Defining a new market segment
Reaching influencers drives sales
Connecting with key individuals
Companies frequently doubt the value of spending an hour on the phone with industry analysts. If there’s not an immediate opportunity to be included in a report (which are oftentimes so expensive not many businesses can afford to buy them), then what’s the point? But according to Calico Energy, time spent growing mindshare with analysts had a direct impact on the young business’s ability to grow market share.
From the onset, analyst relations were important to Calico Energy, but other projects still had a way of creeping in and reducing time spent on the care and feeding of influencers. But that all changed the first time one of Calico’s prospective customers said, “I heard about you from an analyst.” From there, the company renewed its commitment to keeping analysts up to date on its story.
Ongoing analyst relations deliver results
Calico Energy became dedicated to briefing analysts every 6-12 months, so the company remains fresh in an influencer’s mind when writing reports, talking with customers and blogging. As a result of these analyst relations, Calico was included in countless reports and was introduced to new customers by a number analysts. Analysts also covered Calico in their blogs, which unlike subscription reports, are widely accessible by anyone.
Unexpected benefits
There have also been some unexpected benefits along the way. During a routine phone briefing, Jesse Berst, Chief Analyst at Global Smart Energy, said something that would change the course of Calico’s history forever. He said the solution that Calico was offering was so different from the rest of the industry, a new market segment was warranted. “While isolated capabilities of [Calico’s] solution have previously been available in other products, the combination of these elements in one holistic platform clearly defines a new and promising market segment,” Berst said. Soon after, Calico separated its business from the competition by defining a new market space – of which the company is the first and only player.
Calico’s network of analyst firms included:
- Aberdeen Group
- ABI Research
- Chartwell, Inc
- GreenTechMedia Research
- IDC Energy Insights
- Parks Associates
- Pike Research
- Gartner
- Global Smart Energy
- Verdantix
Proof in the pudding: example of results
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Calico Energy provides a unified operations center for utilities and power providers that connects disparate data, devices, software engines and applications. Through centralized reporting and powerful analytics, this “hub” enables intelligent decision making – as well as control of targeted energy resources and grid assets. Utilities across North America are rolling out Calico’s unique solution to power their smart grid programs.