I found this post of yours quite interesting and as a matter of fact, i have built the web 2.0 tool just for Briefings.

I encourage you to try and see how it might be useful.
GetBriefed.net

Keep those point form briefings online is a must i think within small teams.

As a communications professional my advice to vendors: Lead with your business story. Many vendors in this space think they need to spend 30 minutes educating me in the technology, but they do it at the expense of the business problem they solve.

If vendors are losing me in this discussion, they are likely losing prospects and analysts. I’m not saying your technology story isn’t important – it is, but to the right type of buyer. But it needs to be told in a business context, especially since technical buyers are charged with “selling the business.”

[...] I hope these tips help you, it will certainly help me understand why you’re the worthy company you are. I’ve tagged this ‘analyst’ with my other posts related to this topic, be sure to cruise through those. (like What an Effective Analyst Briefing is Like) [...]

Nice post. It is so useful when analysts speak up about AR best practices.

I have started a link list to yours and other analysts’ AR tips in http://www.sagecircle.wordpress.com/2008/02/05/tips-from-analysts-about-how-to-interact-with-them-more-effectively/” rel=”nofollow”> Tips from analysts about how to interact with them more effectively. Please drop me a line when you post additional tips for AR or if you know of other analysts’ posts on the topic. Thanks. –carter j

[...] What an Effective Analyst Briefing is Like [...]

[...] Read: What an effective analyst briefing looks like: From Web Strategy with Jeremiah Here [...]

I wanted to keep the focus on the main point of what a good briefing was like, but I’d like to call out that the experience is based off my meeting with Diane Pardee CMO of Selectminds and Steve Kuhn who runs the product side.

Many companies have a product to take to market, but the ability to articulate it to influencers and prospects is a competitive edge, Great job.

Re: “These aren’t just good skills to have for analyst briefings, but they are also key in customer communications, investor relations, and media relations.”

Ah, pretty darn useful skills for many people in a BUYING organization too – IT people remembering to “sell” the benefit to the business, business managers trying to get budget from the CFO or others higher up, while selling/persuading IT to be part of the team that makes it happen, etc..

Which is why I joke, but I’m dead serious (having lived the mental transition myself), that people need to be able to speak different “business languages” in order to successful get just about anything done.

So “all business is sales” just as “all business is marketing,” “all business is technology,” “it’s all about strategic management” and “it’s all about the customers” (did I leave anything out?).

In the end, it’s all related, which to tie this back to “social media” (and social networking – the literal “tie”)… this is why social media is a seriously powerful (and increasingly, critical) way to actually pull all of these conversations and perspectives together, in one place.

Without something that serves as a platform/medium/container/chose your metaphor, these conversations are siloed off, and stand little chance of being combined (mashed up) into something that will trigger an action of any significance in most organizations.

Quick brainstumper:
Virality happens far more frequently OUTSIDE of organizations than inside (hence “top down” push to adopt ERP, etc.) – why?

The irony of co-workers who know less about each other and their work than the “anonymous crowd” that orbits their organization. Let’s not forget about sociality WITHIN an organization, not just the outside->in impact. Long way to go on that front…