Vendor Advisory Is Broken: Building a Better Advisory Model That Actually Works

 

Moving beyond rankings, buzzwords and broken promises – QKS Group’s upcoming SPARK Plus is built to redefine & facilitate the new advisory.

For years, technology vendors have relied on analyst and advisory firms to help them navigate complex markets, sharpen positioning, and drive growth. But increasingly, that trust is being tested. The advisory model many vendors have leaned on is no longer fit for purpose and in some cases, it's actively holding them back.

 QKS Group, believes in the sheer reality that the promise of vendor advisory has been broken and it's time to rebuild it from the ground up.

The Harsh Truth: Insight Is Rare, Advice Is Generic

Today’s technology vendors face unprecedented challenges: saturated markets, sceptical buyers, prolonged sales cycles, and the pressure to continuously reinvent. The demand for credible, actionable insight has never been higher. Yet many vendors find themselves paying for advice that feels vague, templated, and disconnected from their real-world challenges.

Instead of tailored guidance, vendors are frequently handed recycled content, surface-level evaluations, and generalized frameworks that lack context. In some cases, their visibility in research reports correlates more with budget spend than with innovation or product strength.

The Advisory Gap: When Guidance Becomes a Gamble

Across the industry, there’s a growing credibility gap between what advisory firms promise and what they deliver. Several vendors have reported paying significant sums expecting personalized, strategic insight only to walk away with a spot on a matrix and a brief call with an analyst unfamiliar with their business.

This results in misguided strategy, lost momentum, and internal confusion. In chasing the credibility of traditional advisory firms, many vendors end up aligning their vision to trends rather than truth.

What an ideal Advisory Should Look Like?

The QKS approach to vendor advisory is grounded in three principles: objectivity, context, and practicality.

• Objectivity means putting real vendor strengths at the center not placing them on a grid based on how much they pay.
• Context, for instance would means recognizing that a mid-sized SaaS player in Asia has different needs than a global enterprise vendor in North America.
• Practicality means giving vendors concrete next steps: how to improve messaging, where to focus product development, how to enter new markets with confidence.

Vendors don’t need more PDFs or buzzwords. They need clear moves that help them execute strategy and stay aligned with their customer base. To gain more clarity regarding ideal Advisory – Click Here 

The impact of broken advisory isn’t theoretical, it’s real and measurable.

“A vendor was advised by a major firm to reposition as “AI-first,” spent nearly a year overhauling its roadmap and messaging. The pivot alienated core customers, confused internal teams, and ultimately led to a 40% drop in its user base. Another vendor was encouraged to move into the enterprise market despite strong mid-market traction, saw conversion rates drop, sales cycles stretch, and morale erode before returning to their original segment with significant losses.

These companies weren’t failing because of weak products. They were derailed by guidance that didn’t reflect their business reality. And it wasn’t because they lacked options it was because they trusted frameworks that weren’t built for them." -Amandeep Singh

 

Click to know more about how Vendor Advisory is broken and the challenges faced by them: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JJ0Fxir1ddQ&t=31s

Introducing SPARK Plus: Built for Enterprise Users Who Deserve Better

In response to this industry-wide issue, QKS Group is launching SPARK Plus, a new platform built to redefine how advisory is delivered. Designed for vendors and Enterprise buyers alike. SPARK Plus moves beyond static models and into the realm of real, contextual, and actionable guidance.

This isn’t about another quadrant or rebranded methodology. It’s about giving technology enterprise buyers the clarity and confidence to make bold, smart decisions in an increasingly noisy market.

Because the best strategy doesn’t start with complexity. It starts with clarity. That’s what SPARK Plus delivers. Stay tuned for the upcoming updates from QKS Group on SPARK +.

 

About QKS Group:

QKS Group is a global advisory and consulting firm focused on helping clients achieve business transformation goals with Strategic Business and Growth advisory services. At QKS Group, our vision is to become an integral part of our client’s business as a strategic knowledge partner. Our research and consulting deliverables are designed to provide comprehensive information and strategic insights for helping clients formulate growth strategies to survive and thrive in ever-changing business environments.