Maybe.

I had a conversation recently with one of the major firms recently who asked me why I did what I do on my blog. Being transparent, I told them my motives, my objectives and my expectations. Let me stop and say that I fully expect them to be reading this post. I’ve been asked to present blogging as a best practice for analyst relations to a group of my peers. I do believe that it is a best practice as I accomplish many things through blogging (I’ll concede that competitive eating is pretty much motive-less, except for the spectacle of it). Mostly I was taken back that anyone would care a hoot about what I write, but I seemed to have mis-judged the audience. I know why I do what I do, but it seems that others are interested and the firm I spoke to thinks it could help the greater A/R community.

Blogging should be about transparency, but as I’ve noted before, I hate to lose. I clearly use my blog to speak to analysts as I learned well that the R in A/R doesn’t stand for reports. Yes, I write that often, so that phrase is brought to you by the department of redundancy department, but I digress. Back to hating to lose, I find that blogging gives me an additional line of communications with analysts, which I’d need to disclose to all, and it gives me a one up on the competition. I even have relationships with analysts through the blog that I don’t work day to day with.

It became clear in the conversation that I’m not going to worry about it that much as the discussion quickly came to the point that blogging is passion, you either are going to do it or your not. Most that do it are like the people at the gym after New Years. Here today, back at the buffet line tomorrow.

It also became clear to me who I felt were better bloggers than I, which I would point out in such a presentation, should I get asked to actually do it. But a lot comes down to whether I would discuss it or would I hold the keys to the safe of A/R tactics.

Maybe I just have delusions of adequacy?

My guess, I’d probably do it if asked to as if we can make our profession better, why not? And to answer the question is a blog influential to analyst relations, for me the answer is definitively yes…..both reading and writing.

The annual Black Belt meeting and picture. The “better” picture will be at the main website.

Now, can you spot the IBMr’s? There are more than one (hint: there are 3 standing right next to each other).

Click on the picture for a larger view, it’s easier to spot those in question.

Can you spot the A/R geek, there is only one.

One of the most famous lines ever said in a movie, “you need a bigger boat” (youtube here) by Roy Schneider, died yesterday at 75.

I didn’t see the Exorcist for personal/religious reasons, so Jaws was the first movie that scared me.  This was the first movie I’d seen where the entire audience screamed and reacted at once.

I grew up at the beach, and claimed prior to the movie that it wouldn’t change the way I felt about swimming in the ocean.  After this famous scene, I still think about it.

Hat tip to Jeff Jarvis and Instapundit.

Here they are and here is the full article from buzzfeed:

The 10 rules to blog by:
1. Check your facts.
2. Avoid virtual vendettas.
3. Obey the law.
4. Weigh promises.
5. Reveal secrets selectively.
6. Consider what you copy.
7. Learn recording limits.
8. Don’t abuse anonymity.
9. Shun conflicts of interest.
10. Seek legal advice.

Don Shula used to say on the Shula Show, “Good football teams need to play the kind of football that good football teams play to win  football games”. Coach speak for get the job done.

When I started in the working world shortly after the dinosaur’s went extinct, they told me consistency was the mark of a professional. 17-0 is a perfect season, 18-1 is not, despite the fact that the ‘07 Pats are likely one of the best teams to play football, just 35 seconds short (not to mention of few film clips of the other teams signals).

I am relieved as a Dolfan that my team is still the only one that has finished the season with a perfect record. I know that some (Stephen O’Grady) don’t like the popping of the champagne when the final team loses each season, but I actually heard they haven’t done it this year. Nevertheless, once again it shows just how hard it is to win every game at the top level.

Back in 1985, da Bears were the greatest thing going, until they ran into the lightening release of Dan Marino on the highest rated Monday Night Football game of all time. Dan was made an honorary member of the ‘72 team who were on the sidelines. Da Bears also went 18-1.

I vote the NY Football Giants as an honorary member, or at least the newest 12th man.

Take the test.

I’ll tell you mine if you tell me yours…..

Hat tip to both Dr. Helen and Instapundit.

Bill Hopkins of Knowledge Capital Group sent an email with 13 recommendations on January 10th. I like all of them, but want to address one, or one at time….we’ll see if I get through all of them. I picked the consulting day first as I get a lot of benefit from them, for the reasons that he points out.

Here is Bill’s take on it:
1. Spending a day consulting with a vendor on strategy
- Most analysts find tremendous value in these types of interactions and no, its’ not what you think - it isn’t because the firm gets paid for these days, or in some cases because the analysts gets a “spiff”. It is because they know what you should know. That by spending 8 or so hours with somebody you get a much better picture of who they are, what they do, how they do it, where they are going and how they are going to get there. You also have a much better chance of furthering a relationship at the same time.

My Take:

I find from the vendor side that these days are very helpful also for any number of reasons. Foremost of those is that we are so detached in our communications via web, social softwaring (made up a word there I think), crackberrying (’nuther new word), and any number of technological communications assistants, that we’re detached from human contact. I find there is no substitute for face to face communications. You can’t read a person’s non-verbal responses over a text message. I can see an analyst cringe when they see one of our strategies that they don’t agree with. I can also tell when they care as they either comment, start writing or lean over and speak to each other when we say something significant either positive or negative.

Conversely, if the analyst is sitting there like a sphinx, it tells us that whatever we just said was either a bomb, meaningless or a total bore. Try to get that over a phone or IM.

Digesting the Company:

Analysts get bombarded with information about a company….constantly. Not only do they have to boil the ocean, some companies have complexity as a core competency. Others just outright lie under the guise of Marketing speak. Face to face communications allows the analyst to challenge the company, and to ask further detail that is easily digestible in person, which either too hard or just not worth in via technology.

Forcing the vendor to be concise:

This is not always the case come final presentation, but it forces a vetting process to decide what to present. Logically, you would present what you want answers to or discussion on, otherwise it is a briefing as you’ve made your decision and this is an announcement. It also assumes that the thought going into a consulting day was cogent. I’m guessing that there are those with agenda’s such as trying to convince an analyst that they are better or right on their product and/or strategy and it becomes combative rather than consultive in nature. This is a total my bad for the vendor. If you’re not going to listen to the analyst and their advice, why did you ask them or pay them to be there???????

We go through endless rounds of drafts of our presentations and what we need help on before these days. It makes you decide what is important. The A/R person must step in at this point to keep the executives focused on the fact that this is a help session, not a sales presentation. My favorite ending to any fork in the road in the analyst discussion is “what do you think?”. I’ve rarely witnessed an analyst without an opinion.

One can receive immense help from a day of discussion, yet I’ve seen ego’s get in the way of objectives which should be to seek out help and advice from one that knows the subject matter.

Building a Relationship:

One of the inherent outcomes of spending a day (as Bill points out) in the room is some form of bonding. Even after we’ve been told how bad our product or offering is, we still have been able to work out a plan to make it better, not that we did it every time. Going through the process allows you to grow together as analyst/vendor.

There is a caveat when either side can be so combative, over ego’d or just belligerent that it became worse, but that is a human flaw, not a flaw in the process of the consulting day. And yes, I’ve seen guilt on both sides of the table.

I’ve found that either good or bad review of our subject matter still gives the analyst a view of what we are doing and they are more amenable to working with you come report/MQ/Wave/Whatever time. You know each other, you don’t have to start from first grade on your product and you have history together.

I always feel better before a report knowing that I’ve spent time with the analyst to discuss what we are doing. Sure I work for a big company, but even if I was at a small company I’d do the same things. We explain who we are, where we fit in, who we work with, who we compete against, what is our offering….and can you help?

The net of it is I’ve rarely felt that it wasn’t worth it. I’ll bet the analyst feels the same way, to some degree at least.