© 2013 Gartner, Inc. and/or its affiliates.
All Rights Reserved.
Page 1
The
Guide
“Our Mission is to simplify the road to success by connecting the dots one
interaction at a time!”
A best in class relationship is a combination of providing the relevant information and
updates about your company and committing to strategically involving Gartner early and
often in the following conversations:
Table of Contents
The Foundation of a Strategic Relationship……………………………. 2
Sales Effectiveness…………………………………………………………………. 3
Brand Awareness…………………………………………………………………… 4
Product Development……………………………………………………………. 5
Channel Partners……………………………………………………………………. 6
Geographic Expansion……………………………………………………………. 7
M&A………………………………………………………………………………………. 8
IPO…………………………………………………………………………………………. 9
Funding………………………………………………………………………………….. 10

© 2013 Gartner, Inc. and/or its affiliates.
All Rights Reserved.
Page 2
The Foundation of a Strategic Relationship with Gartner
Most Vendors only scratch the surface of what is possible with the Gartner analysts. The primary reason vendors
engage with Gartner is to get awareness because IT DRIVES GROWTH. Great news, the strategic relationship with
Gartner also DRIVES GROWTH, and is a more effective way to get to the end goal. Strategically involving Gartner
accomplishes the following:
1. Supports long term, sustained growth
Rather than just referring you deals, we are improving and advising on critical decisions you have to
make and supporting your ability to effectively close more business through our market insight and
actionable advice and guidance we provide
2. Mitigates Risk for your Company
Getting analysts involved early and often allows for a better understanding of your company so we
have more confidence when it is appropriate to speak about you and also a better chance of
mitigating risk for your company

© 2013 Gartner, Inc. and/or its affiliates.
All Rights Reserved.
Page 3
Sales Effectiveness
Timeframe and Stage Inquiry
Identifying the gaps in your lead generation
efforts
 What are you doing today for each phase (generating,
nurturing, and closing leads)
 Have the analyst diagnose where they need the most help
Determining the most influential marketing
activities at each phase of the buying cycle
 Review marketing activities are you doing at each stage
 Are you doing the right things at the right time?
 How are buyers behaving at each stage of the buying cycle?
Finding Leads: Let’s get more leads in the
pipeline
 Who are you going after? Who should we be targeting?
What specific problem do you solve?
 Refine your customer profile to understand where your
“niche” is
 What is your target market spending money on and why?
 Where can we find them? What events, publications etc
 How are you messaging to these people? What is getting
their attention?
 Review your sales collateral
 Listen to your sales pitch and give feedback
How do we nurture the leads and move them
through the sales cycle
 Are you effectively communicating your differentiators and
value prop?
 Are buyers selecting someone else? If so, provide the why
 What (if any) push-back are you getting around buying?
 Provide Market Intelligence
 Is there some other party holding up the sale (IT Dept, CEO,
CFO) that you should be addressing?
 Competitive Landscape- Who are you coming up against in
sales cycles?
 SWOT
3rd
Phase- Closing  Sales effectiveness
 Win/loss analysis (Why did we win, why did we lose)
 Customer reference calls
 Help prioritize your deals, where you should be spending
your time
Gartner Recommendations
Marketing Essentials: How to Design and Implement Effective Demand Generation Programs (G00173034)
Marketing Essentials: Most Influential Marketing Activities Among U.S. Buyers, 2011 (G00213723)
Marketing Essentials: How to Automate B2B Lead Nurturing (G00200383)
Facts from Gartner
The majority of companies just think they need MORE leads to grow, when in actuality, if they target who they are
going after with the right messaging and positioning, their win ratio increases.

© 2013 Gartner, Inc. and/or its affiliates.
All Rights Reserved.
Page 4
Brand Awareness
Brand Awareness Category Gartner Support
Owned
What you are saying about yourself
(Blogs, Thought Leadership, Press Releases)
 Gartner validation of technology and company to ensure that you
are portraying the right message. Is this message factual and
accurate? Is it compelling? Is it going to get attention?
 Validation of the correct message with the right positioning
 Identify target customer base and validate whether or not the
message is resonating with who you are targeting
 Gartner can help you identify where you should be marketing your
messaging- example: What publications CFO’s from healthcare
organizations that are above XYZ revenue band are looking at and
utilizing for decision making?
 Are you differentiating yourself and are you communicating those
differentiators to your target audience?
 Sales collateral and website- is your material communicating the
desired message?
 Gartner sees the CEO as a key player in this, how is he supporting
owned media?
Paid
What you Buy
(Webinars, White Papers, Events)
 Identify the events that you need to attend to hit target audience
(ex. HIMSS vs. CHIME and HIMSS local events)
 Validate messaging
 Utilize Gartner research direct quotes to support your message
that you are trying to convey
Earned
What customers are saying about you
(social media, customer references, analysts)
 Drive clients/prospects to have the “Gartner Discussion”
 Validating the customer experience and how you can continue to
improve
 How you motivate and build a customer reference
 What improvements need to be made to have people talk
positively about you?
 How are you reacting to social media messages that speak
positively/negatively about your company, product or technology?
Gartner’s Top 10 for Improving Brand Awareness
1. Target your buyers with more specificity
2. Migrate your identity to the 21
st
century
3. Craft a memorable brand story
4. Buy Media
5. Invest in your owned media channel
6. Earn media through social networks
7. Market to strategic accounts
8. Ride the coattails of a known-Brand client
9. Get your CEO on the road
10. Go Viral

© 2013 Gartner, Inc. and/or its affiliates.
All Rights Reserved.
Page 5
Product Development
Timeframe and Stage Inquiry
The Development Triangle
General Work to Confirm The Validity of the
Product
 Confirm a need based on information around End-User
wants and needs.
 What is the overall market opportunity/potential for the
product
 Help to determine the perfect balance based on market
drivers for the “development triangle”
The Launch Team and Their Plan
 Gartner can review the structural soundness of your team
members/responsibilities and the plan to launch the
product or upgrade
Beta
 Demo beta for feedback and user experience
o Look and feel of product, Ease of Use
 Confirm differentiators & uniqueness in current market
 Confirm need and timing for features on the product
roadmap
Actual Launch
 Review of marketing collateral
 Discuss timing of actual launch
 Pricing and Packaging
 What are the mediums you will use to get the word out?
Recommend events to be at and things that will get the
attention of the right people
 Who is your target market? Make sure you are very clear
on the impact and “splash” you are trying to get
Sales Training
 Competitive intelligence for salespeople
 Objection handling and fielding end-user questions
 Review and hone pitch of sales collateral
 Pitch to the analyst like they are your buyer
Operational Readiness
 Do you have service and help desk to handle technical
issues?
 Do you have all the T&Cs, FAQs, and other materials
Evaluation
 Evaluate growth potential and set milestones with the
analyst. How are you measuring success and reacting to
the feedback from the market?
Facts from Gartner:
Why do 49% of all product launches fail?
No. 1: Wrong Pricing
No. 2: Missed Market Opportunity
No. 3 : Failure to Meet Customer Needs

© 2013 Gartner, Inc. and/or its affiliates.
All Rights Reserved.
Page 6
Channel Partners
Timeframe and Stage Inquiry
Define the target market segment you want the
partner to address
 What are the characteristics of your customer profile?
 Clear understanding of your SWOT
 Competitive Intelligence
 White Space analysis and % of growth in given markets based
on all of the above
Define what you want a partner to do in terms
of marketing, sales activity, implementation,
support
 What are the possibilities? Based on the business they could
bring your way what do you need them to do?
 Negotiation and terms with vendor, do you have to be
exclusive?
Create the shortlist based on two things
1. Their exiting connection to your target
market
2. Their ability to do the things you have
defined in step 2
 Based on your requirements, help you determine the potential
fits in the market
 WHO at these companies’ (title and name) would be the right
people to be reaching out to?
 Prioritize and rank who to go after first
Create a Business and Enablement Plan
The Business Case:
 The opportunity in terms of revenue, margin from this
partnership
o The value proposition to the partner’s customers (why
would a partner “risk” their existing customer
relationships by introducing a new vendor?)
o What does the partner have to do ( as per step 2)
o What does the partner get ( margin, rebates etc)
o How will the partner get enabled and supported to do
the things they’re expected to do
o How the relationship will be managed and measured
 Enablement Plan: includes, training support, sales kits (help
you review these resources, talk about best practices and
templates or frameworks available
Track and Measure the Success of the Program
 What does the education process of a partner looking like time
wise and resource wise?
 What is your success criteria and how do you track it all year
long to determine where to continue to invest your resources
Gartner Recommended Reading:
Marketing Essentials: Where Emerging Providers Can Find Channel Partners
Marketing Essentials: How to Select the Right Channel Partners
Marketing Essentials: Fundamentals of Building a Channel Partner Strategy for Emerging Providers
Marketing Essentials: How to Build a Business Case for Indirect Channel Partnering
Facts from Gartner:
*90% of the problems vendors have with channels is due to the lack of process and clearly defining/working through each of
the 5 steps

© 2013 Gartner, Inc. and/or its affiliates.
All Rights Reserved.
Page 7
Geographic Expansion
Timeframe and Stage Inquiry
SWOT Analysis of your company
 Analyst will review your current strengths, weaknesses,
opportunities, and threats.
Measure market potential
 Annual Growth Rates
 Overall IT performance of that market
 Performance by technology category
 Performance by market segment (Size, Industry, Region)
Review competitive environment
 Competitive landscape specific to geography (SWOT)
 Understand current distribution channels & suppliers in
place
 Who is currently supporting your competition? (Their
partnership strategy)
Market dynamics and environment
assessment
 Cultural Implications
 Law and Politics
 How current events will affect the buying market
 Maturity of physical infrastructure
& commercial markets (emerging?)
 Is there a work force available (average wage of staff, skill
level, etc.)
Process and Review Findings
 Evaluate how your SWOT “fits” into the target market. This
all needs to be compared against the company strengths,
the highest or fastest growing market does NOT equate to
best opportunity, if you have already chosen a market to
penetrate this is a great place for validation that sound
decision. If Europe primarily sells directly and you primarily
sell indirectly, the success rate and business conversion may
be de difficult and expensive
How Leaders Leverage Gartner
Engaging the Gartner analysts early and often for two reasons:
1. To ensure strategic input from analyst experts who have a deep and measurable understanding of the market
2. Allows for the analysts to be vested in your success as an extension of your development team.
Because of Gartner’s unique global presence, you have the unique opportunity to leverage a live pulse of the ever
changing environmental, cultural, political, and social economical landscape.
Common Geographic Expansion Risks
The number one reason that companies fail in new markets is due to a lack of understanding differences in how the
desired market operates (culture, dynamic, politics, economy) combined with a lack of investment in modifying their
current approach to cater specifically to the desired market.

© 2013 Gartner, Inc. and/or its affiliates.
All Rights Reserved.
Page 8
Mergers and Acquisitions
Timeframe and Stage Inquiry
Identifying possible suitors
 Who is buying?
 How much are they spending?
 Why are they buying?
 Who would benefit from your technology/looking for it?
Know what the acquiring companies are asking
about you and how Gartner is advising them
Learn who the company is & where Gartner helps:
Step 1: Start With Your Strategic Goal in Mind
Step 2: Establish the Market Potential
Step 3: Analyze Your Acquisition Target
Step 4: Run the Financials of the Target Company
Step 5: Evaluate the Strategic and Tactical Fit of the Target to
Your Firm
 What is best for the company doing the acquiring?
 Acquisition, building it themselves, partnering with someone?
 Understand alternatives to your acquisition
Do you know how much your company is
worth?
 Hold inquiry to cover valuation of company. Understand
expectations and negotiation techniques.
Determining what value your product could
bring and market potential for a suitor
 How do they choose?
 How do you fit into what others are looking for?
Building your message
 What is your value prop and business case to the acquisition
targets?
Engaging with Prospective Suitor/Timing of Exit
 Requirements for being acquired? What do you want in terms
of culture and dynamics of relationship? Are there companies
who align to that?
 Although all of these factors will have an effect and will be
considered, most acquiring companies will also perform some
form of formal due diligence in which they analyze the
operations, products and financial position against a set of
predefined criteria to ascertain if they believe that the target is
 Appropriate and if so, how much they are willing to pay for it.
Aligning your go to market strategy with
potential acquirer
Review market dynamics and what is happening
 Make sure you know what is happening in the long term. Do
you know market predictions and competitive landscape
intelligence?
 Is there anyone that offers this already, have other acquisitions
of similar technology been made?
Gartner Recommendations:
 Lay out objectives up front to ensure they align to your core strategic objectives
 Build a market analysis and acquisition analysis that has feedback loops
 Create a set of financial scenarios based on acquisitions in several markets
 Run a contrarian analysis at each step to ensure you remain objective
Facts from Gartner:
*On average the annual number of start-up’s has fallen over the last 10 years by 86%, according to Gartner this puts
companies looking to be acquired in a position to capitalize on their exit strategically and financially.
*2T is spent on acquisitions each year and an estimated 70% fail; Gartner can help improve your success rate!

© 2013 Gartner, Inc. and/or its affiliates.
All Rights Reserved.
Page 9
IPO
Timeframe and Stage Inquiry
Where are you in the IPO process?
 What to do to strengthen to build the business case to hit goal of
going public in x years
 Need to show that your business plan has the ability to deliver 10
times the returns for potential investors
Timing and Preparation of IPO
Is this a good move for your company?
 Why you should or should not go public?
 How will it affect your growth?
Before you file:
 Are you sure your internal systems are strong?
o Investors will look at this!
 Do you have a strong product road map?
Gartner analysts can validate and provide suggestions to make sure you have
a product roadmap that will get you the necessary growth
 Do you have a strong sales structure in place to achieve the “sweet
spot” of growth?
o By way of review, what is your model for making money?
 How will you take your product/solution to market? All-channels
approach? Or select channels? Why?
Gartner finds that roles, policies, and corporate structure can change after an
IPO
 Do you have the plan in place to make the necessary changes to
have a smooth transition to a public company?
o Investors want to know that the executive team is fully in
place, competent and that they have a history of achieving
results, together.
Filing of IPO
 Gartner does NOT cover this
 Gartner cannot help you find a bank to take you through the IPO
After the IPO
After the filing, Gartner can step back in to help with marketing efforts
 Do you understand how marketing and branding now needs to
change?
 Do you understand the gap you are going to fill in market and how
this needs to be positioned?
o What value does your business add to a customer that they
can’t get anywhere else? The client is in business now, so
they have the answer to this question.
 With your internal company information readily available after IPO,
work with Gartner analysts to learn how to best present yourself to
your investors, customers, and prospects
Facts from Gartner:
**Our Analysts find that most people will go public anywhere from 50-100 M but tipping toward 100 M.

© 2013 Gartner, Inc. and/or its affiliates.
All Rights Reserved.
Page 10
Funding
Timeframe and Stage Inquiry
Have you done this before?
Yes:
 So you know the process, do you have the market information that you
need?
 What needs to be validated?
No:
 Who is leading the charge?
 Do you know the process in place to develop a business case and to
present successfully?
 What resources are you using to validate your strategy?
What stage are you going for?
Stages of Funding:
 Angel --OR-- Friends and Family/crowd sourcing
 Series A  Series B  Series C Series D
Series B and C funding are Gartner’s sweet spots.
When are you going for your funding?
Timing impacts several important facets:
 Ability to execute your business plan
 Valuation and negotiation
 Market sentiment and valuation
VC, Private Equity, or Investment
Banks?
VC , private equity, and Investment Banks come to Gartner to determine growth
rate, players, general information about a regular market, what most innovative
companies in certain space, and company validation.
 Gartner analysts help vendors build their credibility. Our analysts find
that you must have accurate market information that can be validated
and make you look like a credible source.
 Do you know what the market opportunity is now and in 5
years?
Have you built out your business case?
Do you understand what information needs to go into a business case at the
highest level?
 Have an analyst review a template with the information you intend to
put in it to ensure you have hit all of the key areas
 Talk to a Gartner analyst to get the general market trends, market sizing,
and technology relevancy in your market
 Do you know what differentiates you from your competitors?
 Is the Value to your partner clear?
How do you develop and validate your
pitch to these firms?
 What are the gaps in the pitch?
 What will resonate with firms based on technology and market?
 What are the buzz words and information that will resonate?
 Do you have a Plan B if you do not secure the funding?
Once you’ve secured the money,
where and how will you invest it to be
most successful?
 Validate your plans and intentions with the money
 What are the other areas that our analysts would invest the money if
they were you?
 Where are your biggest areas of opportunity as a company?
Common Mistakes when going for funding:
1. Not showing investors how you will spend their money and how you will generate returns for them.
2. Other common mistakes include the wrong investor, wrong valuation, poor documentation, poor presentation,
poor market knowledge, and a poor business plan. All of these can be reviewed and validated by our analysts to
prevent these mistakes