Too many companies are still missing a trick or two when it comes to engaging in Industry Analyst Relations in Germany – a major factor influencing technology customers’ buying decisions.
The fact is, you do not have to be riding high on the DAX to benefit from the invisible hand of industry analysts. Investing in analyst relations in Germany (also known as advisor relations) delivers a direct and measurable impact on the bottom line by helping you win new business.
Effective analyst relations is not just about making sure that industry analysts have your company in mind when advising potential customers on selecting providers and technologies. Vendors can also benefit from interactions with the right analysts in other ways: For example, in engaging with analysts as expert sparring partners. Used effectively, analysts can help bring fresh impetus to the product/service development phase. And as you would expect, analysts have their finger on the pulse when it comes to trends and hype topics – so they can tell you what’s wired and what’s tired BEFORE you get to market.
In short, a small and select group of analysts have the power to make or break a company’s reputation. But a lot of companies are simply ignoring this.
It’s time to engage proactively
Many vendors only start to pay attention to industry analysts once they’ve been hit by a sledgehammer – for example, when a (perhaps unknown or unlikely) competitor has swept in to snatch a deal that was all but signed, sealed, and delivered. Or perhaps sales inquiries have skyrocketed after an analyst report included an up-and-coming vendor as “one to watch”, such as the Gartner series of Cool Vendors reports.
The trick to effective industry analyst relations in Germany (and elsewhere) is to know which analyst – and firm – is right for your product or service. All analysts are not the same – some specialize in advising enterprises; others are experts in helping vendors. A select handful really influence deals, as they are creating and reviewing the RFPs that enterprises use to select technology vendors.
Destrier’s analyst relations specialists know the analyst industry inside out. This means we’re able to guide you on which analysts it makes sense to engage with and explain why. This will vary, depending on what the company needs and its maturity towards engaging with external advisors. Despite what you might be tempted to believe, many of the most relevant analysts – we mean those with a proven influence on your target customers – are generally not the ones who make the most noise. Our metrics-driven approach, rating analysts, according to true spending influence, means Destrier can help you maximize the return on your investment in AR.
We’re often asked what size a company needs to be to benefit from AR? The answer is: Size doesn’t matter.
The real answer depends on a customer’s product or solution, its goals, and its international outlook. After being highlighted by a single analyst report, we’ve seen tiny start-ups get snapped up by industry leaders. There is a perhaps confusing choice of different levels and methods of AR engagement. One of our first steps is to ask what success looks like: we do this to help clients determine where and how we can help deliver the greatest results from investing in professional AR support.
If you are thinking about exploring opportunities to make effective analyst relations in Germany part of your go-to-market strategy, get in touch.
