Category: 5. Leverage – AR reinforcement

Leverage is the reinforcement stage of the IDEAL model. At the end of each analyst relations program period, we should have an inventory of insights and silver bullets for our stakeholders, organizational learning to refine the next cycle of analyst relationship management, and a plan of action to reinforce the value created by the analysts for our firm.

For PR… Why PR and AR need strong collaboration

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How often have you been part of this vignette? The scene: PR manager strolls into the AR manager’s cubicle.
 
PR manager: “Howdy. Can you get me an analyst quote on this topic for my press release? Oh, and an analyst that can act as a press reference would be great as well.”
AR manager: “Sure, shouldn’t be a problem. When do you need it by?” […]

Using analyst inquiry… Find out what’s heating up and what’s cooling off

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icon-phone-headset.jpgOne of the assets that well-connected analysts have is their many anecdotal data points gleamed from day-to-day conversations.  While not statistically valid, doing pattern analysis on these questions can reveal some interesting insights into emerging trends and issues falling off the radar screen. The problem from a research consumer point-of-view is that these data points are locked inside the head of the analysts* and are rarely the focus of a research note. To get to that information, clients need to use inquiry.
 
SageCircle Technique:
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Checklist for an experienced AR pro starting a new job

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A couple of AR people I know started new jobs this week and this got me thinking about what an AR professional should do when joining a new company. Here are some ideas for tasks that should be priorities:   […]

Using analyst inquiry… Dig into press reports

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icon-phone-headset.jpgThere have been a number of reprints of the Associated Press story Growth of global technology spending is expected to slow in 2008 that report that the “Big 3” analyst firms (i.e., Forrester, Gartner and IDC) are forecasting reduced spending on information technology. This is potentially useful data for both IT departments and tech vendors, but frankly macroeconomic numbers like these are useless because they are too high level and generic. Today is a perfect time to use your analyst client inquiry privileges to get insights into how these data can be applied to your company’s or division’s situation and generate actionable advice. Some example inquiries by community sector:
 

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Should tech startups invest in analyst relations?

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rocket-for-startups.jpgLast night I attended the Marketing SIG monthly meeting of the SDForum (an association for tech startups) because Dana Marks of Weber Shandwick and analyst Rob Enderle were talking about “Analyst Relations — It’s All About Influence.” It was a pretty interesting meeting. Rob was very candid and had a lot of funny stories about dealing with vendors that illustrated important issues.  The most salient point for me was that even in the 21st Century the IT industry analysts are still a mystery to a broad swath of the tech vendor community, especially startups. The questions that were asked by the attendees were to the point and reflected real concerns. Here are some examples: 
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Gartner’s Cool Vendor annual research note set [Startup Saturday]

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Often startups with interesting new technologies feel like there are no IT analysts that want to cover them. For example, they are usually excluded from signature deliverables like Forrester Waves and Gartner Magic Quadrants since they often don’t fit neatly into an existing market. Rather than give up, startups should consider targeting Gartner’s annual “Cool[…]