I have worked with many technology companies over the past twenty years, and most of that time in marketing or product management roles. As a result, I have had oh say 5,000 meetings with journalists and industry analysts, so I have seen how they do what they do as a big honkin’ large vendor, a small startup, and unknown restart.
Young analysts in particular have an interaction style that I find almost insulting. It is a way of managing a conversation with a vendor that suits the analyst’s need to appear broadly knowledgeable, but which after dozens of like interactions I now realize is purely a rhetorical avoidance trick.
The interaction goes something like this:
Me: “Hello — I’m Tim, and I’m with TechnoSphere — we have some exciting news this week and we’d really like to let you know about our company and our business strategy.”
Early thirty-something analyst, professionally dressed and confident looking: “Hi I’m from Intelligenter Than Thou (ITT) Group — I cover your product area. Tell me what you guys do.”
Me: Here I roll out the elevator pitch. “We are a software company in the [pick your industry analyst-defined category and insert here] space. We are only in the market a few years, but our product has a key differentiated capability which we think will…”
Early thirty-something interrupts: “So you are like MacroCo. Sounds like you’re in the same space as NeetoTeam is heading next quarter.”
Me: “Well we are actually trying to illustrate a limitation in current approaches, and how our innovation might disrupt the current market land…”
Another interrupt: “Yes, I here Gargantutron talking about their aradigm 5.0 strategy — have you read that?”
You get the idea. Interrupt, namedrop, divert and distract — all the while believing you are projecting expertise.
Well it doesn’t work with this client-side guy — and my advice would be that ambitious youngsters think about the following:
1) listen.
2) track your reactions and points of interest.
3) thank the vendor for their thoughts, and offer your thoughtful feedback and pointed comments.
Analyst firms will improve their brand, and vendors will feel someone understands that it’s still important to show basic respect.