Gather a group of competitive intelligence people together and commonly you will hear the same sorts of issues. One issue is that many competitive intelligence customers do not understand the value of CI. Another common topic is how to ensure that competitive intelligence people are properly involved in decision-making. Occasionally, the discussion turns to picking the best tool or technique for an organization. Sometimes we talk about the economic conditions (i.e., how many jobs have been affected) for competitive intelligence staffs. These are all good issues but the most impactful problem is something else.
The most common issue is how to connect with senior management effectively.
This topic came up at the recent SCIP Conference in Washington, DC. In one session, everyone around a table shared their challenges about making the case for competitive intelligence to a prospective sponsor. One person explained that they were due to present such a case in about a month to a senior manager. Understandably, this important meeting caused much stress. What information should be presented? What splendid arguments should be assembled to convince the reluctant or uninformed manager? What presentation style was most appropriate? In short, what was the best approach to gain ongoing support for competitive intelligence from this senior manager so that the competitive intelligence person’s assignment and job was safe (at least, temporarily)?
There were many good suggestions bandied about.
Admittedly, it is hard for outsiders to know the right answer for another organization without more background than we could get in a short conversation. Still, one guiding principle emerged from the discussion.
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