analyst relations consulting
WELCOME to Arrow Analyst Relations
As an emerging technology company, you may think it's too soon or you're too small to get on the radar of IT analyst firms. Or the pace of your growing company just doesn't give you the time to even think much about analysts. The the land of Magic Quadrants and Waves seems only a dream. Well, it shouldn't be and doesn't need to be. Arrow ARC offers targeted services from former top analysts to help emerging vendors get noticed, get noted, and get notoriety.
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> See our blog for insights into analyst relations for emerging technology companies > Arrow ARC welcomes former analysts and technology industry thought- leaders and as principal consultants
> See our blog for insights into analyst relations for emerging
technology companies
> Arrow ARC welcomes former analysts and technology industry thought-
leaders and as principal consultants
WHAT we do
Arrow Consulting serves emerging technology companies at a time in their growth where analyst firm recognition can put them on the map, but a full-time analyst relations function is not yet feasible. Our services, ranging from advisory to outsourcing, help you to foster and leverage positive, sustained and profitable relationships with key industry analysts.
WHO we are
ABOUT
Arrow's principal consultants are each former analysts with top-tier analyst firms, technology firm executives, entrepreneurs, and Big-8 consultants. Our credentials and experience give us a unique ability to optimize the analyst-vendor relationship equation.
Nick Caffarra
Nick Caffarra directed META Group's applications consulting practice, headed ACNielsen's marketing research analytics delivery unit, and co-founded Evalubase Research. Nick brings over 20 years of executive experience in strategy, methodologies, implementation, market research and professional services. Nick has built global units for highly successful enterprise software vendors, including Brio Technology and Prism Solutions, and for leading marketing research firms.
John Ladley
John Ladley is a widely known authority and speaker on information and enterprise technology topics. Previously, John was Senior Program Director and a Research Fellow at META Group. Prior to joining META Group, Mr. Ladley was director of technology planning for Alliance Blue Cross of Missouri. His 25 years of IT experience also include working as a management consultant with the Coopers and Lybrand IT practice.
Doug Laney
Doug Laney is a former Service Director with META Group (now Gartner) where he launched its Enterprise Analytics research & advisory service. During this time he advised hundreds of vendors on competitive, product and marketing strategies. He has also run marketing for BMC Software's Global Services business unit, worldwide services for Identify Software, and Asia-Pacific consulting for Prism Solutions. Previously, Doug conceived and co-founded Evalubase Research.
ANALYST relations
> Identify and engage key analyst, press and other market
influencers & authorities
> Understand, interpret, anticipate and apply analyst reports
> Track key industry events and editorial calendars
> Arrange product briefings with analysts and press
> Prepare your team for analyst/press interactions
> Setup your internal analyst relations function
MARKET intelligence
> Assess marketplace trends and opportunities
> Assess current, emerging and imminent competition
> Identify and develop strategic partner opportunities
> Perform independent surveys to support marketing objectives
> Author independent market analyses
PRODUCT & marketing strategy
> Review and advise on product and marketing plans
> Create sales/marketing copy and presentations
> Develop and advise on demonstration scripts
> Author/edit whitepapers, press releases, blogs, etc.
> Provide representation at industry events
> Participate on advisory board
SERVICES
ARROW tips
a collection of analyst relations thoughts and advice
for emerging vendors
turn pages at any corner
DON'T send analysts that press release (It's too late)
2008-08-12
So you've written a press release and can't wait to issue it. It announces your new release and gushes about all the groooooooovy new bells, whistles, horns and sirens that are first to market for any vendor in your space. Oooooooh! According to whom? Are you or your PR firm suddenly renowned industry experts who are versant in all your competitors' products (i.e. your real competitors, not just the ones your ego allows you to acknowledge and are squarely in the same space)?
Let's take a deep breath and think lucidly about who should be doing the gushing and when you should be doing the PR publishing.
One of the worst things you can do to hack-off an analyst, and irreparably so until at least the next time, is to publish a meaty press release with out 1) briefing them on these imminent developments beforehand, 2) giving them a preview of the press release, and
3) offering for them to comment. Now if your outfit is still in "presearch mode" (i.e. you haven't the dough to subscribe yet to an analyst firm), then #1 is going to be a tough nut to crack. Analysts, particularly Gartner are loathe to (er...above) receiving briefings by non-subscribing vendors. #2 and #3 however at least show that you acknowledge and respect their poobahness in the industry.
So send them a DRAFT copy and give them a week to offer up a juicy quote or tone-down some of your wild claims that they'd otherwise publicly embarrass you for later. (You do have all the email addresses of every analyst who covers your market directly or peripherally, right?) What's the worst thing that can happen? They leak some of the info to some of their clients? Gosh, wouldn't that be horrendous...an analyst pimping your wares before you're even a paying client?
OK, so maybe they happen to drop hints to one of your competitors even though you asked them politely not to. Let's think this through this scenario. Any competitor of yours who is a subscriber to Gartner et al is probably much bigger than you. Now what the heck is Darth Software Co. going to do with this info?
Develop a new product that includes or trumps your features in one week? (Uh, no.) Pre-empt your press release? (Not a chance.) Start bad-mouthing you a week early...i.e. nervously alerting the market to pay attention to your message when it hits the airwaves. (Goodie!) More likely, your big, scary ol' competitors either don't give a buck about you or dont know who you are. So what do you care? Youve played to the analysts' egos and likely received more attention from the press release than you would have otherwise.
What happens when an analyst reads a press release that gets sent to him by your PR firm after it hits the wires? He doesn't read it because its old news. And he doesn't talk about it because its old news. Analyst are purveyors of prognostication. If it's not their idea or they're not in-the-know before the masses, then youve insulted them. And youve wasted a potential opportunity to get their feedback, get a quote, and get them talking about it--for free.
Arrow Tip: Never issue a press release without getting a draft into the hands of key analysts first. And if your PR agency does, fire them.
[DBL]
ANALYST relationship maturity
2008-06-10
Level 0 - Ignorance: Analyst is unware of your existence or the emerging marketplace
Level 1 - Awareness: Analyst has heard of you. Likely has misperceptions and gross generalizations about your capabilities. Perhaps makes assumptions based on your pedigree or other vendors he thinks you look, sound or walk like. Will use or suggest you for column fodder.
Level 2 - Understanding: Analyst is knowledgeable about your capabilities, differentiators, leadership, business model, and market niche
Level 3 - Interest: Analyst is tracking your developments. Thinks you're emerging or have emerged as a legitimate player in the market. May mention you to clients as a niche player.
Level 4 - Promotion: Analyst is telling the world about you. Believes you are redefining or leading the market and should be considered by most buyers in your market.
Level 5 - Interaction: Analyst is relying on you to help define and further their research agenda and is helping you extend your leadership. You have a regular dialog and perhaps a personal relationship with them.
Arrow Tip: As an emerging vendor, take it one step at a time. Set reasonable expectations and an achievable plan for making periodic advances in analyst relationship maturity.
ANALYSTS are irrelevant?
2008-05-20
You can find out anything you want to know about anything you want to know about on the Internet. It' right there in front of you, at your fingertips. And its all factual, up-to-date and well-organized! Search engines are standing by.
This is how some vendors actually think enterprises select technologies, or at least how they whittle them down or rank them. So your prospective customers don't need no stinkin' analyst to find out whether to buy your product or your competitors, eh? Right then, which statement is more likely to occur in the real world of IT:
> After oodles of Googling, we purchased product
X.
> After consulting with Andy Analyst, we selected
product X.
OK, so this bypasses the shortlisting, the RFIs, RFPs and POC dance, but you get the point. The Internet isnt going to replace the insight, experience and analytical talents of a real live analyst in our lifetime. (Sarah Connor's lifetime maybe if she can' figure out how to scuttle Skynet before the writer's strike is over.) Nor is any buyer who's selecting software that's more expensive than his house going to be satisfied with the thin sheet of CYA padding represented by Internet search results. Instead, this dude, his boss and her bosses' boss are looking for complete butt-covering Kevlar of an analyst's qualified opinion.
Besides, do you really trust online product reviews or vendors website claims? If so, I have some investments in Nigeria and prescription-free V1agr4 to sell you.
So, go ahead and pump-up your website with lots of back-slapping drivel, or surreptitiously find a way to sprinkle raconteur reviews of your product in newsgroups and blahgs. See if that gets you on the Magic Quadrant, other analyst accolades and ultimately on shortlists.
Shortlists! Just getting invited to the event is exciting enough for most vendors. The interesting thing about shortlists however is: you know when you're on em, you don't when you're not. Deals go down without your sales reps even getting a whiff of them. Be sure to minimize that happening. You still need the analysts at least to get you invited to the event, if not securing back-stage passes for you at the event. The internet alone may put you at the venue, but often just left sitting in the parking lot. More likely you'll be a stand-in or extra (i.e. column fodder) and not even know it.
ARROW Tip: Don't make the mistake of discounting the influence of analysts in the software selection equation. The internet has only forced analysts to be more analytical. It has not supplanted them.
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