How to Use Competitive Intelligence to Gain an Advantage

If you own a business, it’s likely that you’re not unique in your market – there’s always going to be competition. Employing Competitive Intelligence is a smart and effective strategy to attract the majority of your target market and stay ahead of the fast-paced developments.

Why Should You Use Competitive Intelligence?

As we all know, knowledge is power, and this has never been truer than when it comes to business. To have a chance at increasing your performance over your competitors, it’s vital to have information on the inner workings of their companies. Knowing about up-coming changes, new developments and the strengths and weaknesses of your rival will help you to make informed decisions to increase your growth and improve sales. It will also help you to understand your clients better.

How Competitive Intelligence Works

Hiring Global Investigations to perform competitor intelligence for your company will give you a close insight into the workings of your competitors’ business. You first need to decide what information will be beneficial for your company – you’ll get better results by honing in on specifics. Global Investigations will then collect the relevant information you require through a number of processes. This could involve monitoring and analysing online activity through mediums such as social media and changes to a company’s website. However, the most crucial Intelligence is often found offline, and to obtain this information discreetly and legally your company will need the help of skilled professionals. Global Investigations can acquire insight into the workings of competitors by accessing company documents held by the government, contacting direct sources such as suppliers, customers and employees and conducting win/loss analysis, amongst other methods. This information will then be converted into intelligence that your company can act on.

How You Can Use Competitive Intelligence

Once you know more about your opposition, you can use the intelligence to advance in your market and outmanoeuvre others. By understanding the strengths and weaknesses of similar businesses, you can implement your own strategies based on what’s working for them. You can also use their weaknesses for your own gain and thrive where they fail. If you have an inkling that a competitor is working on a similar product or development as you, competitive intelligence can be implemented. Your investigators will look into whether or not this is the case, so you can then monitor the company’s progress and ensure you’re the first to release the product. You can also be prepared if an opposing company is about to make a large move that may shift the market, such as a merger or a proposed partnership, and act accordingly. Being aware of changes before they happen will give you the chance to respond and avoid any problems they may have caused your business. Competitive intelligence can also help you to decipher what your customer base is looking for. Once you know this, developing and implementing an effective business strategy is far easier. This will help you to increase sales and win in your market. You will also gain better knowledge of what your next move should be, predicting what your customers may be looking for next and working towards popular developments.   Competitive intelligence is essential to creating and managing a company that will advance in the fast-paced world of business. Without it, it’s easy to let rival companies take the lead, especially if you don’t know what makes your target customers tick. Invest in knowledge and watch your company thrive. Get in touch with Global Investigations now to get a lead over your business competition.