business outcomes? As someone who has worked with technology analysts for decades, I’ve observed that many resist making bold business benefit statements for fear of sounding…
Recently, I’ve been planning a business story development workshop that builds on insights from my 2022 paper in Organization Studies, with Neil Pollock and Luciana D’Adderio,”Extending entrepreneurial storytelling to new audiences.” This work has highlighted an interesting contrast between how analysts and commercial organizations approach storytelling, leading me to reflect on opportunities for cross-pollination between…
Extensive research (See this article) from Lancaster University Management School has highlighted a concerning disconnect in the analyst relations world: Industry analysts producing extensive content that technology vendors consume, but perhaps not enough of what technology buyers actually need. Analysts excel at evaluating products, assessing vendor capabilities, and analyzing competitive landscapes. But here’s the uncomfortable…