I wrote a book about Analyst Relations with 41 co-authors. No, it wasn’t like living through an impossibly chaotic Zoom meeting. It was more like one of those fictional dinner parties where you get to invite your favorite people from all of history.
Analysts on Analyst Relations was born of my desire to understand this world from the analyst perspective and I’m delighted I did. The analysts invited were some of the most learned, active and insightful in our industry. Over the next few blogs, I’d like to share with you my passion for analyst relations and share a taste of the knowledge offered by those analyst heroes. For a full course meal, buy the book (an easy read and great value). But I intend this series of blogs to be a useful and impactful selection from their collective wisdom.
Alan Pelz Sharpe, founder of Deep Analysis and an analyst we can all learn from, commented on how very tough analyst relations can be. “Frankly, I do not envy your role. You have to try to keep everyone happy all the time, and that is an impossibility.” I agree, Alan, the challenge is enormous and perfection is always out of reach. But that’s the excitement of it. It gets me jazzed every day.
Ray Wang, founder and chairman of Constellation Research, puts the AR job in the context of a joyride. “Being in analyst relations means you are in the middle of the action. It’s fun! You see what’s happening with the products and where the company is headed. You’re privy to a lot of confidential information and there’s a high trust factor. You’re part of the team.” Right on, Ray. Sometimes I feel like a combination quarterback and coach, driving the team toward the goal.
Analyst Relations is the art of diplomacy, and as the chief AR strategist it’s our job to know both sides of the relationship and to create the bridge that honors the analyst while moving our company’s message forward. Over the next several blogs, we’ll do that with the help of the analysts who judge our markets. Nobody says AR is easy, but nobody ever, ever said it was boring.
Watch this space.