What keeps you awake at night?

www.aimstrategic.com

What keeps you awake at night?

An Introduction to Competitive Intelligence

By Graeme Dixon

[email protected]


The Agenda

• What is Competitive Intelligence

• How can it help you

• The Competitive Intelligence process

• Uses of Competitive Intelligence

• Tools

• Pitfalls of Competitive Intelligence


• World wide client base since 2006

• Military Intelligence experience

• Recognised authority in Competitive Intelligence

• Excellent network of intelligence sources & expertise

• Unique, flexible & cutting edge software


Our Story


Introduction

• Can you afford to take your eyes off your rivals?

• That chat at a networking dinner

• The piece in the press

• Is it the real picture?

• Growing industry


What is Competitive Intelligence?


Competitive Intelligence

Official definition –

“A systematic and ethical programme for

gathering, analysing and managing external

information that can affect your companies plans, decisions and

operations”


Why Competitive Intelligence?

“It is pardonable to be defeated, but never surprised” – Frederick the Great


About You?

• Too much information on competitors

• Not enough time to determine what it all means

• Your team don’t know how to make effective use of Competitive Intelligence

• You are struggling to compete with your rivals moves

• Sometimes surprised by rivals


About You

• Your competitor out performs you

• Your rival keeps winning the tenders despite how much effort you put in

• You are facing new products everyday & don’t know where to turn

• Gossip taken as gospel


Competitive Intelligence offers insight

• About other businesses that may have a significant impact on your business

• Your direct competition that you encounter on a daily basis

• Indirect competitors who offer a substitute product

• Gives you knowledge to prevent surprises

• Understanding of your competitors and why they do things


Why Competitive Intelligence?

• The growth of global trade mean your business environment changes more quickly than ever before.

• You can no longer rely on instinct or intuition when making strategic business decisions.

• The consequence of making one wrong decision may see a company go out of business.

• Full picture before making the big decisions


What do you need to know?

“Merck anticipated and out-manoeuvred the competition, resulting in saving approximately

$200 million to the bottom line - so far."

Clifford Kalb - Vice President of pharmaceutical firm Merck


What You Need To Know


What It Can Do For You

• Incorporate their strengths

• Exploit their weaknesses

• Predict their actions

• Force their hand

• Support your decision making

• Identify new markets


Puts Yourself In Their Shoes• How is it put together?• How is it priced?• What was the quality of

their service like?• What was the after

sales like?• How did the sales team

deal with you?• How were you treated

in reception?


Our Services

“Competition has always been central to the agenda of companies…..indeed, competition

has become one of the enduring themes of our time”

Michael Porter, Harvard Professor


Comprehensive Competitor Management Solutions

Professional Services

Competitive Intelligence Implementation

Training

Secondary Intelligence Competitive Intelligence

Audit

Primary Intelligence Strategic Audit


Comprehensive Competitor Management Solutions

Professional Services

Product Pipeline Analysis Launch Support

Competitive Tracking Business Development & Market Benchmarking

War Game Service Business Development & M&A Support


Intelligence Cycle


Break Down of a Competitive Intelligence Project


The Process Phases

• Planning

• Control & Analysis

• Feedback & Review

Incorporating the military intelligence cycle, the OODA Loop and Business models


The Planning Phase• Face to face meetings to determine:

• Project scope, objectives, deliverables & timeframes

• Environment understanding

• Key players• Industry• Key issues

• Structured development of key intelligence questions

• Define Methods of Engagements & tactics


Control & Analysis Phase• Observe

– Collect secondary & primary information– Link data for Analysis and validation

• Orient

– Detailed Information & relationship analysis– Dissemination & create insight

• Decide

– Understand situation– Plan – Agree Methods of Engagement

• Act


Control & Analysis Phase

• Dissemination

– Formal presentation of findings– Executive summary– Answers to Key Intelligence Topics– Insights & recommendations– Full report in any format


Observe - Collection

• Who are you going to talk to?

• What are you going to say?

• What websites are you going to monitor?

• Which documents are you going to search for?


Control and Analysis

Finding the information

Secondary Sources

• Market research reports and portals• Press releases• Patents• Trademarks• Domain names• Analyst reports• Industry associations and newsletters

• What they say and what they don’t say



Finding the information

Primary sources

• Employees• Customers• Senior management• Suppliers• Key tradeshows and events



Analysis

• To interpret the significance of the information

• Fluctuations of activity• Highlight patterns• Assessment of out comes and issues

• Needs to be timely



Communication• Get the information direct to the people that

matter

• Beware of politics

• People don’t like intelligence that goes against their plans

• People don’t like to give bad news


Review & Feedback Phase• Direction

– Review Key Intelligence Topics– Review deception warning signs

• Collection

– Review sources and collection tasks

• Information

– Review Essential Elements of Information

• Dissemination

– Reporting quality and accuracy


Examples of Competitive Intelligence Utilisation

“If you know your enemy and yourself; you will win every battle.”

“If you know yourself, but not your enemy; for every battle won you will suffer a loss.”

Sun Tzu 500 BC


Product Development

• Evaluation of rival products & service levels

• Assessment of competitors market place

• Regulation research

• Competitive marketing cost analysis


Sales & Marketing

• Product launch analysis

• Sourcing & Analysis of resellers, performance & motivation

• Product positioning

• Sales team analysis, deployment & development

• Marketing approaches


Corporate Strategic Development

• Organisational structure analysis

• Merger & Acquisition strategy

• Management Information analysis

• Portfolio Management• Internal strategic

assessment• Corporate strategy,

tactics, organisational structure


Branding

• Key relationship management

• Decision maker & Influencing

• Value proposition

• Company image

• Product brand


Tools

• Keep it simple

• Likely a lot of information is already in your organisation

• CI Database

• Website monitor


Competitive Intelligence Pit Falls.....


It’s Not Espionage!


It’s Not Magic


It does not perform miracles


Collection, Not Direction

• Bridge Too Far


Any one know what this is?Susceptible to politics


Headlines, Spin & Politics


AIM Strategic Management

• Thank you

• Happy to discuss anything regarding Competitive Intelligence

• Graeme Dixon – Professional Services Director• 07866 263078• [email protected]

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