With the holiday season approaching, the Spotlight family cannot wait to be surrounded by our loved ones. However, we know the challenge of having our days encompassed by the world of AR, is being able to explain our everyday to those unfamiliar with analyst relations. In preparation for holiday conversations, take a glimpse into how some of Spotlight’s employees explain our daily work to their friends and family members. 

Communicating the Importance of AR

In explaining AR to our friends and family, it’s crucial to communicate the importance this industry holds. While the niche market of analyst relations can be broken down into intricate sectors, the importance and overall value it provides is quite simple. 

“Gartner analysts are yielding roughly 250 inquiries every quarter. 60% of these conversations surround “what should I buy?” As a technology company, forming relationships with analysts is critical and you need to be a part of these conversations.”  – Andrew Hsu, Managing Partner & Founder

“AR research isn’t content you’re able to find online or in newsstands, it’s expensive and only available to subscribed members. Because of the value this content holds in the industry, as a vendor, it’s important to earn a good reputation with these analysts.” – John Rockhold, Analyst Delivery Lead

Whether you work within the technology or service industry, or you’re simply listening to your Spotlight friend/family member speak from across the dinner table, we hope you can observe the tremendous influence analyst relations has on valuation and decision making. 

How does our Spotlight family talk about AR at the holidays?

“As a chef, you have the opportunity to create any cuisine you’d like for a food critic. However, it’s our job to know that this critic doesn’t enjoy green beans. If you know contextually what their preferences are, before they sit down at a table, you might design your menu slightly differently. It’s still your restaurant and cuisine, but you’re now emphasizing certain aspects over others. In AR, it’s our job to know what analysts believe and what their preferences are in the market.” – Rick Nash, Managing Partner & Founder

“In baseball, our client would be the batter and Spotlight the batting coach. I help them practice their swing and signals. I do everything I can to make sure they’re prepared, and when the game happens, I sit back and hope they do well. Following the game, we would debrief and refine their skill set. That is a lot of what I do with my clients at Spotlight, but instead of a game, my clients are preparing for an extremely important conversation with an industry analyst.” – Christina Neill, Director, Spotlight Academy

“When buying a vacuum cleaner, I know I want to purchase one that is high quality, but I’m not an expert. I leverage Consumer Reports, who has done their due diligence in ranking the top ones in the market. This situation can be applied to analyst firms. They have ranking reports and are completing research on specific vendors that compete in these spaces. Companies making enterprise buying decisions will leverage reports, just as I will with my vacuum cleaner.” – Jennifer Sheffield, Operations and Growth

“Picture you’re Ford and you need to buy a new Cloud software for your company. There are a multitude of providers for this software and you don’t know who to choose. Industry analysts will recommend a short-list of the top companies Ford should leverage for this situation. At Spotlight, it’s our job to make sure our clients make that list.” – Jim Genis, Client Executive

Whether it’s routine interactions or you find yourself aiming to explain analyst relations over a piece of pumpkin pie later this week, we hope this post provided insight towards effective ways of communicating AR to your friends and family members! 

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