One of the biggest misconceptions about Analyst Relations is that you need megabucks or unlimited budgets in order to succeed. Of course, having the financial muscle to engage with analysts will ultimately get you further – and help drive deeper relationships with your Tier One analysts, but you can also do it on a budget.
It’s the fear of the gargantuan price tag that tends to serve as a barrier to entry for AR programs, especially for smaller vendors who are stretched even to buy research seats, let alone affording to engage with the analysts on a paid engagement level. And this is why many mid-sized and smaller enterprises are hesitant to invest in activities such as AR, especially when there’s no obvious, short-term impact on the bottom line as a result.
There are in fact many upsides to engaging with the analysts – even if you’re simply establishing a stake in the ground by putting your company on the map. That’s why experienced AR practitioner Horst Kuchling has put together the IIAR’s latest white paper, titled Forming an Agile AR practice (IIAR membership required), which lifts the lid on a number of steps that won’t break even the most conservative bank.
The paper also debunks the commonly-held view that AR is simply a marketing discipline. Yes, it is part of marketing, but that’s not all: AR also has a unique, strategic dimension that should earn it a place at the core of strategic business decisions, and it has a direct impact on sales, product/service roadmaps, sales initiatives, marketing campaigns and more.
Due to these factors, we see AR as being anchored in the strategy department or business development, although we are not attempting to reopen the debate on whether AR belongs in Corporate Communications, marketing, or should report direct to the CEO. The answer is that it depends on a number of other variables, usually unique to each vendor, so there’s no easy answer.
What is clear is that it’s possible to get an AR program started on a slender budget – and that’s what this webinar is all about: Setting up and implementing an effective AR practice even if resources are scarce.
Join us for the webinar on Wednesday, March 9 at 4pm UK time / 5pm CET / 11am EST to learn more. Attendance is open to IIAR members, non-members can register for one free IIAR event.
Presenters: Horst Kuchling (@kuchlingh, LinkedIn), Yvonne Kaupp (@YveKaupp, LinkedIn), Ludovic Leforestier (@lludovic and @BearingPoint_AR, LinkedIn) & Simon Jones (@MrNesjo, LinkedIn)
See also the other IIAR Best Practices Papers here.
This sounds like a useful conversation, but do fear that the focus will be a bit narrow.
I started typing my thoughts here, but there was more to say than was appropriate for a comment box.
Have therefore made a full post on Linked here:
Engaging with industry analysts on a tight budget
My take may possibly be orthogonal to the discussion you are trying to drive, but it’s still important.
Hi Dale, nice post, we’d be happy to reproduce it as a guest post if you’re ok?
Sure – go for it – I would love to hear what other people think.
I am picking up a lot of polarised views in both the analyst and AR communities at the moment, with people digging themselves in on narrow positions then aggressively defending them. I am all for debate, but I would rather we applauded the diversity and richness of activity in our little part of the universe.
It’s not a zero-sum game. Just because one approach is right, doesn’t automatically make all others wrong. It is right that Gartner does what it does, it’s right that Ovum operates as it has chosen to, and with the (very) odd exception, the wide range of alternative models and services we see in the independent space are also right.
In the meantime, I think we need to careful not to mix up what is essentially Gartner relationship/influence management with analyst relations in the broader sense.
Hi Dale, I’m glad you’ve opened the debate with very valid arguments, which resonate well with my points I’m supposed to convey in the upcoming webinar. The webinar will tackle typical deficiencies of AR and provide suggestions on how these traps could be avoided by widening the scope and not the other way around. As the blog post says: “The answer is that it depends on a number of other variables, usually unique to each vendor, so there’s no easy answer.”
I look very much forward to a thrilling Q&A after my about 15min presentation on Wed the 9th.
Hi! This sounds great! However it is at 2am Brisbane Australia time. Will there be a replay available after the event? many thanks, Dotty
Hi Dotty, yes the webinar will be available for members like yourself to access on Huddle. We will send out the link once it is uploaded.
In the meantime let us know if you have any questions or suggestions.