Qualifying Customers for AR Reference Programs
By Michael Teeling

If a customer spokesperson is reluctant to be interviewed, the following facts about the nature of industry research could go a long way toward reassuring them that talking to an analyst is not the same as talking to a reporter.

• They need NEVER go public. The vast majority of the time the customer's name or company does not end up in print. Analysts primarily use customer experiences as background or aggregate information supporting their conclusions. Details beyond insight into the vendor's strategy and product application are seldom published. e.g. "Vendor A's customers have found its product to be…"
• Blind attribution is OK in AR. e.g. "a large financial services firm uses Product B to…"
• Case studies are rarer than one might think. The majority of the time, analysts are examining market, product, and vendor trends in the aggregate, towards which any individual customer interview simply provides one more data point. Less than 10% of analyst research focuses on a single, in-depth case study, and this exclusivity is typically well communicated and approved in advance.
• Phone calls suffice for analyst interviews. Typically, these last only 20-30 minutes. Customer spokespeople should be properly vetted by AR teams in advance, as industry analysts usually want to talk to the customer alone, without eavesdropping by vendor representatives.

Qualifying customers for AR activity, while easier than for PR, can still be challenging. The following six approaches will help the team ultimately get to "Yes" in answer to the Big Question, "Will you act as an analyst reference?" They will also ensure that the customer is truly off-the-shelf and ready to schedule quickly.

• Share common objectives. The customer must be convinced that the vendor's AR program will function as an extension of their own internal marketing team, advancing their organization's marketing and communications goals. Acting sincerely on the customer's behalf will cement their investment in your hyping their story.
• Help them talk to their friends. Most customers seem to have their favorite analysts. By asking who these folks are, AR professionals can save themselves a lot of wheel-spinning. Does the spokesperson only want to speak with Gartner, but not Forrester? Such queries may even uncover which research firms to whom the customer already subscribes, if any. Obtaining customer approval is easiest when the customer is also a client of the analyst firm.
• Protect their privacy. If the customer doesn't subscribe to any research, ask if it will be necessary for the analyst to sign a non-disclosure agreement prior to the interview. Don't expect that a verbal assurance from the analyst of the customer's anonymity will be sufficient. In some cases, just the threat of the NDA process is cause enough alone for the analyst to reject the interview, so best to know in advance. Assuring customers of the private nature of most analyst interviews should eliminate their anxiety and your headache.
• Respect their schedule. Even if customers initially seemed willing to help a trusted vendor promote its product, they can become notoriously hard to reach once an interview is on the table. Find out the customer's general availability for such calls, and comply with their preferences. Maybe the customer only likes to take calls on Fridays or during their commute? Finally, be sure the customer knows the exact timetable for when AR will be pitching an interview, such as "over the next 2 weeks", and check back regularly with progress updates, even if the news is "no bites yet".
• Help grease the wheels. "I have to check with my legal department" is often the kiss of death for approval of any reference activity. Still, try to find out the turn-around time for any necessary rubber-stamping on their end, regardless of whom they need to consult. Aim to get approval in advance for the entire outreach program, mutually agreeing on 3 interviews for example, rather than having to follow the same process for each and every analyst encounter. Speak to the lawyers or internal PR people yourself if possible.
• Reward them. Ideally, participation in analyst relations should be just one activity on a tiered, formalized customer loyalty program that encourages reference activity with incentives like discounts and freebies. If not, small gestures like flowers, chocolates or tickets to the game are always appreciated by customer spokespeople.

Following the strategies outlined here will save a vendor from unnecessary embarrassment with top analysts resulting from customers who initially agree to be references but then never commit to an interview because of unforeseen roadblocks.

Given the considerations outlined, Analyst Relations provides a relatively low risk point of entry for customers as a forward thinking, mutually beneficial kind of promotional activity. It's an easy way for customers to get their feet wet in whatever kind of reference programs a vendor designs.

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