Octopus Competitive Intelligence

  Communicating Competitive Intelligence and the bloody big ship and how to present your findings You know there’s more to Competitive Intelligence than SWOT competitor analysis? Or battle cards and collecting tons of data? And most importantly, analysts must present their findings in the best way possible. This is called Communicating Competitive Intelligence and the bloody big ship and how to present your findings. The insight you have worked hard to find. © 2012 EON Productions Everyone is different Each Intelligence end user may need a different message. Some may prefer the details of how we came to find that piece of insight and the perceptions and thinking behind every option.  But every audience will expect you to have a point of view and an opinion on the situation and the data you have used. And everything you claim must be backed up with verified data.  What do they want to know? Some decision-makers want to know, see and study every piece of data. But others wi...

  Competitive intelligence does not mean beating yourself up over your competitors. Something cropped up over the weekend after an email exchange with a client. It’s a concept we’ve been thinking a lot about for a while. Businesses get into trouble and stress everywhere. Usually, as a result of unreasonable customer demands*. Or competitors making it hard for them and forcing them to cut prices to compete or go the extra mile to beat them. People are screwing around with their face-to-face or on social media. Letting you know what you can’t do. Doubting you or criticising for something you believe in. Or leaving negative comments that hurt you. After all, you live and breathe what you do. * but not our customers, of course 😉 No one can screw with your head But the reality is, nobody can screw with your head with their judgments than how you judge yourself.  It’s very clear to us. And has been for a while that looking at what your competitors are doing is critical. But us...

  Why competitive intelligence is not for copying your competitors. You know competitive intelligence is not for copying your competitors. Your dangerous competitors are good at what they do because they focus on their products. And what’s missing in their market and what customers want. The idea for this article came from wandering around ASDA. Following the better half around, trying to look interested. We noticed their new party section. Now, you may wonder what a party section in the local Asda has to do with competitive intelligence. Well, seeing the multi-coloured balloons, party hats, and cakes made got us thinking.  Asda and Morrisons Asda and all the other supermarkets in the UK and beyond have insight managers coming out of their ears. Busy detecting buying patterns changes and working out how to sell more stuff to more people. All valuable and powerful stuff. What is Competitive Intelligence? Competitive Intelligence is the finding & critical analysis of informa...

  How competitor analysis makes you appear to be a mind reader? Competitor benchmarking is an important aspect of competitor analysis for any company. It allows you to gain a deeper understanding of your competitors’ business. It helps monitor your performance compared to your leading competitors.  Basic competitor research isn’t enough to keep tabs on your competitors’ every move. Usually, the competitor  intelligence  gathering method is short of one crucial aspect. That’s getting into the psyche of competitors. That’s why the entire arsenal of competitive intelligence is essential when researching competitors. Competitor analysis is just one tool of competitive intelligence.  Get in their heads Companies grow according to the personality and mentality of those in charge. The objective of the company’s decision-makers usually aligns with the company’s aim. This is why we see that companies often seem inconsistent and sometimes bizarre with their strategies. So...