A practical introduction to the necessity of competitive intelligence for smarter business decisions-from a leading CI expert and speaker

In Competitive Intelligence Advantage, Seena Sharp, founder of one of the first Competitive Intelligence firms in the US, provides her expert analysis on the issues and benefits of CI for today's businesses. CI is critical for making smarter business decisions and reducing risks when formulating strategies, leading to more profits and fewer mistakes.

This is a practical guide that explains what CI is, why data is not intelligence, why competitor intelligence is a weak sibling to competitive intelligence, when to use it, how to find the most useful information and turn it into actual intelligence, and how to present findings in the most convincing manner. Importantly, Sharp argues that businesses would benefit from shifting their perspective on CI from viewing it as a cost to viewing it as an investment that saves money and provides immediate value.

• Author Seena Sharp is a noted CI expert who established Sharp Market Intelligence in 1979
• Addresses all the most common myths and misconceptions about CI
• Includes more than sixty examples of when to use CI
• Completely explains the ins and outs of CI, and why your company will act faster and more aggressively with CI

Competitive intelligence is a management tool that is misunderstood and underestimated, yet results in numerous benefits. If you are a senior level executive or operate a business-and you aren't tapping the power of CI to improve your decision making-you are missing a potent advantage.

Seena Sharp founded one of the first competitive intelligence firms in the United States. She has long been actively involved in CI, working as a CI leader at major corporations, writing articles on CI for business publications, and frequently speaking throughout the U.S. and Europe, including international conferences for the Society of Competitive Intelligence Professionals (SCIP). Her CI clients include American Express, Lucent, Saatchi & Saatchi, Hilton Hotels, and numerous industrial businesses and non-profit organizations, in the U.S., Europe, Asia, and Africa.

Table of Contents

Introduction: Required Reading (Yes, Really).

1 The Emergence of the Hapless Executive.

2 Defining and Refining Competitive Intelligence.

3 Competitive Intelligence: What You Don’t Know Will Hurt You.

4 Why Fixating on Competitors Is Misguided.

5 Three Critical Distinctions.

6 All Information is Not Equal.

7 Knowing When and Why to Power Up the CI Engine.

8 Next Steps for You and Your Company.

9 Understanding and Evaluating Information Sources.

10 Performing Like a CI Pro.

11 Demystifying Competitive Intelligence, One Myth at a Time.

12 What’s in It for Me?

13 Playing by the Rules, SCIP, Resources.

Acknowledgments.

About the Author.

Index.

304 pages, Hardcover