Don’t be another to let recorded briefings and demos harm your dot placement
Not only are the major analyst firms, such as Gartner and Forrester, increasingly looking for briefings and demos to be delivered as recordings, but the range and capabilities of video tools have vastly improved over the last couple of years. Now is the time to up your game in video delivery to get your message across to the analysts, clearly and effectively.
Six myths about analyst engagement – part 2
In part 1, we talk about the myths surrounding assessments like the Gartner Magic Quadrant and the Forrester Wave. In part 2, we cover the myths surrounding the rest of your engagement with analysts and how to avoid falling into the traps these myths create.
Six myths about analyst engagement – part 1
In this webinar, the first of two parts, we will address six myths of analyst relations specifically relating to analyst assessments such as the Gartner Magic Quadrant, Forrester Wave and others.
No pay, no play – is that really how it is with analysts like Gartner and Forrester?
If you believe that research is a pay-for-play game, our Managing Director, Simon Levin discusses in this paper why this isn't the case and you can still get results if your analyst engagement is effective.
Why do we do so well on the Magic Quadrant but so badly on the Wave (or vice versa)?
While the Magic Quadrant and the Wave may appear similar on the surface, they differ significantly in structure. Therefore, it’s crucial to tailor your approach when responding to their associated RFIs.
Why PR strategies don’t work when engaging analysts
In this webinar we look at the differing needs between journalists and analysts and offer best practices for what you need to do when engaging analysts.
Secrets to Changing the Analyst’s Mind
Vendors often complain that analysts come to a discussion with outcomes pre-determined and that nothing the vendor says or does will change the analyst’s mind. Are you really facing a Sisyphean task? We don’t think so. We’ve seen vendors achieve significant progress in analyst outcomes by directly confronting those analyst (mis)conceptions. Find out more in this white paper.
AR in the age of AI: how to flourish in the AI-powered future of analysts
In this webinar we look at how AI is changing the landscape of analyst research and analyst relations. This technology brings along both a range of challenges and key opportunities for how suppliers can best engage analysts in the future, as well as what everyone will need to understand about the way the analysts themselves will likely be using this tech to service their customers and generate content.
The 5 vital elements needed to brief IT analysts (like Gartner) to get tangible business results
In this webinar, we discuss the common mistakes people make in analyst briefings and set out a best practice framework to help you add value to your presentations.
Featured in a research report? The tricks to turning the result into revenue
In the webinar we cover the serious risks and potential rewards that kick-off on Publication Day. We identify all the stakeholders you need to communicate with and highlight the different collateral each stakeholder will require and when.
The 10 things every company gets wrong with Gartner – and others
Getting key analysts to have sufficient confidence (in your business, products and services) to recommend you to their clients is difficult. It takes concerted effort, appropriate preparation and relevant executive engagement if you are to get it right and get the right result. But the reality is most companies get it wrong and get truly disappointing results. Find out the 10 things NOT to do in this white paper.
Solve the puzzle of how to get great Magic Quadrant / Wave results in 6 easy steps
If you've ever been left puzzled as to why having a great product and contented customers is often not enough for achieving impressive results on Gartner Magic Quadrants, Forrester Waves or other structured assessments, then we have the solution. Our webinar will arm you with six essential steps that support success.
What is the secret to moving your dot in a Magic Quadrant or Wave assessment?
Learn how you can ensure your Magic Quadrant and Wave assessment results truly reflect your market capabilities.
The secrets to changing the analyst’s mind
Vendors often complain that analysts come to an evaluation with outcomes pre-determined and that nothing the vendor says or does will change the analyst’s mind. Are you really facing a Sisyphean task? We don’t think so. Find out what you CAN do.
To create (or not create) a category – how to engage analysts either way
Pretty much every day we have a conversation with a company about whether, and how, to best work with analysts like Gartner, Forrester etc. to help establish a new category in the market. Can it be done? And if so, what is the right approach to follow?
2022 Analyst Engagement survey results
Every 2 years, The Skills Connection conduct a study looking specifically at how technology providers’ engage with analysts, and what results they get back in terms of real business impact. In this white paper we share our findings and give 5 best practices you can implements straight away.
Analyst RFI portals: The gift that keeps on taking
Gartner, IDC and other analyst firms are increasingly shifting their vendor data collection for assessments (like Magic Quadrants, MarketScapes and Waves) from spreadsheets and other documentation to structured Web portals. Ostensibly meant to streamline and standardize the data collection process, the result is a major upheaval in your response process, the detail and perspective you can provide and ultimately the predictability of your Magic Quadrant, MarketScape or Wave position. In this webinar we examine the impacts, how you get ready and the changes in analyst engagement best practices.
Lessons Learned: What differentiates startups that scale versus startups that fail
90% of tech startups fail. It’s a fact. 75% that are VC-funded fail. That’s also a fact. What differentiates the scaling successes from failures, we have found from firsthand experience, is adhering to a simple formula. It’s a formula of alignment. Find out more in this on-demand webinar.
How some companies make analysts an effective GTM channel
Some firms get significant business via analysts (such as Gartner & Forrester), while many simply do not. Why is that? And where are you on the scale? Every 2 years, The Skills Connection conduct a study looking specifically at how technology providers’ engage with analysts, and what results they get back in terms of real business impact. In this webinar, we'll share our findings and give 5 best practices you can implements straight away.
10 dos and don’ts to get the right score for a Critical Capabilities assessment
Are you mystified why you got the Critical Capabilities score in a recent assessment? Do you find Gartner’s Critical Capabilities unclear, complicated, frustrating and annoying? Find out the 10 things you should be doing and not doing for this important assessment.
The 10 things every company gets wrong with Gartner – and others
Getting key analysts to have sufficient confidence (in your business, products and services) to recommend you to their clients is difficult. It takes concerted effort, appropriate preparation and relevant executive engagement if you are to get it right and get the right result. But the reality is most companies get it wrong and get truly disappointing results.
The Magic Quadrant/Wave simply doesn’t reflect our market – so now what?
Here is a little secret. Over two-thirds of companies, who are in MQ and Waves, do not see assessment definitions as being a match to where their business fits into the market! You are not alone. So what can you do about it? This webinar will share the elements needed for a successful campaign.
Solving the mystery of how you move up and to the right in a Magic Quadrant or Wave
This webinar will enable you to understand why dots get placed where they do, plan what you need to do overall to change analyst perception of where you should be positioned (before you get a bad draft placement) and respond effectively to a bad draft placement if it does occur.
Gartner Peer Insights – how do you compare to your competition?
Gartner Peer Insights is one of the most significant shifts to the way vendor performance is measured and assessed. With over 2.3 million product comparisons conducted on the platform in 2020, an increase of 15% over the previous year, its significance is on the rise. Gartner analysts now depend wholly on Peer Insights as a primary source of customer insight when carrying out assessments, and buyers themselves increasingly turn to Peer Insights when making informed decisions.
Gartner Peer Insights: 5 things you must do right – right now
This white paper looks at what vendors should be doing here and now to build their Peer Insights profiles and make the most of their customers’ positive views of their products and services.
Gartner Peer Insights: 5 things you must do right now
Recent changes at Gartner have increased the importance of proactive Peer Insights activity for vendors; Gartner has replaced Magic Quadrant reference surveys with information sourced from Peer Insights, and Gartner has developed new document types that summarize Peer Insights reviews and perspectives for end-user customers. This is a new muscle that technology vendors and service providers must learn to exercise regularly – you ignore it at your peril.
The 5 top ways to use Gartner and other analysts to grow pipeline
What Gartner and other analyst firms think about you matters… much more than you can ever imagine. This is because analysts have incredible reach, touching thousands of your prospects each year. Analysts inform your buyers throughout your sales cycle, advising them on what to do, who to do it with and even how much to pay.
Great MQ! Now what?
There is plenty of work to be done in the wake of a positive analyst report – and most of it needs to be done quickly! Find out more in our white paper.
How can you use analysts like Gartner to drive revenue – without the need to re-mortgage your house?
2020 has been a year like no other, and 2021 will start in much the same way. Traditional marketing activities like conferences, user events and seminars have evaporated. Buyers meantime have significantly upped their use of analysts as a way of researching markets, with buyer inquiries to analysts up by as much as 50%. Analysts are talking to your prospects about their needs, outlining the market of possible solutions and sharing their opinion of who to consider. The question is how can you make this unique channel part of your go-to-market program for 2021 and what would it cost?
‘PressandAnalyst’ is not one word
In this white paper, you can find out what the analysts need from you differs from the press and learn actionable differences between an analyst engagement (AE) plan and a PR plan.
The secret of getting into a Magic Quadrant or Wave
Getting into a Gartner Magic Quadrant (MQ) or a Forrester Wave is a big deal for many companies, the actions that vendors need to take differ depending on the circumstance. If you are a new vendor trying to be recognized in a market, if you are established in one market and trying to expand into others, or if the inclusion criteria for your MQ or Wave seem to change regularly, there are proactive steps you can take to ensure that your company and products are represented in the best possible light.
If I drink the poison, will the Gartner (or Forrester) analyst die?
In business, you can often walk away from a bad deal, a shocking provider and an awful customer. But if it's your Gartner (or name your most important advisory research firm here) lead analyst who irks you, there are compelling reasons to hold your nerve and stick around.
Our 2020 Analyst Assessment Survey Results
In this report, we present our 2020 survey findings and offer evidence-based advice for improving your Magic Quadrant and Wave submissions.
What is the secret to moving your dot in a Magic Quadrant or Wave assessment?
In this webinar we discuss the factors that can impact your position on the MQ or Wave grid and give you six top tips to optimize your result.
Do the analysts really still call the shots?
In these days of online peer reviews and social media, increasingly enterprise IT review sites like TrustRadius & G2 are changing how buyers research vendors. So, do the analysts still influence where the money goes?
2020 Analyst Assessment Survey Results: The Secrets of How to Win
In this webinar, we present our 2020 primary research findings aimed at understanding technology providers’ attitudes to participating in assessments such as Gartner’s Magic Quadrant (MQ) or Forrester’s Wave.
Why buyers will rely far more on analysts in the age of COVID-19. An action plan
In this webinar, we explore how COVID-19 is affecting technology marketing, where in the buying cycle analyst influence is increasing, and what actions you need to take as a result.
What should you do if your Magic Quadrant or Wave is retired?
When an MQ or Wave is retired, the interest in that category does not suddenly evaporate. Clients are no less interested in understanding about the players in the market and how they compare. The key difference is that now they cannot simply refer to a document – the MQ or Wave report. Now, they need to speak with the analyst. Your task is to make sure that the analyst still conceptually positions you at least as well as before (and ideally better) to ensure you get a good pipeline of referred business.
The credibility conundrum
Discover our start-ups guide for working with analysts.
Are you “cool” and why does it matter?
Many start-ups are both highly innovative and highly disruptive. How can you make sure massively influential analysts, like Gartner or Forrester, recognize your innovation and potential breakthrough?
How the analysts can boost your sales pipeline: Insider secrets
This white paper highlights how leading firms leverage analyst engagement to grow their sales pipeline. We cover the best practices for developing genuine relationships with analysts for mutual benefit.
Growth hacking using analysts
Discover our growth hackers guide to working with analysts.
Getting Recognition as a Cool Vendor
For a small IT company, being named as a Cool Vendor by Gartner can be the golden ticket – the greatest boost you can get.
Our 2018 Analyst Assessment Survey Results
In this report, we present our survey findings and offer evidence-based advice for improving your Magic Quadrant and Wave submissions.
RFIs and RFPs: Winner takes all
When it comes to RFIs and RFPs, there are five main reasons why well-qualified companies get it all wrong. Find out more in this white paper.
Symposium Planning Begins Now
Learn how you can leverage Symposium to tighten your analyst relationships, maximize your learning, avoid critical mistakes, and, most importantly, capitalize on the full range of opportunities.
2018 Analyst Assessment Survey Results: Ensuring the Best Possible Outcome
In 2018, The Skills Connection conducted its second primary research project. A follow up on the original study, aimed at investigating people’s understanding of today’s analyst assessment processes and discovering what works, what effort and resources are required and what value can be derived from these assessments.
האם אתם ״קוּל״ ־ ולמה זה חשוב
הרבה מעד סטרטאפים ישראלים מציעים פתרונות חדשניים או שמשבשים שוק קיים. איך תוכלו להבטיח שאנליסטים בעלי השפעה כמו גרטנר ופורסטר יכירו אתכם ואת המוצרים והשרותים שלכם?
How a different RFI/RFP methodology can dramatically improve your conversion rate
During this webinar you will learn how to transform your RFI/RFP methodology by following the practices that we have seen deliver real success for customers. You’ll find it’s more efficient, and it truly will enable you to increase your conversion rate.
How to Brief IT Analysts (like Gartner) to Get Tangible Business Results – the Israeli Perspective
In this webinar, we discuss the common mistakes people make in analyst briefings and set out a best practice framework to help you add value to your presentations.