Spotlight on IDC’s Crawford del Prete – Always exceeding expectations

photo-crawford-del-prete_color-v-1.jpgDon’t you wish you could say that about every analyst?

First, congratulations to Crawford for his recent promotion to EVP of Global Research. He is running IDC’s technology research as well as the Insights end user research.  As such he manages a wide range of IDC staff, but still manages to make time to wear his “analyst’s hat” to keep in close touch with the market.
 
Dave and Carter have had the opportunity to work with Crawford over time. His role was the prototypical “Watcher” that worked to get the big picture about a large tech company with multiple business groups. Crawford invested the time and energy to become familiar with the company’s corporate and business group strategies. Because of this investment, del Prete was able to “connect the dots” between business groups and was able to provide actionable advice on the strengths and weaknesses of all parts of the company.
 
The key attribute about Crawford is his preparation.  He came to every briefing, consult, and even financial earnings call fully prepared with background information, questions, market comparison data, and suggestions.  The conversation never lagged and we were in overload taking notes.  He followed up with draft information that was accurate and complete and rarely needed a correction.

Another of Crawford’s talents is being able to deliver criticism in a way that does not rankle the listener. This is a critical skill for analysts dealing with executives with big egos and strong points-of-view.  We never got any push back whenever we suggested setting up a meeting with del Prete, only “get it done.”

Finally, Crawford was just as valuable as an advisor to our AR team. We chatted with him often to bounce ideas, get his take on draft messaging, and strategize about a difficult analyst issue. He was also candid whenever we came to him with complaints about some IDC analyst or client service situation.

Periodically, SageCircle will profile outstanding analysts. Initially, the analysts will be ones that Dave Eckert and Carter Lusher worked with during our years in AR, but we encourage you to submit worthy analysts for a profile. We also hope to better refine our criteria for an outstanding analyst and you suggestions are encouraged,

Outstanding Analyst:  Has detailed knowledge of the products and technologies in their defined market space, but also understands how that market space relates to the rest of IT.  Has broad knowledge of both the IT vendor’s products and strategies as well as the range of client needs.  Provides honest and fair perspectives in reports and speeches.  Goes beyond what is expected when providing services to all clients.
 
Bottom Line: Crawford del Prete is one of IDCs top analysts when it comes to seeing the big picture and delivering client service. If you are looking for information on the major portfolio vendors like IBM or Sun, then Crawford should be high on your list of analysts who have understanding of the whole picture of these strategic vendors. IT vendors should turn to Crawford as a direct advisor, or someone to suggest the best IDC analysts to provide both strategic and tactical insights.  Reporters should have Crawford in their rolodexes as a source of incisive sound bites for major IT industry stories.
 
Question: What are your criteria for what makes an outstanding analyst? There is an analyst you would like to give a shout out to? Leave a comment or send an e-mail to info [at] sagecircle dot com

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