Around Peter O’Neill from Forrester in 10 questions

Today we hear more from Forrester’s Vice President and Principal Analyst – Peter O’Neill. Peter is dedicated to technology marketing research helping companies find the right balance across headquarters and field marketing operations. Now based in Frankfurt, Germany, Peter advises vendors and users worldwide and can be heard via his blog or on twitter.

1. What are your coverage areas?
   I research and advise a specific role, the technology marketing professional. I help them to be successful in their marketing processes, organization and automation by relating best practices.
2.  What are your opinions of the IT Analysis Marketplace and where do you see it going?
   It is changing dramatically. Analysts are still influencers but that aspect of their game is receding. They are taking on new functions and delivering insights to new audiences and in new ways.
3. What’s your typical day like?
   Still the same: main occupation is still inquiries – only these are now with tech marketers – about marketing, not a  market. I write my three reports a quarter and do advisories. Nowadays, I also blog and tweet as well as contribute in our and other communities.
4. Now, c’mon, tell me an AR horror story?
   My main fear is that AR has not briefed their spokespeople very well. They (the spokespeople) tell me how great their firm and/or product is and quote a magic quadrant as collateral – as if that is a proof point!
5. How do you position your firm? What is your business model?
   We like to talk about the roles that we service (19 of them in the IT and Marketing departments). Our aim is to have clients from all of these roles in all of our target customers F1000 copmanies). Revenue is well mixed between users and vendors: even for me.
6. What is your research methodology, in 255 characters or less?
   My inquiries are research (I have two ears and one mouth). I use a mix of surveys, personal interviews supported by interviews with many personal relationships across the industry where I get inside stories as well as the official lines.
7. Any favourite AR professional you’d like to mention? 
   I have two favourites: Liz King at CA and Caroline Dennington at Symantec.  Both of these colleagues have continued to  support and leverage me in my new role after I changed. Other AR staff who considered me important when I could “influence” just switched off my contact.
8. Tell us about one good AR practice you’ve experienced or one good AR event you’ve attended.
   Like most analysts, I prefer those events where the vendor clearly wants to know what WE think as well. There should be a significant period allocated to one-on-ones – not breakouts or workshops.
9. What are your offerings and key deliverables? 
   Wisdom!  My collected 30 years of experience doing and watching technology marketing fail and succeed. Augmented by my own research plus  the tons of research about marketing processes and automation from my other Marketing analysts.
10. Any hobbies or favourite restaurant / food that you’d like to share?
    My first stop when staying in London is to eat Indian – we don’t have any Indian restaurants here in my village outside Stuttgart where I’ve now lived for 30 years.