Inquiries are a highly valuable opportunity for technology and services vendors to gain actionable insights from industry analysts and are a key building block for a successful AR program. Much of the engagement between vendors and analysts is driven by industry analysts research agendas. But inquiries (paid engagements that are usually part of a research and advisory subscription) give the vendor the opportunity to set the agenda for an analyst conversation and gain insights on a given topic. A survey of IIAR> members shows however, that these inquiry opportunities are dramatically under-used, with a lack of emphasis on gaining insights and value from inquiry calls.
IIAR> Webinar: running and leveraging analyst inquiries
This new IIAR> Best Practices Paper will be presented in a webinar co-hosted by Sarita Kincaid (LinkedIn, @saritakAR) / VP of Corporate Communications, SugarCRM, Robin Schaffer (LinkedIn, @robinjs19) / Principal AR Consultant, Schaffer AR and Ludovic Leforestier (@lludovic, LinkedIn) / IIAR> Co-Founder and Founder Starsight Communications.
When: THURSDAY 19th MAY 2022, 0800 PST / 1100 EST / 1600 BST / 0100 AEST (other time zones)
IIAR> Best Practices Paper: running and leveraging analyst inquiries
The IIAR> survey showed that the most common focus for inquiry calls is on general market trends and on building relationships with the analyst, while more specific objectives such as customer deal intelligence and M&A feedback, are less commonly used. If AR managers are to get full value from their firms’ investment in inquiry time, then they must proactively plan and manage this valuable resource from contract negotiation through to driving action on insights for their business.
Sections in the paper cover planning an inquiry session, understanding the different types of inquiry, navigating the inquiry guidelines for specific analyst firms, using inquiry time to maximum effect, and internalising the insights gained from an inquiry to benefit your organisation. In addition to the vast experience of Robin, Sarita and Ludovic, the paper draws upon inputs from a wide range of IIAR> members who have shared their tips and best practices for getting the most out of the inquiry process and the following contributors. This paper concludes with actionable advice for all AR pros including how to review their contractual inquiry time, analyse inquiry usage, draw up an inquiry template, drive action on insights that can be incorporated into the business and much more. Appendices includes a table of analyst firms’ inquiry policies, and a template for an inquiry request.
Key learnings and best practices
- Why AR managers should know the different types of inquiry
- What the different inquiry rules are for each analyst firm
- How to identify the best analyst for each inquiry
- How to plan the inquiry objectives and agenda in advance
- When to synchronise inquiries with your business calendar
- How to maximise the value of inquiry time
- How best to internalise inquiries within your organisation
- Why it’s important to be proactive with inquiries
Authors
- Ludovic Leforestier (@lludovic, LinkedIn) / IIAR> Co-Founder and Board Member, Founder, Starsight Communications
- Sarita Kincaid (LinkedIn, @saritakAR) / Senior Director, Analyst Relations, SugarCRM
- Robin Schaffer (LinkedIn, @robinjs19) / Principal AR Consultant, Schaffer AR
Publication date: January 2022
Resources for IIAR> members
- Link to PDF for IIAR> Members > IIAR> Best Practices Paper: running and leveraging analyst inquiries
- Webinar recording for IIAR> Members
Contributors
- Kim Blomgren / AR Director, NAVEX Global
- Nicole Cote / Senior Analyst Relations Manager, Oracle
- Brian Greenberg / Director of Analyst Relations, Aruba, a Hewlett Packard Enterprise company
- Marta Melon / Analyst Relations Manager, GFT Technologies
- Peggy O’Neill / Vice President, Industry Analyst Relations, Informatica
- Reyne Quackenbush / Global Head of Analyst Relations, Thoughtworks
- Chloe Roberts / Analyst Relations Manager, Starsight Communications
- Marlies Roest / Director, Analyst Relations, Infobip
- Ankit Sharma / Analyst Relations Associate, Grazitti Interactive
- Noelle Shipley / Director, Analyst Relations, Emplifi
- Lena Tønning Staal / Senior Analyst Relations Manager, Starsight Communications
- Kristin Zurovitch / Director Global Analyst Relations, Infosec Institute
Other IIAR> Best Practices Papers
- Full list here > IIAR> Thought Leadership
- IIAR> Best Practice Paper: Engage the right audience, using analyst tiering
- IIAR> Discussion Group: managing Analyst-Advisory Day
- IIAR> Best Practices Paper: running and leveraging analyst inquiries
- IIAR> Best Practices Paper: Delivering AR Programmatically with Campaigns
- IIAR> Primer: Why should startups and scale-ups have an analyst relations strategy?
- IIAR> Best Practices Paper: Running an industry analyst briefing
- IIAR> Webinar recap: What is analyst & influencer relations (AR)?
- IIAR> Primer: What is Analyst Relations (AR) and how is it evolving?
- IIAR> Best Practices Paper: Building an effective AR plan
- IIAR> Best Practices Webinar: Strategic Analyst Tiering For Digital Business
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