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 Introduction: . . . analyze privately-held companies and subsidiaries?" A Step-by-Step Guide: The Means, Not Just The Sources There is no such thing as an "intelligence cookbook," but there are right ways and wrong ways, efficient means and inefficient means, to begin a competitive assessment. I have written this book to help you understand intelligence, not as a forumula but as a process. of discovery. Sometimes the discovery may be as small as uncovering a new way to sort data in some unusual but informative way. The discovery may be a regulatory filing that contains operational details on a plant or facility. Or, the discovery may be new and better ways to analyze a competitor's costs or predict a new product roll-out. In order to help you "discover" all these new sources and ideas, I have included dozens of War Stories that describe how to develop and apply intelligence. These stories range from the unusual such as the Rust on Rails annecdote, to the provocative such as the Know Thy Brothel story. The War Stories are meant to arrest your attention and help you think intelligence, not simply memorize sources. Part 1 of this book opens up this intelligence tool kit by first defining the role of and the boundaries of competitor or business intelligence. It also presents the fundamental techniques that will get you started in this process. Part 2 describes the thousands of basic and creative sources available to you around the globe. Because information flows differently in different industries and in different cultures, I have given you both the sources themselves and the means for you to locate other sources and techniques. This section brings together the experience of researchers in many industries and shows how corrugated boxes, box cars, technical manuals, help-wanted ads and even the Yellow Pages can reveal a great deal about your competitor. In Chapter 8, "International Intelligence," you will learn about how to create intelligence maps, an approach to conducting intelligence projects outside your native country. Part 3 describes both the art and the discipline of analysis, and it does so by using actual (but disguised) cases. By reviewing the cases, you will learn how to address questions on a competitor's cost structure, future strategies and new product or service plans. Each case allows you to effectively look over the project manager's shoulders, seeing how the competitive issue was addressed, the analytical framework used and the recommendations the client received. Part 4 discusses a critical -- but an often overlooked -- piece of the intelligence process, that of accepting and taking action on the intelligence. In this section, you will learn how to present your findings to that your colleagues or your management will make decisions. You will also learn how to establish an on-going intelligence system, an approach that has worked for companies around the world. Once again, you will see many illustrations of real-world systems -- and not a lot of theory. The final issue in this section (and in the book) covers intelligence security. It takes the flip side of the intelligence coin and outlines ways for you to avoid losing the vital information your business needs to survive and prosper. The Key: The Strategic Intelligence Index I expect that each reader will use this book a different way. That is why I have designed a unique index for the front of this book, The Strategic Intelligence Index. I have found over the years that clients from Japan, Germany, from manufacturing and from service industries often look for markedly different and divergent types of information. The Index reflects these many uses. If you are looking for ways to assess a service company, or ways to determine cost of operations, or examine a company's R&D activities, the Strategic Intelligence Index pulls together all the references in the book that touch on or explore your question. While I cannot hope to read everyone's mind, I believe you will find the Index versatile enough to help you locate at least a lead to your ultimate solution, if not the solution itself. Advice From The Experts I have recruited a group of internationally-known experts to comment on the far-reaching applications and benefits of competitor and business intelligence. Virtually all aspects of business operations have embraced the need for intelligence in recent years -- from total quality management to benchmarking, from the purchasing function to a company's international marketing efforts. I believe you will enjoy the many iconoclastic opinions expressed by these business gurus. Their comments will serve to help you think about the new and very practical ways to apply the intelligence process to your business and to your job. A Note About The Sources This book has many thousands of sources which I and my staff have spent countless hours verifying. Inevitably, you must expect that over time many of these addresses will change and some publishers will go out of business or merge. My intent for this book is to show you where a unique source exists and where you can find others. So, when a particular source no longer exists or the company itself has gone out of business, you will have the tools and the techniques available to find others. Whatever your job or business make intelligence a part of your workday. Fold it into every task, from trade show visits, to sales meetings to scientific conferences. Competitor intelligence is not just for market analysts; it is for everyone, for every decision maker. Order your copy today. |
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