AR 101 series: Analysts and press quotes

David published Tuesday this most post after Tom Foremski of SiliconValleyWatcher wrote that vendors pay analysts for quotes:

• Analyst Insight: Do analysts charge for press release quotes?

Quotes for hire, interesting concept...

We obviously agree with David that this would be utterly un-ethical, but it's important to put the record straight:

We've never, ever, heard of anyone asking taking payment for quotes. We are very keen to hear if Tom can substantiate his allegations. We bet he can't and thus should retract.

PS (20/02/06): David in fact confused quotes and awards, which Frost & Sullivan charges for. Still not really ethical but not the same as charging for quotes.

This brings us to the subject of this AR 101: how can you leverage analysts in the media?

Analysts are, often rightly, viewed as thought leaders. Reporters value their insight, they are an invaluable ally to quickly nail down the issues around a topic and provide quotable material -all under tight deadlines. Journalists don't have the depth and experience of analysts, so a little help is welcome (an AR manager was heard saying recently that he believed the average VNU reporter age to be under 25...). So it's not a surprise that trade press often features analyst quotes.It's a good deal for analysts, they get exposure and it feeds their demanding ego. Some firms reward analysts for speaking to journalists, META was an example. This can lead to quote-happy analysts, some IDC analysts are particularly prolific as they produce so many cuts of the same data that every vendor can be a leader somewhere (read Give 'em all something - we need to sell reprints). Of course, too much goodness eventually hurts the analyst credibility...

So, how can AR managers leverage analysts to help their employer's profile in the media?

The most frequent tactics are:

• To include analysts quotes in press releases. This is subject to approval, Gartner and IDC have formal processes ; Gartner and AMR only allow quotes from published material (but not FirstTakes or Symposium presentations).


• To include analysts contact details in the press package sent to journalists, possibly with quotes.

PS (20/02/06): we received comments from AR managers and analysts saying those practices were highly ineffective -some journalists tend to deliberately ignore proposed quotes and go for "really independent" quotes. In other terms "shoveling quotes down a journo's throat will backfire and damage both vendor and analyst reputations." We would be interested in your comments on this...

Some additional tips:

• Depending on the relationship the AR manager has with them, independent analysts will often be quite willing to provide quotes and be contacted by reporters.


• It goes without saying that good AR managers will make sure that the analyst is briefed before reporters get the press release and that they have a (positive) opinion on the subject and contribute to the debate.


• Good AR managers will also ensure that they use analysts that are consistent between what they tell reporters and what they publish.


• Finally, some analysts are better at this game than others. A pedantic analyst speaking in 80 words sentences may not provide good quotable material to journalist and may even be mis-interpreted.

Other post in the AR 101 series:

• AR 101 series: Analyst vs. press (Analyst Insight)


• AR 101 series: the research process

AR 101 series: selling the value of AR

As we previously wrote, AR is NOT an outbound tactic: briefing analysts and expecting them to write something is called PR and does only harness a small part of the value AR can deliver. However, few AR people feel confident selling the value of AR back to other stakeholders, such as sales and marketing.

Here are a simple 5 steps guide to getting it right.

Step 1: establishing AR
AR often grows out of media relations and tend to have communication as a reporting line (this seems to be the prevalent model for small organisations). AR practitioners should seek to clearly differentiate their audience (read AR 101: Analyst vs. press) as it will impact management and stakeholders expectations.
In this post (AR 101: Measuring Analyst Relations), we lay out three models for AR:

• Outbound: pushing information out to analysts in the hope of generating reports
  
• Transactional: pulling targeted analysts into a relationship with the firm
  
• Insight: primarily using analysts to develop internal understanding and direction
  

AR professional should strive towards establishing an insight-based AR practice and align with sales and marketing rather than with comms. See Duncan's tips here.

Step 2: setting goals and measurements
Thanks to Pavlov, we know that rewards conditions behaviours: it is crucial to align AR with sales and marketing goals. In this post (AR 101: Measuring Analyst Relations), we give the following recommendations:

• AR's primary goal should be create a positive external environment for business
• Focus and attention should be given to setting up balanced metrics to measure AR not only on raw clippings and quotes but also by weighting them to reflect the importance of the analyst, by surveying all analysts and through independent perception audits.
• AR need long term objectives and can contribute positively to developing corporate strategies.

Read also ANALYST EQUITY: Share of Voice: Useful, Often Vital.

Step 3: impacting the strategy
Well executed, AR can leverage the analysts privileged position and wealth of knowledge as a competitive advantage. Do use analysts to get a sanity check and/or coach execs, balancing independent analysts (they offer better value) from those having customer insight. Do schedule message testing sessions way ahead of launches (under NDA). Do allow time for analyst feedback during briefings (bearing in mind that there must be something in for the analyst, like buying reprints or getting the analyst under retainer). Do not let short-term tactics waste this potential.

Step 4: Shaping the agenda
Having engaged proactively with analysts should give your company clues about trends you might not have spotted before. This not only gives your execs the chance of fine tuning their strategy and messages, but armed with this knowledge you should be able to also synch briefings and announcement with the analysts' research agenda. Read also AR 101 series: the research process.

Step 5: delivering to sales and marketing
There are multiple ways for AR to help marketing. Do start by making sure that AR tactics are included into the marketing plan, it should also provide for analyst deliverables (such as speaking engagement, research projects, etc...) Do plan AR tactics way ahead of product launches.

Do spend some time to explain how analysts come in the sales cycle and do raise awareness with the sales community so that they come back to AR when they hear of an analyst being consulted by the prospect or client. If you have followed step 4, you should be able to know where the analyst is coming from and what should her/his objections. You should thus be in a position to balance this with either positive research (from another firm or sometimes from the same firm) or to help sales refocusing the discussion. Remember that sales always get the kudos for wins and will try to deflect the blame for losses.
Read also Reacting to an analyst attack and Advisory analysts do impact vendor sales and make/break products.


Good selling!

AR 101 Series: It pays to play with PR

Sally in Getting Ink (via ARcade) reminds AR pros that we can help our PR colleagues by providing them with analyst names to educate those journos: Things you might like to know (3).

How does it work in practice then?

1. Crawl before you walk
Firstly, this assumes that you have done your homework and know what research area your analysts cover. More importantly, you should know what they have published and have a good idea of what their opinion is on your company and the topic. AR should always be one step ahead of PR and some key analysts should be pre-briefed under NDA.

2. Which analyst?
Ideally a mix of Tier 1's and independent analysts should be pre-briefed. Tier 1's because they advise customers and therefore should a aware of your company's roadmap and strategy. Selected independent analysts should be briefed before, because they are an excellent sounding board and a great manner to get your spokesperson perfectly rehearsed before she/he talks to the Borg. Plus, independent analysts crave for air time and will make themselves available for journos more so than a Tier 1 about to catch a flight to Frankfurt, Boston or San Francisco.
Make sure you don't use always the same ones and that the analysts you put forwards are credible (i.e. they must have some knowledge and opinions, so that rules our Frost & Sullivan, Datamonitor, some IDC folks, etc...)

3. Which deliverables?
There are a few ways to help your PR colleague, depending on your bandwidth (of if you fancy him/her). All should be free (except villains), some require permission.

• Provide names of analysts willing to comment. Easy but make sure you call the analyst and that he/she is available for comments.
• Provide a quote for the press pack. Brief the analyst and ask for a quote by email (best to avoid mis-representation). Doctoring the quote is a no-no but you did not even think about doing this.
• Provide a quote into the press release. This requires authorisation: figure out what the analyst FIRM position is, ask for the quote, submit the release with the quote for approval (IDC, Gartner, AMR, Forrester have a formal process, it's also good practice with the others). Make sure you run the release with legal (your PR colleagues should take care of this). For IDC, you need to work out which market number will support your claim and quote the source. In the footnotes, direct the journos to the analyst firm's press office.

4. Create the news

You can also commission a survey or a report to a firm and create a complete press release around it. This requires months, not days, but can generate significant coverage. Make sure you know who's paying upfront...

4. Beware

Don't be eaten alive by the PR vampires: they have a tendency to suck your time and make you work in reactive mode only.

Related posts:

• Is PR a dwarf planet?
• Pay to play, the PR way
• Selling the value of AR
• Note to PR agencies: stop spamming analysts! (and just everyone else)
• AR 101: Analysts and press quotes
• Frost demands cash for press release
• Talking heads
• Gartner's Copyright and Quote Policy: it's just stupid
• AR 101 series: Analyst vs. press (Analyst Insight)

AR 101 series: briefing analysts

James, Jon and Andy kindly provided quite a lot of (free) advice on how to brief IT Analysts.

Here are six simple steps to get your briefing right (tell us if we forget anything guys).

1. Synch briefings with research agendas
A good briefing should be prepared before to make sure that the information given to analysts match their research agendas and interests. This is of course easier done for one-on-one briefings (some simple filtering questions at the start help). For one-to-many briefings (not the preferred briefing for most analysts but often the most practical compromise to update analysts on announcements in a short timeframe) it is good practice to send 2-3 questions to key analysts before the call.

Read AR 101 series: the research process for more. Jon made the following remark:

• Take the time to understand research programs and assignments of the analyst firms you have in your sights, and use this information to make the correct people available to support the analysts that you meet. For example, if a firm is conducting a market analysis study, there is little point in providing a technical expert at a briefing; similarly, a brand manager will be of only limited use if a product comparison is taking place. Either of these situations may lead to the worst-case scenario of not being mentioned at all.

2. Don't give analysts a dog's dinner
Bear in mind that you may be talking to a diverse audience. Analysts fall into four categories: RAS analysts, market watchers, consulting analysts and sell-side analysts.

So, as Jon says in this great post, you need to "Make Briefings Worth It":

• "At the best of times, briefings can be dull for analysts as much as for vendors. This is often down to the fact that briefing sessions are inappropriate, badly planned or conducted."

He suggests that a good preparation is paramount:

• Only use source information that is relevant to the briefing at hand. Don’t waste anyone’s time in briefings, by slogging through irrelevant presentations that have been picked off the shelf
• Customize your message before the briefing

Analysts usually want to hear the following:

• Corporate strategy
• What are you announcing? (high-level messages AND product details)
• How is that going to fit with the strategy and go-to-market model
  
• How are you going to compete?
• How does this fit with your announcement roadmap?

And be flexible to respond to analysts prompts during briefings, do not hesitate to skip the introduction and go directly to the point. A common mistake is to explain granny how to suck eggs, for instance by lecturing numbers analysts (say from IDC) on market stats (say from Gartner/Dataquest). Andy illustrates this graphically in his post:

• "That mistake is mostly made by smaller companies, where some VP or Director of Marketing is doing his (or her) run-of-the-mill pitch that would be equally used in any sales opportunity. So they go on and on about stuff that we have heard a million times already, have zero value to an analyst, and simply waste time. It's particularly annoying if those briefings are conducted via WebEx, because the analyst cannot [...] tell the vendor to skip to slide 32 [...]"
• Vendors that do it very well [...] spend two or three minutes on chit-chat [...], then run through a few figures [...] and not more than 10 minutes after the call starts jump right into the product update, demo, or discussion.

Read also the comments Vinnie, Dean and Jon have left here on the subject. We had the following bottom-line in the same post:

• ARmadgeddon is against unnecessary analyst cruelty and agrees that vendors could do a better job at scoping briefings to better address analysts needs.

Finally, read also: AR 101 Series: Don't use a sales presentation with analysts

3. The best briefings are interactive
Do allow time for analyst feedback during briefings ; bearing in mind that there must be something in for the analyst -the analyst should not feel like she/he is giving out all his IP for free. Bear in mind that analysts need to make a living and allow budget for buying reprints or getting the analyst under retainer. When the interaction is good, your company will gain a lot.Do not let short-term tactics waste this potential by making sure that your briefings are win-wins.

As Jon writes:

• If you are able to provide an analyst and his or her company with timely, tangible value, the analyst is more likely to have something to say about your company and your products.

James made similar comments in his post Redmonk: how to brief analysts):

• So, an analyst briefing is (should) a two-way conversation (otherwise it's called a press conference).

4. Don't forget NDA's
Analysts are interested first and foremost by future strategies and roadmaps. Do balance this requirement with the need to keep your job (and those of your executives) by being careful to flag what is presented to analysts under a non-disclosure agreement. Always keep the required paperwork at hand.

Read also Ovum breaks the iPod cellphone embargo?

5. Do a dry run
As we've said before: NOBODY should be talking to analysts without going through a good AR training first. This should be a corporate policy. If you don't have the skills or the credibility to deliver it in house, get some professional help. For instance from Duncan or David (to name only some who linked to us), if you pick-up someone else, make sure that they know the European market (not like KGC).

Furthermore, AR professionals should rehearse unless they're fully confident in the speaker's capabilities. This will not make them look appear as PITA's but rather as pros who need to make sure they avoid un-necessary risks.

5. Follow-up
Finally, do make sure that AR does the follow-up and stays in the loop -possibly by recommending that executives don't give out business cards. This should not annoy the analyst if you're responsive and has the benefit of being in a position to schedule additional briefings when required and stay abreast of the analyst agenda. This brings us back to step 1!


Additional bedtime reading:

• ARmadgeddon: Ovum breaks the iPod cellphone embargo?
  
• bit blue blog: Vendor briefings: Do more with less :: Andreas Bitterer ::
• ARmadgeddon: [Monkchips:] No Time Wasters Please: On briefing industry analysts
• Jon Collins:Nothing to Declare » IT Analysis In A Cold Climate
• Comments on the following ARmadgeddon posts: Gartner limits vendor briefings to 30 minutes and Borg imposes 30mn briefing limit

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AR 101 series: Measuring Analyst Relations

The measurement question tends to be close to the top of the issues list for most AR practitioners: not a surprise as the majority of AR managers are increasingly asked to justify ROI for budget and headcounts. However, it is notoriously difficult (i.e. costly and complex) to measure the impact of analysts on sales, either directly or indirectly, and derive a dollar value for AR contribution. As a consequence, common metrics include activity, published reports and anecdotal evidence. Those metrics are usually used to support objectives assigned to AR. Those objectives largely depends upon the functional reporting line, either communications, marketing, sales or sometimes directly at board level.

Empirical evidence suggests the following AR models:

• Outbound: pushing information out to analysts in the hope of generating reports. Usually observed when AR reports into communications, and the most common case.
  - Pros: messages and resources aligned in support of the overall communication strategy, synergies between AR and PR in terms of resources and career planning.
  - Cons: may bring an emphasis here tends to be on "clippings" by measuring the number and not quality of reports published, tends to ignore impact of relationships on sales and adopt a short term approach. As Duncan puts it in On the folly of rewarding A, while hoping for B, there's potentially a risk that AR managers focus on the analysts publishing the most or being most frequently quoted in the press.
  
• Transactional: pulling targeted analysts into a relationship with the firm. Where AR depends from marketing or sales, the focus tends to be building the sort of rapport that leads to sales recommendations, providing sales with 'silver bullets' report reprints and on speaking engagements, plus of course tactical engagement in sales situations (for instance outsourcers benchmarking).
  - Pros: good alignment with AR objectives, tends to offer more flexible funding.
  - Cons: emphasis on gaining collateral rather than recommendations may badly impact the relationship by treating analysts like an extension of the sales force.
  
• Insight: primarily using analysts to develop internal understanding and direction. Where AR's primary customer is the board, it tends focus on using analysts for strategic advice and promoting execs profiles.
  - Pros: tends to be a win-win relationship.
  - Cons: Trades off winning recommendations and volume; focusses on supplier-centred analysts rather than those advising buyers.

Recommendations:
1. AR managers should not lose sight of the key objectives for the function: create a positive external environement for business, by developping relationships with key influencers and helping to ensure accuracy of research.

2. Focus should be put on using balanced metrics to measure AR not only on raw clippings and quotes , but also by weighting them to reflect the importance of the analyst; by surveying all analysts [including those who may not often be names in the media]; and through independent perception audits.

3. AR need long term objectives and can contribute positively to developing corporate strategies by using analysts to coach execs. Do not let short-term tactics waste this potential.

AR 101 series: NDA's

Briefings under NDA are not only a recurring question for AR newbies but are also the source of ongoing debates among the AR community, see for instance the comments on this SVG post:

• Gartner analysts to no longer agree to non-disclosure agreements for briefings [ARmadgeddon]

1. What is an NDA?
In industry analyst relations terms, it is used when vendors schedule an analyst for briefings containing information not publicly available. These briefings are commonly referred to as "under NDA", after the "Non Disclosure Agreement" analysts are kindly asked to sign. This agreement is prepared by our friends from the legal department and is a contract which simply aims at protecting the IP discussed during this briefing. As a contract, it needs to be signed by both parties to be binding. It also should have a specific timeframe during which the IP is under NDA and should delimit very clearly what is covered: products, strategy, offerings, competitive tactics, etc...
The term NDA is commonly used outside of AR, not only in the IT industry but also in general business. In the dark world of media relations, this is similar to an embargo, in that a date and time is before before which the information cannot be shared. As often with PR, it has a much more restricted meaning as it usually describes a one-way communication that should not be reported before the announcement date. Unlike an NDA, an embargo works on trust rather than legal force. Phil posted another definition here.


2. Why should I organise NDA briefings?
The simple answer is because both parties have an interest in doing so.

With NDA briefings, vendors can schedule briefings ahead of announcements and make sure air-miles-junkies get the news (old news is no news). Those briefings are also an opportunity to get feedback before releasing something into the wild, thus potentially avoiding big and costly mistakes or refining the messaging (see #8).

On the other side of the table, and as we mentioned here, analysts are interested first and foremost by future strategies and roadmaps. The essence of their job is analysing information they have gathered, so access to unpublished details is a differentiator for them.

NDA briefings also benefit users who are clients of both analysts and vendors: imagine a bank considering a new application and hiring an analyst to advise. You're about to launch a new release and the analyst is not briefed. You missed the sale because you were not on the short list. Now consider the case where the analyst was briefed under NDA: he can say something like "I think you should also go to vendor X and ask them a pitch on their upcoming product release". You may be considered for the RFP and have a chance to get the deal!


3. When should I do briefings under NDA?
Vendors should use NDA's wisely. If the whole marketplace is buzzing about an upcoming announcement, they may become a laughing stock when trying to enforce NDA which does not bring new news to the analyst.
On the political side of things, NDA briefings might also a good way for AR professionals to be covered in case of leaks (see #5 and 6).


4. What form should I use?
If you have a legal background, you should know. In any other case , go to your legal department or legal counsel. The form usually asks analysts not to talk or write about what was disclosed until a specific date. Make sure it's very specific on what is under NDA and until when. And always keep the required paperwork at hand.... (see also #7)


5. Do analysts break NDA's?
Analysts' existence largely depends on their reputation. If they are known to not abide by the rules of the game, they will quickly be excluded. On the corporations are ready to go to great length to avoid sensitive information to fall into public domain.
So it's no surprise if leaks are neither common nor widely publicised. It is often the case that analysts obtain information from other sources, like two well-known cases. It is more tricky to assess when analysts share something under NDA within their firm.
At the end of the day, it is a question of trust: only brief analysts that you have complete trust and resist pressures to extend your A list. Do give some though on the impact on your customers.


6. What can we do if an analyst don't observe an NDA?
The Apple Secrets case was a PR disaster and it's impossible to take back something that's published. Check your facts, make sure you clearly said it was under NDA. Then go to the analyst and ask some explanation. If inconclusive, ban the analyst and tell your peers. Keep in mind this is a one way avenue and that you won't easily recover this relationship. But the analyst should know too.


7. Should I always use a form?
No. Use the forms when the project discussed has very high sensitivity and exposure within your company to CYA. Most of the time, the form is there to inform the analyst -as we've seen in #6, there's little way to seek redress if things go pear shaped.
In most cases, analysts are pretty good with observing NDA's and it's a question to know which ones to trust or not.
However, be very careful to flag what is presented to analysts under a non-disclosure agreement, mark the sensitive slides as "VENDOR X INTERNAL USE ONLY" or similar injunctions. Orally, say it's under NDA several times. This also apply to customer references: if the customer and your account team did not explicitly approve for public consumption (make sure you have an email trail stating it), then release the story, the industry but not the name and say it's under NDA.


8. How do analysts react to NDA's?
Some perceive NDA as a signal that they are being admitted within a small trusted circle and react well! Others pretend to be offended because you don't trust them enough!

As with most things in business NDAs should not come as a surprise. Surprises are nice if you're a 10 and it's your birthday. Do let the analysts know when inviting them to a physical briefing that they'll be expected to sign an NDA. In the case of telephone briefings, do send them the form before, requiring they fax it back. Far too often AR people pass analysts NDAs, which basically forces the analyst to sign the NDA without reading it [which would mean the NDA would not stand up in a European court] or to delay the briefing until the NDA has been studied.

Some analysts refuse to sign NDAs because they feel NDAs prevent them from doing their work. Many also point out that NDAs are typically far too wide to be enforceable. To ease the concerns of these analysts, make sure dates and secrets are precisely stated and avoid blanket NDAs. Bear in mind that you're communicating information to help them do their job and broker it.

Some analysts will still refuse, claiming it's against their company policy (like the Gartner Borg). In many cases, Gartner has a blanket NDA with most large vendors, which can be okay. Do CYA with your legal department though.


9. An NDA briefing is not a consulting engagement
If you're after message testing and validation, then you should not expect analysts to deliver this for free. The temptation is great to call on their goodwill to get feedback but a line needs to be drawn somewhere. This will be the subject of a further AR 101 on briefings. Note that engagements under NDA are easier to police too.


Bottom line:

Vendors should use NDA with moderation, clearly delimit what is under NDA and what is not, specify a reasonable end date and resist abuse briefings to get feedback.

Analysts should not sign an NDA without specific date is mentioned or if products/offerings are not clearly marked out and be careful not to spill the beans.

Links:

Gartner analysts to no longer agree to non-disclosure agreements for briefings

AR 101 series: briefing analysts

Ovum breaks the iPod cellphone embargo?

Frank Gilroy, Entrepreneur: Non-Disclosure Agreements (NDAs)

Sacred Cow Dung: MYTH: NDAs are a Good Idea

Starting a Software Company: To NDA or not NDA

James Governor's MonkChips: On How To Brief Analysts what we are, and expect

The Devil's IT Dictionary: NDA

The Infamous EMC Storage Analyst Letter

IBM letter to a Isham Research

AR 101 series: Analyst vs. press (Analyst Insight)

In the Analyst Relations 101 for newbies and useful reminders for others, by David Rossiter @ Analyst Insight:
Analysts v Press…Understanding the Difference

In a nutshell, reporters are paid to increase the readership/circulation of their paper/newsfeed/ broadcasting service, and thus seek headlines and soundbites which can be newsworthy.

Analysts are paid to help making sense of what vendors try to sell to users and therefore to help the latter ones in their procurement decisions.

The question is "why then so many vendors treat analysts like press?", even we're in 2005 and AR is now mainstream and better understood?

In this previous post (AR 101: Measuring Analyst Relations) we argue that when AR is measured on raw clippings and quotes, it does deliver only a very small part of its potential. As a matter of fact, concentrating on getting analyst for hire to publish on new product announcements does little to help creating a positive external business environment, let alone making sure that key analysts influencing sales are properly looked after.

AR 101 Series: Don't use a sales presentation with analysts

Most AR managers review a number of presentations each month, typically in conference calls or meetings with spokespeople. First-time critiques often result in recommendations for significant revisions because best practices for constructing the typical sales or marketing presentation do not produce the best flow or information content required for an effective analyst briefing. Unfortunately, when a sales presentation is used with an analyst, it frequently results in a negative perception of the company and its solutions by the analyst.

Some of the common errors are listed below.

• Starting with the solution rather than the problem. The best sales approach starts by showing the value of solving a problem. However, analysts often complain that vendors spend too much time setting up the scene and giving background, and too little time explaining what the solution actually does.
• Using the vendor's vocabulary, rather than the analyst's framework. Analysts work in models, so spokespeople need to gear each presentation to the analyst's model, rather than a generic sales presentation of the solution.
• If the analyst follows a narrower segment than your solution, then match your comments to their narrow focus. If you speak to a broad sales deck, analysts will go negative -- either they will assume you can't target the right analysts, or they will think you don't know what they focus on.
• Don't follow a script. Analysts want to feel vendors are open with them. Following the sales slides deck closely makes analysts feel that you are not confident speaking on other topics, and makes them feel that you are controlling the conversation too tightly.
  

What's the alternative? Focus on intended results and incorporate your understanding of the analysts and the workings of the industry analyst marketplace when preparing an analyst presentation, especially when confronted with a stubborn spokesperson who resists your suggestions for building an effective “deck.

AR 101 series: the research process

In this post, the ubiquitous James Governor points to a post by a Richard Monson-Haefel, an analyst at Burton Group (a US RAS client-side firm): Burton Group’s Brutal, but Effective Review Process. It is an interesting and detailed insight into a firm's research process.

ARmadgeddon's tips: AR professionals should do their research and me aware of the research process followed by the firms they track. Questions they should be able to answer are:

• Do you have a research agenda?
• Do you publish different kind of notes?
• If yes, do they follow the same validation process?
• Do you review research notes internally?
• Do you systematically send your reports for vendor review?
• Even if the vendor is not a client?
• Do you send the whole document or just the portion related to the vendor?
• Do you accept discussion on your positions and recommendations?
• Do you communicate on changes made?
• Do you take calls to discuss the review?
• Even if the vendor is not a client?
• What turnaround time do you expect from a vendor?

AR 101 Series: John Lyotier on scheduling analyst briefings

John Lyotier, marketing manager at Marqui, wrote this post on its blog back in 2005.
We like it so much, we thought we'd give it a wider audience. Thanks John!
==============================================================

For the last week or so I've been busily making arrangements for Marqui to speak with industry analysts from a number of well known groups, such as AMR Research, Gartner, IDC, etc. Now, many companies are under the impression that the only way to get any attention from such firms is to pay them.

This is absolutely incorrect.

Granted, it may be easier to get multiple meetings if you are a paying client (it's part of the service after all), but all of the reputable firms will take at least 1-2 briefings without charging a dime -- in fact, most of them accept briefings on a yearly basis from non-paying companies.

The exact process varies depending on the firm but typically companies will be asked to submit some basic information via e-mail or an online form. This usually includes:

• A brief company overview, including employee headcount, headquarters address, etc.
• The objective for the meeting (e.g., is it for a general introduction or perhaps a product update)
• A list of company representatives planning to attend the meeting
• The names of the analyst(s) you'd prefer to meet with (NOTE: the process will move much faster if you have researched and correctly identified 1-2 relevant analysts. Most groups post analyst bios and a list of recent reports on their web sites so it shouldn't be too difficult to find this information.)
• A few dates and times for a meeting

The process takes anywhere from 48 hours to 2-3 weeks so I'd highly recommend starting a month in advance if you are trying to arrange briefings around a major corporate or product launch.

In terms of how to get things started with some of the biggies:

• For Gartner, send an e-mail to vendor.briefings@gartner.com. Within 24 hours, you'll receive a briefing request form to complete and send back.
• For AMR Research, click here and fill out the form.
• For Forrester, click here and fill out the form.
• For IDC, click here and fill out the form (NOTE: The form varies depending on whether or not your company has briefed IDC in the last 12 months, so be sure to follow the directions.)

If you've worked with a particular group before or have a PR agency (or analyst relations firm) that has, you might be able to bypass all of the forms by sending an e-mail directly to the appropriate analyst. However, given how many e-mails and briefing requests these folks receive it might actually be faster to go through the formal process.