How To Choose A Technographics Data Vendor

   Scenario is that you are presented with a list of companies using software X. You have to judge the quality of data and decide.

Here are some ways to check if technographics data is good or not.

1. Does this list have recruiter/career websites or HR agencies?

For example, you would see Randstad using Oracle Netsuite, CareerNet using Linkedin Learning, and Naukri.com using Snowflake. This indicates that data cleansing can be performed better.

- Say NO!

2. Is there a date column given? This can be the date when technology use was captured. The spread of dates bodes well for the quality of data.

When dates are spread, it tell us two things:

      i. This vendor has been tracing this technology for a while.

      ii. This vendor has the best practices established yet. 

- Say YES!

3. Separate out IT outsourcing companies using these software for their clients. 

For example, I observed that Accenture would have every software being used if data is not cleansed. 

- Say YES if # of outsourcing companies is not high!

4. You would see more data behavior that might look suspicious but is okay.

For example, banks use many cloud environments such as AWS, GCP, and Azure. That might be surprising, but it has become the trend now. Multi-cloud, cross-cloud is here to stay. 

How to identify expiration date of technology use at your prospect?

Technographics vendors provide the latest tracking date in the last 1 year. Assuming that most of the contracts are for 1 year, you can calculate the time frame when the contract will be renewed. For example, if the software was being used in April 2021, it will be up for renewal in the second quarter of 2022.

 Conclusion

Say yes/no based on these parameters. Remember, segmenting by technographics can increase or reduce your pipeline depending on data quality. Before you check the quality, make sure that your need is a must. Buy technographics data only when it helps you qualify the customer or when it helps in messaging.