Quick housekeeping note:
As an analyst, I receive up to a dozen briefing requests per day from companies ranging from the smallest start-up to the largest enterprises. Conducting briefings is an essential part of what analysts do. It’s a big component of how we stay abreast in our coverage area and research agendas.
There’s an art to conducting a good briefing, something discussed in this space before. There’s also a great deal of logistical heavy lifting. Companies that request a briefing from me directly, no matter how well I know the business, or the person making the request, always receive this response:
Thanks for your inquiry regarding a briefing with Altimeter Group.
I must ask that you please fill out our briefing request form. It’s very much to your advantage to do so. All the analysts and researchers are alerted to the opportunity, so one briefing (if accepted) potentially goes much further inside the company. This also greatly streamlines the scheduling process on our side.
Briefing requests are circulated within the company weekly, so please allow at least two weeks for a response.
Appreciate your following our protocol on this.
I’d love to hear from you, but please – it’s got to be via the form, not my email address. I may not be able to accept a briefing due to scheduling conflicts, or incompatibility with my current research agenda. Wait a few months and try me again. But bear in mind that if we’ve conducted a briefing already in the past year, chances are very slim that we’ll be doing so again until 9 to 12 months have elapsed. If there’s company news, or a new product, a briefing isn’t necessarily in order if we’ve already gone over company background together – just send over the update.
Oh, and if you haven’t launched yet, it’s too early for a briefing. We’re going to ask you about clients and specific problems you’re solving for them. You need some real world traction before you’re ready to discuss your business with us.
Thanks for reading – and thanks for sending those briefing requests via the form!