In this second webinar series, we discussed organizational capabilities. Competitive Intelligence (CI)  programs are often fairly new in one form or another. Sometimes previous programs had failed or had been defunded, but there’s always a newness feeling around CI. Additionally, the CI market hasn’t benefited from the same competitive market as products like CRM or other IT programs. So, where do you start? One of the best places to start is looking for systems and tools.

If you are going to partner with an external CI firm to build your CI team, ask your partners or leaders if they’ve ever done CI in your industry for. If they are simply a software application looking for a sale, be cautious moving forward. CompeteIQ was founded by CI practitioners who transitioned into software, rather than the other way around.

What level are you? Levels have to do with your organization’s capability to produce business results using CI practices. Our model has five levels of organizational segments. There are associated business outcomes associated with each level is what you should focus on.

1. You’re aiming to increase the CI culture in your organization across the board for all employees.
2. Your aim is to produce a business outcome and win more competitive deals. The primary target is sales, as well as engagement of sales leaders. You might be creating and implementing battle cards.
3. You might be trying to influence the brand or campaign or lead generation.
4. Your experience and strategies influence design of future offers or solutions.
5. At this level, you have established yourself as a strategic trusted advisor, looking at things like corporate strategy or vision, or possibly seeking consulting positions.

Where do you sit today? What are your deliverables? You might have goals and deliverables in each category, but might be focused primarily on one. Ed recommends that it is critical to target one organizational segment at a time, and then build on that to establish a foundation for advancing to the next level. The reason is that the sales sponsorships open the doors to marketing and branding, which in turns opens the doors to product management. After accomplishing ownership of these three categories, you will have no trouble transitioning into leadership positions as trusted and experienced advisors. Your path is determined by your goals and the future you envision for your company.

CompeteIQ  is a privately funded company that provides a solution to help companies improve their competitive maturity. It combines a cloud- based software system with competitive best practices that enable enterprise-class companies to market and sell their products more effectively. The CompeteIQ system can help take your company to the next level.