B2B buyers consistently turn to trusted advisors when making purchase decisions, and the data overwhelmingly supports this behavior:
- 68% of buyers trust industry analysts as top information sources – ranking just behind peers (72%), co-workers (82%), and current vendor relationships (79%) (Forrester State of Global Business Buyer Trust survey of 1,420 global purchase influencers)
- 72% of buyers engage trusted advisors, such as analysts or consultants, for guidance during decision-making (6sense 2024 Buyer Experience Report)
- 52% of B2B buyers say consultant recommendations rank among their top 5 most influential resources (TrustRadius 2024 B2B Buying Disconnect Report)
- Deal size matters: 92% of buyers evaluating deals in the $700k to $1m range engage analysts or consultants (6sense 2024 Buyer Experience Report)
As a veteran of four analyst firms and a long-time account-based marketing (ABM) practitioner, I feel a need to bring these parties together. Most marketers know where they rank in analyst reports, but don’t actively engage analyst firms as strategic resources.
This gap is a missed opportunity. Here are five ways ABM teams can work with analyst firms to drive better outcomes for their companies and their customers.
1. Map your customers’ analyst networks and trusted relationships
Account-based marketing demands granular understanding of every buying committee member – and that includes the external advisors who influence decisions. Unlike broad product marketing or analyst relations efforts, ABM requires targeted, account- and contact-specific intelligence.
What to know about your target accounts and contacts
- Identify which analyst firm subscriptions each account maintains
- Determine which specific analysts each buying committee member consults for your solution category
- Understand why these advisors are trusted and valued
- Know how your customers engage with these analysts, both via public events and via private inquiry
- Know when these advisors publish any evaluative research (e.g. Magic Quadrants, Waves, etc.) or have other major studies planned
- Know what events these analysts participate in
Your goal is to know the actual people your buyers consult and the credibility factors that make their opinions influential. You also want to know when and where your customers may interact with these analysts. This intelligence becomes invaluable when crafting account-specific messaging and strategies. If you have an analyst relations team, ensure they’re actively engaging the full spectrum of analysts who influence your buyers – not just the most prominent names who focus on vendor evaluations. Do your own homework.
2. Monitor analyst coverage of your company and market landscape
Given analysts’ role in B2B decision-making at every buying stage, ABM teams must stay current on what analysts are saying about their company — both in published research and private advisory conversations. Key areas to monitor include:
- Company-specific coverage: Even if your company consistently ranks well, analyst commentary on specific use cases or buyer types may differ significantly in private conversations. Outdated or incomplete analyst understanding of your solutions can derail strategic deals, particularly in competitive situations. If you see deals stall in mid- or late stages, analyst advice may be in play. Don’t be blindsided by this.
- Market positioning: Stay informed about how analysts are characterising your overall market. In mature categories, analysts may be advising clients to maintain or reduce investment – guidance your prospects are definitely hearing. In emerging markets, know how analysts are looking at growth potential, how quickly they are advising customers to invest, and how they suggest customers get started.
- Peer review platforms: Ensure your company has robust representation on analyst-managed review sites, with testimonials from companies similar to your target accounts. Prospects need to see up-to-date validation from relevant peers and use cases, and ideally not only from your competitors.
- Competitive intelligence: Monitor which competitors are providing free analyst reports or commissioning custom studies. These assets are particularly effective in early buying stages. Use third-party intent data to identify when your target accounts access competitor-sponsored analyst content.
3. Map analyst influence along your buyer’s journey
Advisors play different roles at each stage of the buyer journey, and ABM teams must understand where and how their prospects are likely to involve them. Map touchpoints for each stage, target account, and contact so you can prepare appropriate responses, whether that’s providing your own preemptive content or competitive responses to analyst feedback.
- Early stage: Buyers often consume analyst reports and market research to understand solution categories and establish evaluation criteria. It’s also key to brand awareness and credibility, even in an account-based go-to-market (GTM) model. Competitors with strong analyst relationships may provide free access to relevant reports, and even your customers may make use of these. Make sure you’re not left out by knowing where target accounts go for insights and working with other marketing and/or AR teams to ensure your company is well represented. If you don’t offer analyst content, and it’s legal in your geography, leverage third-party intent data to see which of your target accounts access these reports and from which competitors.
- Evaluation stage: Buyers engage analysts for specific vendor comparisons and implementation guidance. They ask analysts specific questions about their use cases, and how they’ve seen vendors help, and what ROI is being achieved. Just like you need to know what questions customers want to ask your company, you also need to know what questions they’re asking analysts. You also need to know whether you like the answers they’re getting.
- Decision stage: Analyst recommendations can significantly influence final vendor selection, particularly for large investments. They may be asking analysts for tips on how to negotiate the best deal with you or your competition. They may also be asking about what to expect from implementation, and for introductions to other customers outside of the references they get from you. Make sure analysts are prepared to help, and that your team is ready to handle any negotiation advice or terms your customer will receive.
4. Maximise analyst inquiry hours for ABM intelligence
Most analyst firm subscriptions include inquiry hours. While many firms have rules about seat-holders and inquiry privileges, most of the time those inquiry hours are under-utilised. Don’t let them go to waste! ABM–ers can make good use of analyst time by asking about how they’re perceived by the kinds of companies they’re targeting, even if the analyst can’t talk about the actual buyers. ABM teams can also extract significant value by asking strategic questions about their target market and buyer behaviors.
High-value inquiry topics:
- Decision-making processes for different buyer personas
- Current investment priorities and budget allocation trends
- Emerging challenges and solution approaches in your target segments
- Market shifts affecting your buyer personas
- Executive concerns and priorities by role and industry
- Competitive messaging and positioning effectiveness (whose marketing do they think is resonating and why?)
- Success stories and case study examples in your category
- How analysts evaluate companies in your space and what’s changing about that
Analysts often possess broader market intelligence than what appears in published research. Regular inquiry conversations can provide crucial insights for account planning and messaging development. Just remember not to wait until analysts are in the middle of prepping a big evaluative report (they may not be allowed to talk to you) or are about to have a major event. Ask for time when they’re more likely to give you their best attention.
5. Offer strategic customer-analyst introductions
Possibly the biggest advantage you can have with an analyst firm is for your customers to tell them great things about how they’re working with you, including credible data on the financial or other impact you’re having. Many analysts also have an ongoing need for examples of customer success in the markets and categories they cover. This can be a win-win for everyone in your ABM orbit.
- For analysts: Access to real-world implementation examples and quantifiable business impact data they need for research and advisory work. If you seed analyst relationships with a flow of introductions to customers, analysts often help to amplify those stories in big and small ways. Ideally, your customers might appear in their research or at an event, taking your brand with them, but lower-profile use of customers as examples in ongoing advisory conversations is a net positive for target account efforts too.
- For customers: Recognition for their innovation and success, plus valuable industry connections. Remember customers like to be recognised for their good work. Analyst introductions can be a way to build positive relationships by making your customers the hero. Focus on building a collection of analyst references that mirror the types of accounts you want to win and keep, so when analysts speak to your prospects they are never at a loss for a positive example.
- For your company: Third-party validation and amplification of your success stories through analyst channels. The key is consistency. Don’t wait until analyst firms ask for customer references, as these are likely to be for a specific purpose that may not meet your needs for ongoing ABM. Think about the analysts who need to know your company and which customers would be a good fit. Be a matchmaker with analysts beyond what your competitors are likely to be doing, and you may be rewarded with more than your fair share of positive attention.
How it works:
- Identify customers whose profiles match your target account characteristics.
- Match customers with analysts covering relevant market segments.
- Focus on customers with quantifiable business outcomes and compelling transformation stories.
- Maintain consistent outreach rather than waiting for analyst requests; proactively identify opportunities where customer introductions serve your ABM objectives while providing value to both parties.
ABM leaders should treat analyst firms as strategic partners. By integrating analyst intelligence into account planning, buyer journey mapping, and competitive strategy, ABM teams can significantly improve their effectiveness and deal outcomes. Companies that master this alignment – viewing analysts as extensions of their buyers’ decision-making process rather than just industry observers – have a substantial competitive advantage.
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