This competitive intelligence series describes some practical steps for someone to follow that is interested in starting a CI activity in an organization.

These days, when the economic conditions are so difficult, may seem like the wrong time to some to get started. The other view (and one that I agree with) is that competitive intelligence is more important in hard times though the methods employed may be different. So, what is the absolute first step that is critical for the eventual success of a CI program?

Simply put, the first step is to “find the pain.”

By pain, I mean the obvious, significant and personalized need for competitive intelligence felt by someone that is in a senior position in the company.

Their pain can be caused by many things. Here are some common examples.

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Competitive Intelligence, decision making, management, senior management, strategy

Ellen Naylor of The Business Intelligence Source recently wrote the following in response to my blog entry Six Ways to Kill Competitive Intelligence (where I stated that a tactical focus was one sign of the demise of a competitive intelligence program).

“In my experience, I learned that starting with tactical was a good stepping stone to strategic CI, especially in large companies. You need to build trust and a track record. Also in these tough times, companies are looking for results, and they’re easier to affect with sales, for example helping close more deals.”

Ellen points out a couple of good reasons when a tactical focus might be necessary or desirable. Let me give you some more reasons why an approach of “always and only strategic issues” is not a subtle enough approach for a CI professional. Work can be tactical for a while but there are cautions in every case.

Starting small means starting tactical.

Few CI programs magically burst into view in their full blown form catering to the most critical issues for the company. However many get started with small scale efforts (as Ellen mentions). These efforts originate in a department or a division among a few people that recognize that the competitive landscape is poorly understood. So, in absence of an existing strategic program, they simply get started with something that meets their local needs.

The caution is that it cannot remain tactical if the assumption is that the ultimate customers for competitive intelligence are strategic decision makers; that is, senior management.

Tactical work helps with brand building.

Even when the focus is usually strategic, there are times when building a CI brand within an organization is best done tactically. Why be concerned about a brand? The reason is that cooperation throughout the organization, credibility during presentations and access to key decision makers often depends on the brand that has been established. More time can be spent on this effort when not consumed with the high impact strategic studies for management.

The caution is a great brand name among the larger organization with a poor brand image among the strategic decision makers can be fatal. If you have to choose, choose senior management.

There is time to improve infrastructure and tools.

There are artifacts from every CI analysis. The artifacts are tools, approaches, techniques, presentation formats, etc., that are useful after the analysis is complete. None of these things are strategic except that they are used during strategic analyses. Why not improve them when the pressure is temporarily off of the CI team? It’s a great time to test innovation in less visible settings.

The caution is that you will not be paid to have great tools and infrastructure. You are paid to produce strategic insights. Make sure that the tools and infrastructure support the strategic processes.

New sources can be identified and nurtured.

There is not a CI person alive that already knows everything that he or she needs to know. We are constantly using sources inside and outside the company to find new information. Tactical times are a great time to develop and nurture relationships with primary sources. Then, when the fast turnaround strategic study is due, you will know who to talk with and they will be inclined to help you.

The caution is the CI effort must be balanced. Even during tactical times there will be deliverables that must be made. Too much relationship building might be seen as detracting from important near term contributions.

You can provide near term business development support.

Finally, the most obvious activity during tough economic times is to help drive sales. Ellen points this out in her comments. A CI person is uniquely equipped to put competitive product offerings in perspective and to support business development efforts. Many jobs depend on closing deals and it is not the best time to adhere to a strict definition of what you will and won’t do.

The caution is that there is a considerable risk that the CI function will disappear as a distinct role. Since CI is overhead and usually executed on a strategic timescale, near term pressures can overwhelm CI teams. Navigating through tough times means hanging on to the CI moniker but doing whatever is necessary to help the organization.

In normal times the competitive intelligence function will be busy doing strategic analyses for senior management. When you do the job well, your input and insight will be sought after by your customers. There are in between times however when your focus can be tactical for a time. Use this time well and you will be prepared for the next round of strategic requests.

business development, Competitive Intelligence, infrastructure, senior management, strategic analysis, strategy, tactics, tools

It happens in an instant. The question is asked and now time seems to stand still. Your breathing becomes shallow, your muscles tense and a dozen thoughts go through your mind. What is the right answer? You need the right answer! Now!

It doesn’t start that way, of course. Some days before a senior manager comes to you with an assignment. He has questions from the management team about the competitive landscape and you are just the competitive intelligence professional to get answers for them.

Luckily, you know what do. You start by clarifying their vague questions.  What specifically is important? You practice some rephrasing and finally present a set of three important questions to answer. Is this the right set, you ask. Yes, it is your senior manager responds and off you go to get answers. Your report is due at the next senior management staff meeting.

This is the fun part. Now that you have the questions, you begin to think through how to get answers. Let’s see, since one of the questions is about power and how it is expressed within our industry, I’ll start them with Porter’s 5 Forces. Then, I’ll follow with a detailed product comparison for the market segment we care about. Then, for the last question, I’ll finish with a financial comparison of competitors.

So, off you go. You begin accumulating information, talking to people and documenting the answers. You synthesize, summarize and test your conclusions. Your boss, acutely aware of your assignment and how it might reflect on her, monitors all that you do. She coaches you on what to say and how to say it. Your presentation slides begin to emerge. They are a work of art and represent an intellectual tour de force. Surely this will be a great triumph for you.

The presentation day arrives. You will have 30 minutes of an all day staff meeting to present. Due to other items taking longer than expected, you finally enter the room two hours after the scheduled time. You notice that the managers assembled look tired and distracted. Half of them are talking on the phone. Most of the others are doing email. Only a couple of them are even looking at you. You start.

The first question seems to fly by. A head or two pops up from their computers when they figure out that you are starting with the answers rather than the data. That is a good approach their eyes seem to say. There isn’t much debate as you move on to the second question. Again you present the answer as your boss fidgets nervously. There are a few more requests for clarification which you handle confidently. All of your preparation, skill and personal magnetism are paying off. Indeed, this performance may well result in the big bonus that you had been hoping for (and that your boss had been resisting giving to you).

Everyone seems to be listening now that you are to the final question.  You are on cruise control at this point so when the trap is sprung, it shocks your entire being.

One of the managers in the back (that has successfully cleared his email queue) raises his hand. What are the implications of the competitor’s new product on our technology strategy and the plans that we have to acquire the XYZ Company?

Wow, that is a great (note: all senior manager questions are “great”) question. It is not only a great question, at the time it is ask it seems incredibly reasonable that a competent CI professional would have a ready answer. The problem is that in all of your preparation you spent no time thinking about it.

While time is standing still, you review your options. I can’t admit that I don’t know, you think. If I do that, they will question all of my other answers. They will realize that I have been incompetent. Okay, I’ll give them an answer. They probably won’t know if I am right or wrong. Hold it, these are smart people. They will know. You look to your boss. Her look is glazed. She doesn’t know the answer either. Besides this is saving her a lot of money in your next review cycle. You have to think clearly. What do you do?

First, realize that the trap question is not about your competence, it is about your integrity.

Senior managers have built in sensors for bluffing. After all, much of what they do might be considered a bluff. (Yes, we can meet those sales targets with half the staff!) They accept that other senior managers will bluff them. But they do not want to be bluffed by you. It will kill your credibility once and for all if you try.

Second, focus on the value of future competence.

Remember that you have already answered some important questions for them. Compare the confidence that you have in those answers to any that you might provide off the cuff. Always think in terms of value the way that senior management thinks about value. They think about “big numbers” and how they and their organizations are measured. Most of all, they want to understand their risk. The best answers unqualified by risk are dangerous to them. You can answer the manager’s question but today’s answer has too much risk (or uncertainty). Tomorrow’s answer will be far more certain.

Third, realize that the on-going relationship ultimately defines your success.

A competitive intelligence function will not likely endure if its people are not trusted by senior management. An untrusted staff will find that the questions are no longer asked, the meeting invitations are no longer received and even the valid, useful conclusions are ignored. Senior managers are constantly sorting through their organizations for the people that they can trust. Most people do not pass the muster but the CI person must do so (or find other work).

So what are some good answers? Try one of these.

• “That’s a great question. It was not considered thoroughly in this analysis. My answer today has too much uncertainty. May I eliminate some of that uncertainty and report back to you next week?”

• “That’s a great question. I have identified several similar issues that require more study. May I address your question and the other issues at the next staff meeting?”

• “That’s a great question. I can only speculate about the answer today. I would love to discuss this with you outside of the meeting when you have time.”

• “That’s a great question. The way I would approach answering it would be to talk with Joe in sales, complete a four corners analysis and then work through the conclusions with the CTO. Would you like for me to do this?”

Remember that you must be competent. However, integrity trumps competence. Avoid the traps that suggest otherwise.

Competitive Intelligence, consulting, integrity, presentations, professional competence, senior management, trap question