Why Traditional Analyst Models Are Failing Your GTM Strategy

Insights and Key Takeaways

The Traditional Analyst Model is Outdated for Understanding Buyer Needs

Traditional analyst firms like Gartner and Forrester offer useful market predictions but fall short in providing timely, personalized insights.

Broad data and lagging reports often don’t keep up with rapidly changing buyer priorities.

Here’s what I wish I’d recognized years ago:

Relying on traditional analyst data feels safe, but it’s also like working with blinders on.

I used to think these reports were gospel, that they would reveal the hidden needs of my buyers.

But over time, I saw firsthand how out of sync they were with my actual customers.

By the time the insights reached me, the market had already shifted, leaving me chasing real truth.

For GTM teams, the implication is simple but difficult to swallow—if we keep relying on these broad predictions, we’re essentially placing a bet on outdated insights.

We can’t afford to wait on six-month-old data in a world where buyers’ needs evolve almost daily.

The challenge? We need to get comfortable breaking away from the “safe” route, and we need to start gathering insights in real-time, straight from the source.

Direct Practitioner Engagement as a Competitive Advantage

Engaging directly with practitioners enables vendors to gain accurate, actionable insights without the filter of intermediaries.

Instead of broad market assumptions, teams gain first-hand knowledge tailored to their specific needs, allowing for faster, data-driven decision-making.

It didn’t take me long to realize the power of hearing straight from the people we’re trying to serve.

When I started building those direct relationships, it was like everything clicked.

The insights weren’t filtered, generalized, or abstract—they were real, raw, and specific.

They came with context, with emotion, and with urgency. And that changed everything.

For GTM teams, this is the competitive edge we’ve been missing.

We’re not just gathering data points; we’re connecting with the heart of our market.

It’s humbling, but the more I listen, the better I understand where our strategies miss the mark.

And that lets us pivot faster, build deeper trust, and ultimately craft solutions that resonate.

Misalignment Between Vendor and Buyer Incentives

A key struggle in vendor-buyer relationships is the misalignment of incentives:

Vendors prioritize growth, while buyers are risk-averse.

As a result, vendor pitches often come off as too aggressive or irrelevant to the buyer’s immediate needs.

I know what it feels like to be on both sides of this dynamic—on one side, the vendor scrambling to hit targets, and on the other, the buyer who feels overwhelmed, even harassed, by sales pitches that don’t quite fit.

This disconnect is more than frustrating; it’s counterproductive.

But as a GTM professional, I’ve learned that addressing this isn’t just about changing our pitch—it’s about changing our perspective.

This misalignment means we need to lead with empathy.

Instead of pushing our agenda, what if we genuinely focused on the buyer’s world?

What if our goal was to support their mission, not just push our product?

When we shift our focus from aggressive growth to mutual value, the entire relationship changes.

I’ve seen it happen: buyers become more open, trust deepens, and suddenly, our goals start to align naturally.

Speed of Execution: The New Metric of Success

Timeliness in gathering and acting on insights is crucial in the cybersecurity industry.

As buyer dynamics evolve, companies that operate on a bi-annual or annual research cycle risk being overtaken by competitors who move faster.

Waiting on insights that arrive months later is like showing up to the party just as everyone’s leaving.

By the time we act, our competitors have already moved forward with what’s current.

I’ve felt the sting of knowing we had good insights but were simply too slow to act on them.

For GTM teams, speed isn’t just a “nice to have” anymore—it’s essential.

We need a feedback loop that’s constantly open, constantly bringing in fresh insights so we can adjust our tactics in real-time.

It’s not easy, but when we create a culture of agility and urgency, we’re no longer playing catch-up.

We’re the ones setting the pace. And that’s powerful.

Democratizing Customer Research Across the Organization

Customer research is no longer solely the domain of marketing or product teams—it should be an organization-wide priority.

Every department, from sales to HR, plays a role in creating a customer-centric culture that informs strategy and builds stronger buyer relationships.

For too long, I thought of customer research as the sole responsibility of marketing or product.

But I’ve come to realize that true customer understanding doesn’t live in silos.

When everyone in the organization, from sales to HR, is in tune with our buyers, our whole company becomes stronger, more united, and, frankly, more grounded in reality.

For GTM teams, this means building a culture where customer insights are accessible and shared widely.

It’s humbling but empowering.

We’re not just passing on data points; we’re creating a collective understanding.

When we’re all on the same page, we act with more clarity and purpose. And that clarity shows in every touchpoint with the customer.

What has to happen in order to democratize customer research in a cybersecurity company?

1. Create a Cultural Shift Toward Customer-Centricity

Customer research needs to be embedded into the organization’s DNA, where every team, from product to HR, understands that their decisions should revolve around customer needs.

This cultural shift starts from the top, with leadership embracing and modeling a customer-first approach, and it filters down through all levels.

When customer insights become central to the organization’s mission, every department feels invested in contributing to a better understanding of the customer, leading to a more unified and aligned organization.

2. Provide Accessible Training Programs for GTM Teams

To make customer research actionable across the organization, GTM teams need to be equipped with the right tools and training.

This involves creating accessible training programs that teach teams how to conduct effective customer interviews, engage in active listening, and extract insights that can be applied to the business.

It’s not enough to simply talk to customers—teams need a structured framework and methodology for gathering, analyzing, and utilizing the insights they uncover.

This training helps even non-researchers gather meaningful insights, which strengthens every department’s understanding of the buyer.

3. Implement and Operationalizing Qualitative Data for Real Impact

Too often, valuable data sits unused because teams lack a clear process for turning insights into action.

It’s not enough to gather data—teams must actively implement and assess insights to optimize the customer experience and drive meaningful improvements.

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen valuable data gather dust because no one knew how to use it.

It’s frustrating because all that insight is right there, yet it’s wasted without a clear path to action.

I’ve learned the hard way that gathering data is only half the battle.

The real challenge—and the real impact—comes from operationalizing it.

For GTM teams, this means building systems and playbooks that bring data to life.

It’s about transforming insights into concrete actions that align with our goals.

When we operationalize data, we go beyond learning—we start making moves that change the game.

And that’s the kind of impact that moves the needle and makes all the effort worth it.

Aligning Incentives to Capture Honest Feedback

For customer feedback to be valuable, it needs to be honest.

Practitioners will only provide candid insights if they feel their input is valued and incentivized appropriately.

Structuring incentives to prioritize honest, unfiltered feedback is essential for quality data.

I used to think feedback was just…feedback—that people would be honest just because I asked.

But people need to feel valued to open up.

If we’re serious about capturing genuine insights, we need to align our incentives to respect their time and expertise.

When we make it clear that their input is worth something, that’s when the honesty flows.

For our GTM teams, the implication here is huge.

Honest feedback isn’t just a nice bonus—it’s the foundation of our strategy.

Without it, we’re building on shaky ground, basing decisions on half-truths or assumptions.

By properly incentivizing practitioners, we create a virtuous cycle where feedback isn’t just gathered but trusted.

The Power of Peer Communities Over Traditional Influencers

Practitioners today rely more on peer communities for product validation than on traditional analyst reports.

CISOs and cybersecurity professionals increasingly look to their networks for guidance, recognizing that peer feedback is often more relevant and trusted.

I’ve seen how much weight buyers put on recommendations from their peers over anything we might pitch.

The most valuable endorsements don’t come from a paid analyst—they come from the buyers’ trusted community.

And once I realized this, it completely changed how I viewed influence.

Traditional influence is dwindling, and peer validation is everything.

It’s our job to lean into these communities, to listen, to contribute, and to build credibility authentically.

We’re not just selling to buyers; we’re joining their network.

And when we do it right, we’re no longer outsiders—they welcome us as partners who genuinely want to understand their challenges.

Building an Always-On Research Capability

In today’s market, a static, periodic research model is insufficient.

Instead, GTM teams should adopt an "always-on" approach to customer research, where insights are continuously gathered and updated to reflect real-time shifts in buyer priorities.

This hits close to home.

I used to think that research could be done in bursts, that we could gather data, use it, and then repeat the cycle when we needed more.

But this stop-and-start approach kept us disconnected from the real-time needs of our market.

Customer research can’t just happen once a quarter—it needs to be constant, always updating, always listening.

For GTM teams, building an always-on approach is a game-changer.

It’s a shift from reactive to proactive, allowing us to stay on top of trends as they unfold.

With continuous insights, we don’t just follow the market; we start to anticipate it.

This shift means more than just better timing—it means a deeper, more intuitive connection with our buyers.

My Final Thoughts

For too long, we’ve relied on secondhand insights from people who aren’t living our customers’ realities, and we’ve let that shape our strategies.

But here’s the thing: if we don’t take ownership of understanding our buyers deeply, we’ll always be just a step behind.

Directly connecting with our customers isn’t just a nice-to-have—it’s non-negotiable.

We can’t rely on outdated reports and broad predictions to tell us what our buyers want.

We have to sit down with them, listen without filters, and let their needs—not our assumptions—shape our approach.

This means taking on the hard work, the vulnerability, and even the discomfort of hearing what we might not want to hear.

We need to challenge the norms, create a culture that prioritizes direct insight, and make customer research everyone’s responsibility.

Because at the end of the day, real growth, real connection, and real impact don’t come from playing it safe—they come from getting as close to our customers as possible and learning from their reality.

It’s tough, but I can’t imagine doing it any other way.

Until next time,
Dani