We manage analyst relations programs for fertility and reproductive health companies, targeting the benefits consultants and healthcare analysts who truly influence employer shortlists – not a generic AR briefing schedule.
The Challenge
Employer benefits consultants act as gatekeepers, yet most fertility companies have no relationships with them
Mercer, WTW, and Aon build the comparison scorecards that HR and total rewards teams use to shortlist family-building benefit vendors before an RFP is even issued. A company with no briefing history and no presence in those scorecards is invisible at the exact moment employer buyers are narrowing their list, no matter how strong the product is.
Generalist digital health analysts often don't grasp the distinction between a clinic network and a point solution
Firms like KLAS or Everest Group cover digital health broadly, and their frameworks often treat fertility vendors as interchangeable telehealth or benefits platforms without accounting for clinic network quality, IVF cycle economics, or clinical outcomes data. Without direct education, an analyst report can flatten real differentiation into a generic feature checklist that undersells the company.
Competitors with more mature AR programs are cited first in every comparison buyers review
Carrot, Maven, and Progyny have invested years in analyst and consultant relationships, so their names surface first in any 'family building benefits' comparison an HR leader searches for or asks a consultant about. A company without an equivalent program isn't losing on product, it's losing on citation frequency in the exact documents buyers trust most.
No coordinated system exists for monitoring what analysts and consultants are actually saying
Without someone monitoring which comparison matrices, consultant scorecards, and analyst notes mention the company and how, sales teams find out about a bad or missing placement only after losing a deal to a competitor cited in the buyer's research. By then the correction cycle with that analyst or consultant can take months.
How We Help
We begin by identifying the specific analysts and benefits consultants who genuinely influence employer purchasing decisions in this category – a far narrower group than a generic AR target list designed for digital health broadly. The list focuses on benefits consulting practices at Mercer, WTW, and Aon Hewitt, as well as digital health analysts at firms such as KLAS and Everest Group who specifically cover fertility and family-building benefits.
We then create a briefing program that translates clinical and network differentiation, cycle outcomes, clinic partnerships, and provider vetting into the language these analysts and consultants use in their frameworks. Briefings centered on product features miss the point; briefings aligned directly with a consultant's established evaluation criteria earn citations.
Next, we organize reference conversations between analysts or consultants and actual customers – typically HR or total rewards leaders prepared to discuss their experience – because secondhand vendor claims carry much less weight than a peer account from another employer. This is among the fastest ways to go from unknown to cited by name.
Across the engagement, we monitor every comparison matrix, consultant scorecard, and analyst note mentioning the company or its competitors. We also coordinate with your PR and content teams so the market's category narrative supports what analysts hear firsthand, rather than having the two efforts work against each other.
What we deliver
- Targeted list of the benefits consultants and healthcare analysts who actually shape employer shortlists in fertility benefits
- Briefing materials translated into the evaluation frameworks consultants and analysts already use
- Customer reference program connecting analysts directly with employer buyers who use the product
- Ongoing tracking of comparison matrix and analyst note placement against named competitors
A fertility benefits company that has never briefed Mercer or WTW isn't missing from the RFP process by chance; it's absent because the comparison document determining the shortlist was created without them in the room.
Our Methodology
Our analyst relations engagements operate as a 90-day sprint. During days 1-30, we create a target list of consultants and analysts focused on fertility and family-building benefits and develop briefing materials aligned with their evaluation criteria. Days 30-60 cover the first briefing round and customer reference calls where relationships are most advanced. During days 60-90, we monitor inclusion in comparison matrices and analyst notes, then establish a repeatable briefing rhythm – typically quarterly – so relationships build rather than restart each cycle. Unlike a broad AR retainer designed for enterprise software, every target and briefing deck is tailored to how employer benefits procurement works in this category.
How We Work
The first month focuses on developing the target list and briefing materials, requiring input from your product, clinical, and sales teams about what truly distinguishes the company from named competitors. Weeks four through eight center on initial briefings and arranging customer reference calls, generally timed to the analyst's or consultant's own research calendar.
Days 60-90 concentrate on monitoring placement and creating an ongoing briefing cadence your team can maintain after the first sprint. Most engagements last 4-6 months because analyst relationships develop gradually, and one briefing seldom produces an immediate citation. A consultant usually needs a second or third interaction before trusting the company enough to name it.
Your team's time commitment is greatest during the first month, primarily involving executive availability for briefing calls and customer teams prepared to act as references.
- Citation in employer benefits consultant comparison matrices
- Analyst coverage that reflects real clinical and network differentiation
If your fertility & reproductive health company needs analyst relations leadership, we should talk.
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Frequently asked questions
What is the cost of an analyst relations program for a fertility or reproductive health company?
Most engagements cost $8,000 to $18,000 monthly, depending on the number of analyst and consultant relationships being developed at once and how much briefing content must be built from the ground up. Companies that already have clinical outcomes data and customers willing to provide references progress faster and incur lower setup costs. After the initial program, ongoing maintenance is generally structured as a lighter quarterly retainer.
How soon will we see results from an analyst relations program?
Initial briefings generally take place within 30-45 days, once target analysts and consultants have been identified and the materials are complete. A citation in a comparison matrix or analyst note typically requires 90-120 days because most consultants want another briefing or a customer reference call before naming a new vendor. Since employer RFP cycles are often annual, the complete pipeline effect may take two to three quarters to appear in closed deals.
How does the analyst relations team collaborate with our current sales and marketing staff?
We partner directly with your sales leadership to determine which competitive losses stem from analyst or consultant blind spots, while working with product and clinical teams to ensure briefing materials remain accurate. Marketing remains engaged so the public category story and analyst-facing narrative support one another. Executives must participate in the briefings because consultants typically expect to hear from a founder or senior leader rather than only a marketing contact.
How is Winston Francois different from a conventional analyst relations firm?
Most AR firms follow a standard briefing calendar created for enterprise software analysts without adjusting it to the realities of employer benefits procurement. We shape the target list around the specific consultants influencing fertility benefits shortlists and express differentiation through the frameworks they already apply, instead of relying on a generic product pitch.
How is ROI measured for an analyst relations engagement?
We measure direct citations in named comparison matrices and analyst notes relative to competitors, then connect those citations to sales pipeline deals that referenced a consultant comparison during the purchase process. Over time, we also assess whether the company's win rate rises in deals involving a consultant scorecard, helping separate the AR program's impact from other marketing efforts.
What kind of fertility or reproductive health company is best suited to this service?
This service is designed for companies selling mainly to employers through benefits procurement, where RFPs and consultant scorecards meaningfully influence the buying process. These are typically Series A through growth-stage companies with at least several employer customers prepared to provide references. It offers less value to companies selling exclusively direct to consumer or direct to clinics, where consultants have little influence.
