Inquiries are thousands of times better than briefings

So says Jonny Bentwood, “a PR consultant for Edelman specialising in Analyst Relations, technology strategy and new media”, on Twitter

Inquiry day with Ovum – inquires are several thousand times better than regular briefings. AR professionals take note

Jonny is the guy responsible for the new Edelman Social Media Index, which makes a rough and ready first stab at providing some kind of metrics of influence or attention across social media-based networks. It may be that the SMI actually measures engagement rather than influence, but that’s another .

In the Wisdom Of The Crowds, Surowiecki points out that the best academics are the most often peers of other’s research… these scientists are arguably more engaged than others in their field…

I have worked with Jonny for years, and he really understands analyst relations. The point he is making on twitter, I think, is that the conversational nature of an inquiry, where the analyst doesn’t hold back on any advice, can be a great learning experience for both parties, cementing understanding of a product or service and its positioning in the minds of both the client and the analyst.

At RedMonk we like to give some free feedback during briefings- its a “service level agreement” or perhaps just a point of pride that during any briefing, client or no, we will offer at least one decent piece of actionable advice. Inquiries however obviously offer a much deeper interaction, particularly when carried out in person.