Analyst consulting days (aka SAS or strategic advisory service in Gartnerese) have a high risk/reward profile for vendor analyst relations (AR) teams. We often receive questions from AR practitioners asking why AR would want to spend the money on an analyst consulting day.
Analyst Relations (AR) programs typically do not have sufficient resources (e.g., spokespeople bandwidth for analyst interactions, AR headcount, and budget) for the tasks at hand. Kea Company see underinvestment in AR pretty much across the board regardless of market (e.g., services, software, or hardware), geography, size, or stage of maturity. […]
One of the more common inquiries that Kea Company handles is “How can I know which analysts are most relevant? Should I focus on traditional influencers or put some effort toward these new style influencers?” […]
5. Vendors approach analysts with an undifferentiated message and lack of thought in their vision and strategy.
Downside – why should an analyst pay any attention to a boring, me too vendor, especially if the market is crowded and fragmented?
The IT industry analysts do a good job of researching and analysing the IT industry. Where they often do not do a good job lies in educating their own clients on how to use the research and recommendations. This is critical because analyst clients could end up making wrong decisions about technology and services, putting their companies – and their jobs – at risk. Don’t take written research at face value or view only the research from a single firm. […]
As part of the ongoing struggle to convince their management about the value of analyst relations, AR professionals often prove the effectiveness of their AR programmes by showing written research with mentions about the vendor. This type of metric is often shortsighted because it does not take into account the verbal delivery of research via informal conversations over the phone and at analyst conferences.
In the bustle of daily activities, it is sometimes hard for Analyst Relations (AR) managers to keep their teams focused on their key operational activities. Kea Company created the 5 I’s of Analyst Relations to provide an easy mantra of essential activities. […]