From a sal...

Question

From a sales perspective, how challenging is it to sell against competitors in the highly competitive market that Forrester operates in, and how does the company support its sales team in this aspect?

Former Employee · Accepted Answer

Had to chime in here and say it's not super hard. But you don't have the shiny name like Gartner. Also - Forrester is not a tech company lol. They'd like to think that they are. This is a market research/advisory firm or a glorified PR company. Tell me 3 ways in which this is a tech company. I'll wait. Don't let anyone tell you this is a way to break into a tech org. This is not tech. A quick google search along with common sense will say it is not.

Former Employee · Answer

Tbh it's not "hard," to sell against competitors but it will really come down to the relationship/expertise an analyst has in the tech category. The solutions will be a little confusing when you first start but eventually it will make sense. I agree with the person below that you'll want to push research seats and use the free briefings (if that's still a thing) to help you get your foot in the door or get an account excited about the upcoming research, the waves, and how they could partner with you so they'll purchase a research seat. Content (TEI reports) will also be a way you could get quick wins with established technology firms/solutions. Gartner will always be the bigger firm and brand but most orgs like to work with both so it's more of an "and" vs. "either/or." My one word of caution is make sure they put you supporting commercial or enterprise accounts. If you are selling to emerging tech companies or startups it's very tough because Forrester's solutions are typically expensive and they'll likely just want the "free" stuff without actually purchasing until they get more funding. Some of my former colleagues that were in that space lasted 4-6 months before getting a new position internally or just going to work elsewhere. I'd recommend you avoid that cause that team's attainment isn't great. Good luck and hope that was helpful!

Current Employee · Answer

I would argue it's not a "highly competitive market" at all - in most cases, you're selling against Gartner or the company deciding it doesn't need/want research services at all. There may be situations in which you're selling against the big 4, or mid-sized and even smaller boutique firms. However, Forrester will likely be the lower cost option in most of those scenarios that can provide that high-level strategy and advisory which is research-backed (competitive differentiator). At the end of the day, the money to be made is in selling research seats, so that's where you'd want to focus vs. consulting engagements in which Forrester lacks capabilities compared to more reputable consulting/services firms. All in all, great place to kickstart a sales career into tech. Hope this helps.

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Anonymous Q&A

From a sales perspective, how challenging is it to sell against competitors in the highly competitive market that Forrester operates in, and how does the company support its sales team in this aspect?