Be Smart: Be Human: Be Flexible

How flexible are you in competitive intelligence and Win/Loss analysis? We usually aren’t in situations where the daily news changes how we’ll be with people. However, it’s likely that no matter how much planning we do, there are surprises. So the bottom line is as with many things in life. Do your homework and be prepared. Be flexible and swallow your pride, and let your heart speak when it’s needed. That way when the unexpected happens, you will have an ability to change gears.

Win/Loss Analysis Q&A from July SCIP Webinar

Q & A from July 2015 SCIP Global Chapter Webinar: “Win/Loss Analysis: How to Clinch and Keep the Business You Want.” Competitor analysis comes from Win/Loss analysis (interviews) or comes from Win/Loss + research? If it comes from Win/Loss what is the weight? Competitor analysis comes from many sources, and Win/Loss interviews should be a key …

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3 New Competitive Intelligence Books

Enjoy three 2015 competitive intelligence books: Business and Competitive Analysis: Effective Applications of New and Classic Methods, 2nd Edition by Craig Fleisher and Babette Bensoussan; The Guide to Online Due Diligence Investigations: The Professional Approach on How to Use Traditional and Social Media Resources by Cynthia Hetherington; and Blue Ocean Strategy, Expanded Edition: How to Create Uncontested Market Space and Market the Competition Irrelevant by W. Chan Kim and Renee Mauborgne.

Best Sales Intelligence Practices

This article contains some best practices to engage sales to share competitive intelligence information. It is a timeless topic that I have been researching in my 30 years as a competitive intelligence professional.

Recent Competitive Intelligence Insight

Here are some insightful articles related to competitive intelligence and customer intelligence. Emotional Intelligence: Cult or Competitive Advantage? How to Build a Culture of Givers: 4 Tips; Employers Want Critical Thinkers, But Do They Know What It Means? 10 Great Questions Product Managers Should Ask Customers

Win Loss: Indecision is Often Stress

I have been conducting win loss analysis for 25 years, and have wondered how stress affects decision-making. According to Stephen W Martin, Sales’ biggest enemy is not the competition: it’s “no decision.” Customers are afraid to make decisions due to the stress of buying. They are seldom sure they are purchasing the right product or solution, and there are often naysayers in their organizations who are against moving forward. Customers increasingly don’t make a purchase even after a thorough evaluation. They feel too overwhelmed with information and contradicting evidence to make a decision, and it doesn’t help that there is little product differentiation around the basic features, functions and benefits among the competitors.

Honoring Maya Angelou

The world has lost one of our greatest women this week, Maya Angelou. She has impacted my life with her statements, particularly this one. “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” Thank you Dr. Maya Angelou

From Competitive Intelligence to Sales Enablement: Free Webinar

Join us (Ellen Naylor, Business Intelligence Source; Mitch Emerson, Compelligence; Dean Davison, Forrester Research) for a free 45 minute webinar, “From Competitive Intelligence Collection to Sales Enablement,” on April 22, 2014 at Noon Eastern US. Learn how to collect more effectively from your sales force; how to transform that data into competitive intelligence that Sales can tap into for each deal; and how to hold conversations with customers in ways that resonate with them and engage them to buy.