Chris Ingle from IDC gave this presentation at the Gartner Observatory's 2018 Cool and Hot Vendor Forum at the University of Edinburgh business schools.

1. Successfully Engaging with IDC Analysts
Chris Ingle
© IDC

2. © IDC, 2017 2
Introduction to IDC
Significant primary
demand-side
research — more
than 300,000
end users
surveyed annually
More than
1,100 Analysts
located in over 50
countries worldwide,
with 49% of
analysts in emerging
markets
Providing global,
regional, and local
expertise on
technology and
industry trends in over
110 countries

3. Creating Your DX Strategy
Do you have a digital roadmap?
84% OF ORGANIZATIONS WORLDWIDE ARE ON A
DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION (DX) JOURNEY
IDC’s IT Executive Program is committed to supporting businesses globally in the Digital Transformation of their organizations.
We help clients mitigate risk, apply innovation, speed time to market, and drive business outcomes across IT and the line of business.
PLANNING EXECUTION COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE SPEED
Digital Roadmaps
Created
Technology
Partners Selected
Technology
Investments Made
Digital Strategy
Crafted
IDC helps our customers identify
the technologies that will provide
them with a unique differentiator
IDC helps IT buyers vet
technology partners that can
bring their innovations to
market faster
IDC helps companies prioritize the
programs and use cases for their
digital roadmap and develop the
IT capabilities required for DX
IDC helps organizations define
their digital strategies and
strategic priorities
IT Executive Programs
Leading with Digital Transformation
3© IDC, 2017

4. IDC’s Digital Transformation Use Cases
An Insider View into Customers’ Strategic Initiatives
4© IDC, 2017
• Determine DX Strategic Priorities
• Develop DX Programs
• Identify DX Projects to Support DX
Program Goals
IDC’S DX USE CASE TAXONOMY provides
structured guidance on how 14 distinct
industry and government verticals are
creating and enabling Digital
Transformation (DX) success in the digital
economy.

5. IDC’s Proprietary Tracker Platform and Query Tool Provide the Ability
to Analyze Data Across Multiple Trackers
New 2018 IDC Trackers are focused in key 3rd Platform areas:
 Smart Home Devices
 Gaming
 Collaborative Platforms
 Cognitive/AI Systems
 Printer Consumables
 Server Workloads
 Storage Workloads
IDC Trackers Are Fueled By the Largest Global
Analyst Team in the Industry
5© IDC, 2017

6. IDC Spending Guides
A Key Resource for Strategic Planning
6© IDC, 2017
 IoT
 Cognitive/AI
 Security
 3D Printing
 Robotics and Drones
 Augmented and Virtual Reality
Core IT Spending Guides
 IT Spending: Industry and Company Size
 IT Spending: Line of Business
 IT Spending: SMB
3rd Platform Spending Guides
 Digital Transformation
 Mobility
 Big Data and Analytics
 Public Cloud
 Smart Cities (NEW)
 Blockchain (NEW)
Technology spending for digital
initiatives sits in both IT and business
budgets.
IDC Spending Guides provide
spending forecasts by vertical
industry, company size and/or use
cases to help identify where
technology spending is coming from
and for what business goal.
Innovation Accelerator Spending Guides

7. Custom Analytics
Integrated Marketing
Business Value
Buyer Behavior
Thought Leadership
Sales Enablement
IDC Partners Closely with Clients to Build Strategic
Custom Research to Grow Their Business
Partnering
7© IDC, 2017

8. Direct analyst access
Company-specific advice
Insight, intelligence, and information in real-time
“IDC provides excellent customer service. This is the best
relationship I’ve had with any of our vendors since I assumed this
role.”
Client Service at IDC Provides Timely Access to
Personalized Analyst Insight
8
Architecture Director,
Healthcare Payer Industry
© IDC, 2017

9. IDC is the Industry Leader in Media Mentions
9© IDC, 2017
Source: Factiva
21,730
18,547
6,007
5,206
1,106 649
0
2,000
4,000
6,000
8,000
10,000
12,000
14,000
16,000
18,000
20,000
22,000
October 2016 - September 2017
IDC Gartner Forrester Frost &
Sullivan
Ovum 451
Research

10. 1. Carefully consider your objectives
2. Approach it like a complex sale
3. What do you do when you get there?
4. We can access the internet!
5. You need a roadmap
© IDC 10
5 Rules for Success with Analysts

11.  Get written and talked about
 Get recommended to prospects and support when shortlisted
 Get exposure to an analyst’s firms network
 Get strategic advice
Each of these objectives drives a different approach to analysts
and each analyst firm approaches them differently
© IDC 11
Your objectives could be…

12.  You want to sell to BT would you:
• Call the switchboard and ask for Gavin Patterson?
• Spam as many people at BT as you can find
• Buy advertising space on the side of St Paul’s station
 Instead:
• Understand the structure of your target analyst firms
• What motivates your target analysts?
• Where do they live (metaphorically), who do they trust, can your
partners help?
© IDC 12
If you want to get analyst exposure, approach it
like a complex sale

13.  You should have prepared the ground with them, their colleagues in sales, marketing
and support, what do they want to hear, what motivates them, what do you want to
get from this?
 You have half an hour, how best can you use it?
 Analysts are analytical, we like a story but want it backed up
 It’s a balance (direct feedback from a senior analyst):
• Best practice – keep the pitch short: 30m mins max. If we’re interested we’ll do a longer call.
• Say what problem you’re addressing and how you fix it. We’re generally less interested in a better mousetrap, and more
interested in genuine innovation.
• Annoying: confusing analysts with journalists. Assuming we know nothing. Assuming we know everything. Talking down
to us. Talking up to us.
• Example: Anonos. They tested us out on domain knowledge (GDPR) and then bought EVP. Used us extensively to
roadtest their marketing messages. They are passionate about the subject and their solution.
© IDC 13
Most likely you will brief one or more analysts
from each firm

14.  Analysts trade in information, we want to know valuable stuff other people
don’t know (which could be your technology)
 Value for customers from your service not trade secrets
 Framing the market through definitions, categories and taxonomies are
important to (some) analysts
 A few unique insights are better than a 1000 general points; references are
good but motivated customers are better
 Speculate and challenge! An exciting and challenging company founder
commenting on what she sees is valuable. Someone regurgitating PR
messages isn’t
© IDC 14
We can access the internet!

15. Analysts and the market want to know where you are going
 What are your ambitions?
 How do you get there?
 How do you get your people there?
 How do you get investors there?
 How do you get the market there?
Be open about the challenges as well as the opportunity
The analyst relationship should be part of that roadmap, you should be asking
how you deepen and get more value from the relationship over time
© IDC 15
You need a roadmap

16.  IDC tracks 1000s of vendors across our research and other
services.
 Successful innovative firms will break into our research
naturally as they become more important. However this
process can be accelerated
 I’m happy to help
© IDC 16
Closing thoughts