ARE YOU READY FOR YOUR ANALYST BRIEFING?

A well organized analyst briefing is an ideal opportunity for a company to tell its story to industry thought leaders whose opinions are valued by those who are making purchase decisions about competing products and solutions.  From the analyst’s perspective, the briefing is a fundamental research tool that helps them better understand an industry and its players.

It is, for the most part, a one-way conversation; while the analysts might occasionally ask questions for clarification, the briefing is structured so that information flows from the company to the analysts.  Briefings are typically 60 minutes in length and can include one to four analysts.  They are most often conducted by phone and can be based on a PowerPoint or other type of presentation.

Before you start talking…Prior to scheduling the briefing, the company should conduct its own research and take a few steps to maximize the opportunity.

• Know the analyst firm.  Who are its clients? Does the firm mainly work directly with vendors or place greater emphasis on selling research reports? What is the firm’s research process?

• Know the analysts and their expectations.  Does this group prefer to focus on product detail or high-level corporate strategy?   How well do they know your industry?  Review their recent research reports if you can.

• Present the right people from your company. We recommend no more than two company spokespersons participate in any vendor briefing, and they should be as close to the top of the organizational chart as possible.

• Prepare the analysts. Always provide analysts with detailed background on the company and the spokesperson at least three days prior to the briefing, as well as all recent company announcements.   In this case, more is better.

• Just ask.  If you are unsure about how this firm prefers to work or the information the analysts prefer to cover, just ask.  They will tell you.

Make your presentation work for all parties…We work closely with many top industry analysts and regularly ask their input on what information should be presented for the ideal briefing.  Here is what they tell us to be sure and present:

Company background

• Brief company history, including key milestones
• Number of employees
• Overall company revenue
• Company mission
• Corporate organization structure and division flowcharts
• Names and titles of the senior management team

Trends that impact the business

• Business drivers and inhibitors
• What is new and/or visionary about what you do
• Where you see the industry going

Your go-to-market strategies

• Key business issues your solutions are aimed to address
• Key customer demands
• How your solutions are bundled or packaged
• Key value proposition
• Details of target markets
• Points of competitive differentiation
• Top business decisions you will face in the next six months, year, two years
• Key investments you will make in the next year to improve business
• Industry issues that keep you up at night

Solutions and services

• Product roadmaps and descriptions
• Top customers
• Recent customer wins
• Customer references and/or case studies
• Delivery model

Alliances and partners

• Who you go to market with
• Your approach to partnerships and alliances
• Revenue generated from the alliances

S.W.O.T.

• Strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of your company

Competitors

• Who are your top competitors (in order)
• Your competitors’ strengths and weaknesses

Lastly, it is important to remember that analysts receive thousands of briefing requests every year, and the decision to meet with any company is entirely at their discretion.  They similarly receive countless requests for research and opinions about companies and their solutions within the industries they follow.  Therefore, taking the time to prepare and conduct a proper briefing is critical to extracting the greatest possible value from the analyst briefing.

#   #   #