A Friday post, just to wind-up my friends at IDC and DQ (Hi Claus, Fabs, Eric, Chris, Ivano, Bo, Angela, Bob… and all the ones I forget!)

From Dilbert.com

And a serious thought as well: would more transparency in the research process help with objectivity and vendor independence?

In this article, Alan Pelz-Sharpe, Principal with CMS Watch and former VP North America for Ovum, shares some very interesting insights on AR from the analyst’s perspective.

Some tips on how not to deal with a critical ‘independent’ analyst

I have been an analyst and commentator for 10 years now - for most of that time I have written or contributed to detailed and critical evaluations of software technologies. My topic areas are the Content Technologies ranging from ECM and Document Management to e-mail Archiving - my audience is almost exclusively buyers and implementers of these technologies - and a typical deal size is in the high hundreds of thousands to the multiple millions. People read my research to create shortlist’s, and typically to ensure they have a better chance of selecting the right product. It’s a simple model really - much like a ‘Consumer Reports’ or ‘Which Guide’.

I play with the technologies, I see them in action, I talk to many users, I talk to channel partners, resellers and also consultants and integrators. I also talk to the vendors - but my use of vendors is more for fact checking, product demo’s and gaining insights on nit picky elements than anything else. I appreciate the help of vendors, but ultimately my research focuses on how products work and are sold in the real world, and the world of vendor marketing and sales is of peripheral interest. Granted that is an unusual research model, having been in the ‘industry’ for 10 years and having run research practices and undertaken extensive competitive intelligence, I am well aware that typically ‘research’ by analysts is heavily dependent, and in many cases almost entirely dependent on, ‘vendor briefings’. I am also aware that the vast majority of analyst firms are dependent on vendor funding of one form or another to pay the bills. Hence I go to great length with all those I write about to try and inform them of my requirements - and my methodology.

So to be clear, I am a realist - I know that most analysts make their money by selling ‘independent’ analysis to the very people they claim to be ‘independent’ of. It’s the way it is - whether I like it or not. I also understand that AR professionals have a very tough job to do. Frankly I do not envy your role - you have to try to keep everyone happy all the time, and that is an impossibility. I have deep admiration for many AR professionals, some of whom I am proud to call friends rather than contacts. I also have deep admiration for any vendor who stays in business more than six months, life is tough out there. Running a business or simply having responsibility for a P&L is always a challenge. At the same time, my job is to provide my customers with honest and critical evaluations of products. That means highlighting all the warts, along with spotlighting all the shiny positives. If anything my job is to focus on finding the warts. Because lets be honest, it is not hard for a buyer to find the positives. As they will be deluged by ‘White Papers’, Marketing Collateral and Sales Spin. Finding where the products sweet spot is or it’s drawbacks, is much harder. It’s my job to help them in that process, and by definition that is not going to make me popular at times.

It seems clear to me that some AR professionals simply don’t know how to deal with analysts like CMS Watch - and rather than continually lock horns, I thought I would jot down some thoughts to help the process - I am doing this as I am just about to publish a major report (major in the sense that it runs to over 300 pages) technical evaluation of 14 vendors. The frustrations and wounds of dealing with AR are very fresh! So here goes:-

1: Don’t assume the analyst is out to get you

You are not as important as you may think. The analyst is writing about many vendors, you are just one in a long list. You almost certainly have no context to judge their review of your product, in light of what they have said about your competitors - you may wish to consider slowing down before jumping to bias conclusions. In my most recent report, the AR group that had the biggest and nastiest hissy fit, ironically is the vendor that has received the best review of all in the report. They are also the vendor that had the biggest hissy fit last time they were reviewed (different product, different report, different analyst - again a great review). They are also the vendor that analysts from rival firms share AR horror stories about…. The firm has good technology, but a terrible reputation for bullying or attempting to ‘coerce’ analysts.

2: Do make an effort to understand the analysts research methodology

If the methodology is focused on talking to customers and partners and you have been asked to supply customer references. Respond in one of two ways - politely but immediately decline, or do your best to provide references. Ignoring the request for weeks or months is not a good policy. By that time customers and partners have been found by the analyst and interviewed. When critical views are captured from such interviews you cannot at the last minute claim “our customers love x or y or z” - we know they don’t and frankly you haven’t been able to supply any that do. Harsh as it sounds, we are not just going to take your word for it.

3: Don’t threaten analysts

If you don’t like what an analyst has written - try at least to be respectful and polite. You are far more likely to enter a dialogue that way. Provide facts to counter their critical assertions, if you cannot provide facts and instead rely on bluster you will only dig a deeper hole for yourself. Also remember that analysts are human, threats via nasty e-mails (the cowards way) or phone calls, hurt (no matter how long you have been in the industry) and they don’t get forgotten quickly. Using such a confrontational approach does not make the AR person look important or even imperious, it makes you look unprofessional.

4: Don’t quote your own press releases or other analysts reports as evidence

There is frankly nothing more silly than to tell an analyst that they must be wrong about your firm/product because “Forrester/Gartner/IDC…ranks us as a ‘leader’ etc”. The only thing that rivals this is to quote from your own press releases - trust me this has been done. Most of the time, this kind of response will simply result in an internal e-mail chain that shares the joke with other analysts. Bottom line, that kind of supporting evidence, looks desperate, patronizes the analyst, and suggests you have simply drunk too much of your own kool aid.

5: Never say “we provided an x% ROI…….to our client over six months etc etc.”

Its a silly thing to say, period - and its a daft thing to say to most buyers. It’s a little like Home Depot claiming that they dug my vegetable garden for me, when all they did was sell me a spade. You provide tools - people use the tools, the use of those tools provides business benefits (or doesn’t). And just like the spade I bought from Home Depot, most software likewise goes unused.

7: Understand the difference between a fact and an opinion

For every 10 vendors I evaluate there will be one or two that freak out - most work well with me and we agree to disagree, and where there are errors (I make many, and do my best to fix them) we work together to get them corrected. I never want my reports to contain factual errors, presumably nor do you. But my opinions are my opinions, I am paid to have opinions. To change my opinion requires a very different approach from AR. To change my opinion you need to understand why I have formed that opinion (see below) before attempting to ‘re-educate’ me. In addition, when you claim a report is full of factual inaccuracies, and then send an annotated Word document listing differences of opinions - and can quote no factual errors at all - expect your response to be ignored, and my respect for you to slip.

9: Understand that those that use and/or implement your systems have a very different perspective to share

Just as I will see your product or service differently to you - recognize that a sales person, a channel partner, a user, an implementer or a consultant will all have differing perspectives. When a report does not reflect your personal or corporately mandated vision, that does not mean it is wrong. Some vendors use my reviews of their products to change perceptions, in some ways they see my reports as free consulting - a fresh pair of eyes if you like. They recognize that the information and insights that I get are not usually available to them - they see criticism as potentially constructive. Some find out there are strengths to their product, that I have noted, that they had previously underestimated. Remember, if the only research you have read is from people you directly or indirectly pay - then it won’t be surprising if you find some kind of uniformity with your own viewpoint. True outside opinions will by definition differ from your own.

10: Don’t believe your own hype

We know it’s your job to be passionate about your company, about its product and its services. We understand it is your job to help sell this vision and to educate us all. But make the effort to really understand your competitors and your competitive landscape too. Work out who really influences your deals and those of your competitors - understand your competitors strengths in terms of product, sales focus, corporate culture etc - don’t live in a vacuum, analysts don’t. I applaud your enthusiasm, and I wish you and your colleagues the best of luck, I really do. But I wish all your competitors the same too. I am not passionate about your company, I am passionate about ensuring that buyers and users avoid costly and sometimes disastrous mistakes. That they pick the right product each time, and that they use it to its best advantage. We have different agendas, but they don’t need to be agendas in conflict.

Disclaimer: Alan is not a member of the IIAR and this post reproduce his own opinions, not those of the IIAR or its members.

The IIAR maintains a job postings page on its web site:
The Institute of Industry Analyst Relations

Posting is free for advertisers, just drop an email to our secretary: hkirkman at analystrelations dot org.

Sage Circle also has a jobs page, mostly for US positions.

The Institute of Industry Analyst Relations closes the Analyst of the Year survey at 10:00 p.m. BST on Wednesday April 30. To vote, go to http://snipurl.com/23gv1. In exchange for sharing your opinion, you’ll get a summary of the results next month.

The IIAR is a not-for-profit organization established to raise industry awareness of the value of analyst relations, promote and share best practice in AR, and give opportunities for AR professionals to meet and network with their industry peers. Members can participate in regular events and teleconferences, gain access to a growing online library of AR tools and resources, and contribute and share experiences with other AR professionals through working parties.

To find out more, visit the IIAR website at www.analystrelations.org.

This week, in our continuing series of analyst interviews, Josh Krischer, founder and principal analyst with Josh Krischer & Associates, shares his insight on the IT analysis market.

1. What are your coverage areas?
   I cover Mainframes, high-end computing, storage, disaster recovery techniques and data center consolidation.

2. What are your opinions of the IT Analysis Marketplace and where do you see it going?
   Vendors, in particular large companies, tend to devote too much attention to analyst firms rather than to individual analysts. Much bigger spending with the large companies and not enough support for the small, independent shops.IBM EMEA, for example range the analysts according to their influence and reputation and not for which company they work. For example, despite being a “small shop” I evaluated last year several RFPs among them most likely the largest storage RFP in EMEA (two digit million EUR)
   Some time ago, giving interview to a German journalist I was asked what is the difference between the services which a small company (like mine) can give in comparison to the large players. My answer was that in analogy it is like the differences between a department store and a boutique. I can tailor my services better to customers’ needs.
3. What’s your typical day like?
   Every day is different; emails, projects, meetings, admin , marketing, vendor briefings, writing, etc. Storage is very dynamic industry, with constant flow of news on announcements, acquisitions and new innovations therefore I spent a lot of time on self-study and research.
   For example an excerpt from a proposal for RFP evaluation:
   

   Scope of the Work
   To fulfil the above obligation, the Service Provider will provide the Client with the Service provider who shall perform the following tasks:

   1. Prepare validity proof of the vendors’ claims.

   2. Set decision criteria matrix and assign weights for each proposal according to this matrix.

   3. Verification of the assessment prepared by the procurement team.

   4. Prepare numerical and graphical presentation of each vendor proposal.

   5. Prepare price comparisons (against the prices obtained in other, especially European, countries) and suggestions for the negotiations with the vendors.

   6. Deliver arguments for negotiations and support during the negotiations with the vendors

   7. Comparisons of the proposals from the strategic point of view and according to bank requirements

   8. Prepare management summary and recommendations.

   9. PowerPoint presentation of points 1-7

   10. Two days discussions with technical and management staff in xxxx .

   Depends on the RFP size such evaluation will take from 3 to 10 days to complete. In my previous life, working for a large analyst company the output was usually 30 minutes conference call sometimes followed by an email.

4. Now, c’mon, tell me an AR horror story?
   Too many; all the vendors which „danced around me“ when I was VP research in Gartner but disappeared since I left.
   A funny AR story (not bizarre) on NDA and confidential information: Being a new analyst I called Steve Bardige (AR manager EMC) and ask him about a project with code name „calypso“. After asking the question I could hear Steve fainting on the other side of the Atlantic. After few second he answered; „Josh, you are not supposed to know about this project and not to mention even this code name, how did you find about it?“ I answered, „it was easy, one of EMC marketing guys in Germany made a presentation about Calypso on GUIDE/SHARE (IBM users forum) meeting in Hamburg.
   The morals of the story are: 1) that in some companies the AR are too paranoid in relation to secrecy 2) Giving information to customers before telling it to analysts may put analysts ( who the users expect to know everything) in inconvenient situations 3) sometimes an analyst may know more than you may expect.
   
5. How do you position your firm? What is your business model? (where are your revenues coming from, mix between users and vendors?)
   In 2007, about 60% of my turnover came from IT end users: I work with them on various projects, including RFP evaluations. With vendors, I author positioning papers, technical white-papers and carry-out sales training.
   
6. What is your research methodology, in 255 characters or less? (primary research, F2F or phone, secondary only, etc…)
   Trying to attend any vendor briefing which I can (and trying to stay awake), speaking with customers and trying to learn from their experience. Trying to listen and to ask as many questions as possible. Searching daily for new information and evaluating it. Usually have more value speaking with CTOs or product managers than with CEOs.
7. Any favourite AR professional you’d like to mention? And why?
   Hans-Jürgen Rehm IBM Germany, Bill Reed of IBM EMEA, Ludovic Leforestier of Oracle (ex-IBM EMEA), Steven Zivanic of DataDirect (ex-HDS US) - always very helpful in good times and bad times.]
   
8. Tell us about one good AR practice you’ve experienced or one good AR event you’ve attended.
   Never lie to analyst and try not to waste his time
   
9. What are your offerings and key deliverables?
   RFP evaluations, Assistance with RFP preparations, Pricing evaluations & negotiations with vendors, Strategy development, Proofs of concept, Refresh of knowledge.
   Competitive analysis, SWOT analysis,Operations management & engineering
   Presentation preparation & delivery, Market analysis & business development
   Pre-sales consulting, Authoring & education, Keynote speeches, Revitalizing and motivating sales organizations, Sales training, New product opportunity - research and introduction ,Major account development and management, Marketing communications planning
10. Any hobbies or favourite restaurant / food that you’d like to share?Gardening, carpentry. Any food ( with the exception of English) which is “dead” in particular Thai, Lebanese and Italian]
11. What is your biggest challenges for the upcoming 6 months? And for the next 30 mn?
    To be the best analyst in the areas which I cover
12. Is there another analyst (a peer in your firm or with another firm) whose work you rate highly?
    Dave Russell, Gartner - professional, fair and modest

This week we have the pleasure of interviewing R “Ray” Wang from Forrester Research. In his spare time, he also contributes to the insightful Software Insiders blog. Thanks to Ray for his insights on the Software industry and also some thought provoking views on the IT Analysis industry too.

1. What are your coverage areas?
   Research agendas for the business process and applications role focus on sustainable enterprise application strategies that include areas such as organizational readiness, vendor selection, software licensing and pricing, contract negotiations, instance consolidation, and SOA strategies for packaged apps such as ERP, Order Hubs, and Project Based Solutions. In addition, research focuses on business processes such as the order management cycle and continuous customer management, and I look at functional areas such as customer data integration and the impact of service-oriented architecture (SOA) on packaged applications. From a technology strategy perspective, I spend time evaluating the the emerging area of software ecosystems for SI’s and ISV’s.
   
2. What are your opinions of the IT Analysis Marketplace and where do you see it going?
   There is a real concern that analysts no longer make the tough calls and that overall analyst quality has declined. Analyst firm business models continue to shy away from star analysts who bring charisma, real world experience, and an ethos of quality. The trend forces many firms towards a lower cost Accenture and Corporate Executive Board model that is the antithesis of a McKinsey or the original intent of Gartner, Meta, and Giga. There is hope though, as end user clients and vendor firms can push for analysts with deeper knowledge and expertise. Also, new models are emerging in which end users can engage analysts with new Web 2.0 collaboration technologies. A focus on roles makes sense but must account for the fact that some job titles span multiple roles.
   
3. What’s your typical day like?
   I serve our global clients so it’s typical to have 1 or 2 early morning inquiries, followed by a few briefings. By afternoon, the focus is on research projects and advisory work for clients. Late in the evening I am on scoping calls and inquiry with our APAC and EMEA clients. Somewhere in between, I get the kids to school and make a few meals for myself. It’s fast paced and more importantly fun.
   
4. What is your research methodology, in 255 characters or less? (primary research, F2F or phone, secondary only, etc…)
   Forrester focuses on role based research and I serve the business process and applications role. I try to focus on best practices, strategy, and product evaluations backed by some of our deep Forrester survey data and data panels. Primary research and phone interviews drive what we do and I often seek a lot of input from our end user clients.
5. Any favourite AR professional you’d like to mention? Any why?
   Allysa Mack when she was at Ariba was very responsive, energetic, and collaborative in the AR community. Carolyn Layne at Comergent (now Sterling Commerce) when she was the CMO always kept the analyst abreast of customer wins and product direction. She had that special relationship touch that’s often missing in AR programs. Mitchell Nitzan at Oracle before he left for Information Builders, was quick to respond, invested in the relationships, and cared enough to ask the right questions. Moreover, he wasn’t afraid to challenge an assumption in a very polite manner.
   
6. Tell us about one good AR practice you’ve experienced or one good AR event you’ve atttended.
   Lawson Software always has the most entertaining end user events with their executives role playing a theme and story. It’s frankly the best key notes on the AR circuit for software, especially now that Shai has left SAP. Oracle and Microsoft have done good jobs about regular briefings looking at the key areas of product updates, customer wins, go-lives, organizational updates, and partner updates.
7. What are your offerings and key deliverables?
   I handle about 95% of all the SAP and Oracle contract negotiations, focus a lot on vendor selection, and spend considerable time on packaged application strategies for our end user clients. What’s really fun are speaking engagements that interact with end users.
   
8. Any hobbies or favourite restaurant / food that you’d like to share?
   Great sushi always hits the stomach, but I’m a fan of regional home style cooking. Whether it’s french countryside or soul food from the south, I enjoy the food experience each micro culture brings. Now there are a few things off limits like any animal blood, bizarre internal organs, etc…
   
9. What is your biggest challenges for the upcoming 6 months? And for the next 30 mn?
   The challenge as an analyst is the balance between time management and thought provoking research. While today’s business models may seem to favor vanilla and boring research delivered by kids coming off a school bus facilitating “sessions” and then writing about it, there’s still a lot of great analysts out there from analyst who bring 20 to 30 years of experience to the table. These analysts serve as great role models because they still call it like it is, are not susceptible to vendor smoke screens, and are true artisans. My challenge is to figure out how to learn from the masters, break the current analyst mode, collaborate, and write what end user clients truly care about…despite what new fads emerge, trends management teams impose, or TLA’s the business world comes up with.
   
   
10. Is there another analyst (a peer in your firm or with another firm) whose work you rate highly?
    I’ve always been a fan of Bruce Richardson’s work at AMR. With his breadth and decades of experience in AR, he’s the AR equivalent of Helen Thomas. As many of you might know Helen Thomas is a world renown white house press corp correspondent that has covered ever president since John F. Kennedy. Another analyst I’ve always admired has been John Rymer at Forrester. As a client of Giga, we always found him to have the right balance of experience, perspective, and integrity. As a colleague, it rings even more true today.

The IIAR has started a series of email interviews, where analysts from around the world are presented. We have talked to Rüdiger Spies from IDC . Thanks again fo him for the time he spent to give us some insight about IDC and the industry.

1. What are your coverage areas?

A) It’s pretty broad - basically Enterprise Applications (ERP, CRM, SCM, DW / BI, etc.) combined with architectures (SOA), integration technologies and related applications (i.e., BPM, workflow, mashups, social computing). As enterprises tend more and more to establish a common platform as their backbone system, integration among the different pieces becomes more weight than pure point to point approaches technologies. Seamless integration and cross system, cross dependent and cross enterprise workflows become paramount to success in multi-enterprise business networks.

B) A second focus area is intellectual property (i.e. patents, trademarks, IP portfolios, licensing). I am working with the patent law firm DHS in Munich, Germany and focus on the high-tech industry.

2. What are your opinions of the IT Analysis Marketplace and where do you see it going?

The market has matured and will continue to do so. A number of niche and boutique firms have grown under the price umbrella of the three big players. Computer technologies will continue to need advice at management level, however required skill levels and visible engagement of solid analysts will continue to increase. Lightweight analysis is in many instances already available on the internet. I think also the
requirement to think across technologies, across vendors and across subject area will increase.

3. What’s your typical day like?

Well, in the morning I get up, have my tea and start to work. That might be in Munich, Paris, London or in Boston or wherever our services are required.

4. Now, c’mon, tell me an AR horror story?

The day before the official analyst conference started the vendor had organized some outdoor activities. Unfortunately, two of my colleagues got seriously hurt during the outdoor activities. That was not a good
start to the conference.

5. How do you position your firm? What is your business model?

We are global IT and related industries market and trend watchers with the longest successful track record in the IT analyst market.

6. What is your research methodology, in 255 characters or less?

The research is going into many dimensions. There are ongoing market development studies that are based on a globally integrated model.
There are region or country specific studies and there are studies that are developed as part of special interest groups. All quantitative results and qualitative trends are based on primary industry research. In the vertical industries we rely on a team of experienced industry professionals. Overall the approach is structured and consistent - the best results combining a top down and a bottom up approach.

7. Tell us about one good AR practice you’ve experienced or one good AR event you’ve attended.

Good events respect the time constraints of analysts and care about travel convenience. Don’t choose strange locations. And the best AR people should work in a similar manner as analyst do. This way vendors are able to coordinate AR work on a global level.

8. What are your offerings and key deliverables?

In a nutshell - on one hand everything vendors need to know to make future oriented strategy decisions … and on the other hand everything required to tactically address specific markets. End users get the best insight into trends and mid to longer term developments in the industry that is influencing their ability to operate

9. Do you have any hobbies or favourite restaurants / food that you’d like to share with us?

Analysts are in many instances social people, however they still care about their privacy.

Readership of the IIAR’s blog has continued to rise over the last few months. In fact, the number of visitors doubled in February, March and April.

David’s post on Ethics and Independence Among Industry Analysts has caught huge attention, as has Jonny’s Analyst of the year survey.

The next most-read article was about our 2007 survey which showed that IIAR members felt Forrester rose in influence. Ludovic’s post our dream for a collaborative AR platform was also popular.

Of course the readership of the blog also reflects the IIAR’s growing audience. 150 people have joined us on Yahoo, 33 on LinkedIn, and even 32 hipsters on Facebook. There are also 18 on the German-language list. To find our more, visit us at analystrelations.org.

Do you want your favourite analyst to be recognised?

Do you feel that enough recognition is given to your preferred analyst house?

If you have answered ‘yes’ to any of the above questions - please fill in the analyst of the year survey now. This survey is open to everyone who works in AR. Send the link to your colleagues in the industry and make sure your voice counts.

… don’t delay though as the deadline for the survey is rapidly approaching (end of April 2008).

To take part in the survey please click here.

Today we hear from Ben Wood who is a director at CCS Insight and one of the best known analysts in the mobile world. He and others in the CCS Insight team can be found blogging here.

What are your coverage areas?

CCS Insight specialises in research about the mobile and wireless industry — but we have a diverse range of customers from all sectors, because mobile is on the agenda of almost every company these days. Personally, I’m best known for my knowledge of mobile devices and everything that is associated with them — applications, services and so on.

What are your opinions of the IT analysis marketplace and where do you see it going?

The world is going mobile — and, as you can imagine, we’re very excited about that. Our business is growing very quickly and much of the growth is coming from companies outside the traditional mobile space who want mobility to be part of their strategy. Whether you are an IT specialist looking to mobilise your business or a consumer brand trying to engage with your consumers, it’s a technology you can’t ignore.

What’s your typical day like?

One thing is for sure: no day is ever the same and that’s one of the things I love about my job. I’m not great at getting out of bed, but I always try to be at my desk by 9 am. That gives me a chance to catch up with 5:30 am e-mails from one of my colleagues, who is a serious early riser!

Once I’ve got on top of my e-mail (sadly, a never-ending task) I usually spend a bit of time catching up on the latest news via my trusty RSS reader and then get on the phone or IM to the team to catch up on work in progress.

I spend as much time out on the road seeing clients as I do at my desk. It’s something we really encourage at CCS Insight, because it means you’re very aware of what clients want and what’s going on in the market. This means I spend a lot of time in the car, most of which is spent talking on the phone (on a full Parrot Bluetooth car kit, in case anyone is wondering).

Depending on what written material we have to get completed, I’ll be back at my desk in the evening — sometimes supporting our North American clients, many of whom are on the West Coast.

Now, c’mon, tell me an AR horror story?

Now you’ve put me on the spot… I guess for me the biggest horror story is sitting in briefing sessions with other analyst firms and having someone asking ill-informed questions or, worse still, being aggressive and arrogant. This means everyone in the analyst community gets tarred with the same brush and makes it hard for the AR folks to set up meetings with senior people in companies again. You’ll see me squirming in my seat when this happens.

As for more humorous stories… they usually revolve around equipment not working, screens, drinks or people falling over, or meeting small companies with products so bizarre they belong on a cringe-worthy episode of Dragons’ Den. I’m not going to name names, though.

How do you position your firm? What is your business model? (Where are your revenues coming from, mix between users and vendors?)

Our goal is to be the “eyes and ears” of our customers in the mobile and wireless space. We have a diverse range of customers, both vendors and users, and the list is growing rapidly — hopefully, this is a reflection that we’re giving clients what they want.

We see ourselves as offering a different service to the big analyst firms. We aim to make our research concise, hard hitting and delivered in a timely manner.

Over 80 percent of our revenue comes from outside the UK. Most of our business comes from on-going research agreements with our customers, although we do have a consulting practice which works on a project-by-project basis.

What is your research methodology, in 255 characters or less? (Primary research, F2F or phone, secondary only, etc…)

We base our research on lots of inputs, but the industry contacts we’ve built up over many years are the most important sources. And we have a team of researchers in the UK and the Far East, who support our analysts with factual and statistical research. (And that’s 254 characters.)

Any favourite AR professional you’d like to mention? And why?

I’m not going to name any names, but the AR professionals I rate highest are the ones that understand our business and what the individual members of the team do. There’s nothing worse than getting spammed with releases that are not relevant to our coverage areas. Another great trait is being able to respond quickly or let us know about breaking news as it happens, even if it’s just a quick text message.

What are your offerings and key deliverables?

We have a wide range of products, a few of which I’ve highlighted below:

· Weekly research (the CCS Insight Hotline): incisive and opinionated analysis of the latest mobile and wireless news

· Quarterly reports: focus on a broad range of topics, from devices and pricing to mobile network operators and services

· Event reports: cover key industry events and analyse the highlights

· Industry access: we respond to clients’ questions by e-mail or on the phone

· Presentations: regular face-to-face updates on topics relevant to clients or defined by them

Any hobbies or favourite restaurant / food that you’d like to share?

Anyone that knows me will be aware that mobile phones are more than just work. I have a collection of over 400 mobile phones, some dating back to the 1980s. They chart the history of our industry, and I’m happy to accept donations if anyone has an unused phone hiding in the back of a drawer.

Another hobby is taking pictures (of everything) and then blogging them. Over the last two years I’ve uploaded more than 10,000 pictures to my photo-sharing site — most of them taken on mobile phones.

My other obsession — Formula 1 motor-racing — is a passion I share with colleagues at CCS Insight. During Grand Prix races in Asia, we’re often online in the middle of the night, exchanging thoughts on the progress of the race.

What are your biggest challenges for the upcoming six months? And for the next 30 minutes?

Growing the business is the biggest challenge in the near term. We’re signing up more clients, and to maintain the high-touch model we pride ourselves on, we need great people in the team. Undoubtedly, this means we’ll expand internationally, too. As for the next 30 minutes — whether my laptop battery will last as I head back to the office on the train.

Is there another analyst (a peer in your firm or with another firm) whose work you rate highly?

I’m afraid I’m not going to tell you that. The people I rate are the people I want to hire — some of them know who they are…