This course explores all the different methods to perform competitive intelligence, counterintelligence, and research sources. Understanding your competitors and the market is a key skill every company needs. All companies need to have at least an informal competitive intelligence program to be proactive and not be surprised by announcements that could leave their company behind.

If you are raising capital one question from an investor about a competitor, you are not aware of can kill an investment opportunity. And more importantly CI and market research are needed to ensure that you are properly differentiated, not just on market entry, but for years to come as your company evolves and grows using a long-term strategy. Differentiation is the key criteria for success from which all good things flow including market power, pricing/margins, lower marketing and customer acquisition costs and lower sales costs too. When you understand the competition your targeting and messaging to highlight your Unique Selling Proposition (USP) will be more clear and effective.

Research shows that most ventures trying to raise money fail because they do not understand their market well enough. It is critical to identity a unique target market of your optimum customers, which is different than competitors, and/or offer a different solution. There can be a dozen or more dimensions on which to differentiate. And to understand how to position a company. This is only possible by studying the competitive landscape to understand many dimensions of the market, and present them visually to staff, investors and other stakeholders.