Forrester Research Q3 2009 earnings call

This analysis does not look at areas of interest to investors, but seeks to pull out insights that are relevant to clients and prospects of Forrester Research, the number two advisory analyst firm, as well as communications and IT vendor analyst relations (AR) teams. 

This post is part one of two parts when it comes to [...]

Saleseforce.com AR opening – Director, Industry Analyst Relations

First we saw that vmware wants an AR manager with a sense of humor. salesforce.com agrees and adds…
 

A positive, flexible attitude and a sense of humor are essential
Appreciation of wine, cheese and chocolate

 
Tip o’ of the hat to Peggy O’Neill for the tip about these essential job requiements.

Director, Industry Analyst Relations (click to visit site and [...]

VMware job opening — Group Manager, Industry Analyst Relations

We especially like this required capability: “A very, very good sense of humor”
Job ID 16341-VM (click here and search on Job ID or analyst relations”
Division Marketing
Job Location CA-Palo Alto (Corp)  
Group Manager, Industry Analyst Relations
Virtualization is the technology that is poised to change the way we think about computing. VMware (NYSE: VMW) is the global leader [...]

Understanding the Analysts: Unreasonable Demands?

Recently, a global software client e-mailed us that a prominent industry analyst was demanding certain proof points for a major change in sales strategy that the vendor had just announced. The information demanded was something that this particular software company has a policy of not releasing. Our client was very frustrated and felt that the [...]

Negative Research Note Threatens Incumbent Status

This post is one in a series of case studies on analyst relations teams have worked with their sales colleagues to grow the company’s top line. Readers that have AR-sales stories they would like to turn into case studies are encouraged to contact SageCircle. We will do the work of creating a case study at [...]

SageCircle AR Podcast for October 23, 2009

The AR podcast is a review of the latest news and trends in the analyst ecosystem along with tips and tricks for analyst relations professionals and analyst research consumers. SageCircle strategists Dave Eckert and Carter Lusher co-host this bi-weekly program. You can find all the SageCircle podcasts on our podcast page.
Visit the podcast page to download [...]

Forrester Research Q3 2009 earnings call scheduled

Forrester Research, Inc. (Nasdaq: FORR)  earnings call is 11:00 a.m. Eastern time on Thursday, October 29, 2009 . The earnings call is a webcast that you can find on Forrester’s investor relations webpage. This call is coming the day before Gartner’s earnings call.
SageCircle doesn’t listen to the Gartner and Forrester earnings calls with the same mindset as a financial analyst. What we listen [...]

Gartner, Inc. 3Q 2009 earnings call is scheduled – will it continue to add enterprise clients?

Gartner, Inc.  (NYSE:IT) announced that its earnings conference call will be on October 30, Friday, at 10:00 a.m. ET. The earnings call is a webcast that you can find on Gartner’s investor relations webpage. This earnings call happens the day after Forrester’s Q3 call.
This earnings call should provide critical insight into whether enterprise technology buyers are changing their advisory analyst contract [...]

Selling the Concept of an AR-Sales Partnership – November AR Coffee Talk

The idea of an AR -Sales partnership is very powerful. But, how you do sell your executive sponsors and Sales it is a great idea to invest in? – You already know that working with sales in a coordinated fashion can leverage the value and influence of the industry analysts. But how do you sell this [...]

Gartner Statement about the ZL Technologies lawsuit

SageCircle received the following official statement on October 21, 2009 from Gartner about the ZL Technologies lawsuit. Thanks to Andrew Spender, VP Corporation Communications (Twitter), for sending this.
“We are aware of the complaint filed in California by ZL Technologies regarding their location in a Gartner Magic Quadrant. While it’s not our practice to discuss pending litigation, we [...]

Lack of hands-on testing for products by industry analysts [AR Practitioner Question]

QUESTION:  It disturbs me that analysts don’t have hands-on experience with the products they advise their clients about.  How are can they be credible?
ANSWER: Analysts, especially at the larger end-user centric firms like Gartner and Forrester, have access to what they would claim is the world’s largest testing lab – their clients. Analysts covering hot [...]

This not the first time that Gartner has been sued nor will it be the last

Software vendor ZL Technologies has sued Gartner, Inc. about the impact of the firm’s research on its business (see the court documents on its website). Needless to say, this has gotten the attention of twits and bloggers. Here are two example blog posts 

Blog post critical of Gartner – Dennis Howlett in his ZDnet blog post [...]

What to do when you only have a few dollars for AR

There are many IT vendors that are either launching or reinvigorating their AR program for the IT industry analysts (e.g., Gartner, Ovum and Yankee Group). It is typical for nascent AR programs to have a small budget to work with. This heightens the importance of spending decisions because when there is little money the margin [...]

The Top 5 – Mistakes concerning SAS days

Here are the top mistakes by IT vendors when using SAS (aka analyst consulting days) as a tool for briefing the analysts, marketing support or as an advisor. 
   5)   Not using preliminary phone briefings and inquiries to set the groundwork before the analyst shows up for the on-site day.
   4)   Not getting a full day’s [...]

Can I use a newsletter to promote my AR blog? (AR Practitioner Question)

Question: The following question was asked during a Blogging for AR webinar “Can I use a newsletter to promote my AR blog?”
The answer is “yes.” A newsletter is one of many tools AR should be using to increase the visibility and traffic to its blog. A regular newsletter (e.g., sent the last Wednesday of every [...]

Creating an AR Measurement Program: Make it Practical and Powerful – A SageCircle Webinar

Analyst relations teams need to gather metrics data to manage their program, show their strategic value, and maintain executive support.  A measurement program must be simple, yet meaningful if it is to succeed.  Determining what and how to collect the data in ways that do not impact the team’s limited time can be a challenge.  [...]

IT managers use analyst inquiry much differently from vendors

One of the sources of disconnect between vendors’ perception of the advisory analysts (e.g., Forrester and Gartner) and the reality is how very differently vendors and end users (usually enterprise IT managers) make use of the phone-based inquiry that comes with annual subscriptions.
IT managers frequently use analyst inquiry to manage the risk of buying a [...]

AR Operational Metrics: Key Management Tool – A SageCircle Webinar

Analyst relations teams need to gather operational metrics to manage their program – measurements of the activities they do.  By tracking and balancing activities you can ensure that the correct analysts are being contacted in the best ways; you can ensure the most efficient use of staff time; and you can track overall AR activities [...]

Value for Effort

One of the slides we consistently include in any of SageCircle’s training content, private or public, covers value for effort. Basically this is our discussion about implementing only those activities or best practices where the analyst relations program receives more value back than the effort put into it.
For example, SageCircle consistently encourages AR professionals to [...]

TowerGroup acquired by Corporate Executive Board

10/13/09 2:25 pm – TowerGroup announces acquisition by Corporate Executive Board
Corporate Executive Board has announced that it will acquire TowerGroup from MasterCard Advisors for an undisclosed price. MasterCard Advisors, a subsidiary of MasterCard International, acquired TowerGroup in February 2004 from Reuters Enterprise. Reuters acquired TowerGroup in 1999.
Many of you might not be familiar with the [...]

Bill of Rights for industry analyst vendor prospects

SageCircle has addressed the never ending myth that large advisory firms like Gartner and Forrester require vendors to pay in order to be included on research in posts such as You don’t have to be a Gartner client to get a good “dot” on the Magic Quadrant and Analyst integrity issues – the urban legend that [...]

You don’t have to be a Gartner client to get a good “dot” on the Magic Quadrant

One of the continuing myths in the IT industry is that Gartner demands payment from vendors for placement on its research. This even came up in a comment – anonymously posted of course – on a blog post written by Gartner VP and Distinguished Analyst Tom Bittman (bio, blog, Twitter) called A Rant – My [...]

Hone your AR skills by attending AR Measurement Week

Mark your calendars for a week (dates are listed below) of intense training on AR measurement topics. Every day for a straight week, SageCircle will be putting on a different webinar on one of the most critical foundational functions for AR: measurement. Each webinar is only $95 and you can find links to the individual [...]

How AR used analyst inquiry to help an end user make a decision leading to a $1.2m win (Case Study)

This post is one in a series of case studies on analyst relations teams have worked with their sales colleagues to grow the company’s top line. Readers that have AR-sales stories they would like to turn into case studies are encouraged to contact SageCircle. We will do the work of creating a case study at [...]

AR Performance Metrics: Reporting Strategic Accomplishments not Activities – A SageCircle Webinar

Analyst relations teams need to gather operational metrics to manage their program – measurements of the activities they do.  But your executive sponsors want to see performance metrics – measurements of what you have accomplished.  These include such concepts as change in analyst perception, lead generation and short list placements, and positive analyst impact on [...]