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January 5, 2009
Gartner for startups
[for earlier blog entries, please go to http://blog.expressor-software.com]
It's been interesting to read the back and forth between Talend and Gartner on the challenges smaller vendors face "cracking the MQ code."
Let me offer a different perspective. FYI, our company, expressor software, is a startup selling a high-end data integration solution to big companies. And I've been marketing enterprise software for over 20 years, mostly for small-to-medium sized vendors - with more than a few scars from battles with Gartner. Not all victorious, either.
So I can see that both sides in the current discussion have their points. For any vendor selling to high-end/large customers, dealing with Gartner is a given. Even if you decide to ignore them, your customers won't. And that can be frustrating if you don't see eye-to-eye with the analysts in your space.
But at some point, you have to realize that the MQ is designed to meet the needs of Gartner customers - big companies looking for information, insights and backside-cover for big-ticket IT purchases.
So it shouldn't be a surprise if the MQ "looks back" in some respects. Gartner customers want to see your record - tracks in the snow, prints in the sand, revenue, whatever. By any number of measures, lots of Gartner customers simply want some assurance that you're going to be around tomorrow, ten months and two years from now to support them. Even if they know past performance doesn't guarantee future performance.
My advice to fellow startups? Give up hope of making a real impact in "your" MQ, for now at least. But don't give up entirely. Work the Gartner system the best you can. Pull every lever you can reach. Brief the relevant analysts when you launch and keep them abreast of significant news along the way. Buy consulting time to pick their brains.
Set your sights on a Cool Vendor profile. I've never talked about this with the Gartner guys, but my guess is they created the Cool Vendor vehicle just for this purpose - to highlight smaller companies with no real chance of making the MQ.
Prime the feedback loop. Make it hard for any analysts to ignore your company. If the analysts are telling you they aren't hearing from their customers about your company - make sure your sales reps are encouraging their prospects to call Gartner and ask about you. They're probably going to do it anyway, so two birds, one stone. You look confident and your "stock" rises at Gartner.
Finally, take the long view. As a startup, we're used to getting everything done today. Because that's how we're measured. And because a good today makes it more likely there will be a tomorrow.
But our customers don't usually work that way. The wheels of justice - and enterprise IT - grind slow but they grind exceeding fine.
You know the drill. They want to test. Trial. Ease into production. Then maybe they'll do that press release they promised you.
It's just another fact of life as a startup. And a small price to pay to change the world.
-- Michael Waclawiczek, vp of marketing, expressor software
Posted by at January 5, 2009 6:15 AM
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