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1. Carter Lusher | May 27, 2008 at 9:29 am | Permalink

   Hi Sandy, Thanks for the link.

   This is a classic “it take one, to know one” as I am a former Gartner Research Fellow and twice a Gartner Analyst of the Year. ;-> This is one of my best laugh lines when I give a speech or conduct AR training. Even the analysts laugh when I tell them.

   However, for all the humor value, this description makes several important points. For AR professionals, understanding why analysts become this way provides critical insight into how AR can build relationships with these market and sales influencers.

   Second, it provides analysts an opportunity to do a little self reflection. The sort of behavior that gets tagged “narcissistic prima donna” inhibits the analysts’ ability to do research, because it erects a barrier between the analyst and the vendor community. Because vendors are a critical source of information for analysts, this barrier can limit the flow of info and insights because the vendor executives are so turned off dealing with this type of behavior.

2. Sandy Kemsley | May 27, 2008 at 10:30 am | Permalink

   I didn’t say that I disagree with it — I can think of some prime examples — but there’s a problem with encouraging AR people to think that all analysts are like that: although it might cause some AR people to be more careful about tailoring their interactions with analysts, it also has the effect of creating a barrier even where there isn’t one since you encourage them to disrespect analysts. Once you lose respect for the people with whom you work, the relationship is damaged.

   As you well know, analysts are inundated with press releases and requests for briefings from vendors, and need to triage the information quickly so that it doesn’t suck up their entire workday. Even though I’m only in an analyst role part time, I delete most press releases without reply (although I do skim them), ignore briefing requests that are far outside my area of interest, and require a minimum of PowerPoint and a maximum of product demo during any briefing since I write mostly about the technology. This makes me a good manager of my own time, not a narcissistic prima donna.

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