Sound marketing decisions rely on the availability of market information to develop strategy, to decide tactics or to measure performance. However for many organisations the essential information is stored in diverse pockets inside and outside the organisation with little co-ordination in collecting, storing or utilising the data.With the information explosion that has accompanied the development of the Internet- there is an expectation that business information is readily available online and at no cost. But those who have searched without success have realised that finding appropriate and up-to-date information of relevance to key decisions is not so easy.

The need for competitive Intelligence
• Why do we need Information?
• How does information contribute to success and reduces the risks when making decisions?
• The role of market research in building a marketing strategy: How can market research helps to build a picture ‘where are we now?’ and “where are we going?” and contribute to the plan of ‘how will we get there?’
• What is Market Intelligence and how it differs from data, research and insight?

Developing a Market Intelligence system
• Understanding management needs. Guidance on doing an internal survey of management needs
• Stages in developing Market Intelligence system
• Decisions to be made: What do you need to know to build an efficient competitive intelligence system?

What is Market Research?
• The role of market research within a Market Intelligence System
• Methodologies to build the picture: Think beyond the basics of an online questionnaire, Focus Groups or a telephone survey
• 10 Options to consider

UA structured approach to desk research
• Searching in a systematic manner. What is the alternative to using Google to find information?
• Tips on how to locate useful information online
• 10 key sources to try every time
• Pitfalls of using published data. Can you trust what you find?
• How to evaluate online sources?
• When is primary research necessary? Guidance on how to justify the cost associated with undertaking primary research

Competitor Intelligence
• Importance of competitor intelligence. Being aware of both direct and indirect competition
• How to build a competitor’ s profile?
• Checklist of information to collect about the competitors
• Sources to start from
• Applying the primary and secondary skills to building competitor intelligence
• Ethical ways of learning what the competitors are doing
• Setting up a system. How to ensure information is collected and available in a timely manner?

Making sense of all the data
• Selecting what to use and what to discard
• Analysing the data: Finding the patterns that yield the picture
• Putting together a Market Intelligence report
• Presenting data effectively. Suggestions of tools to use to make the findings digestibe
• Adding value- writing recommendations
• Setting up processes for monitoring trends

• Improve your effectiveness in building competitive intelligence
• Understand how information can provide the basis for competitive advantage
• Identify the key information needed for management decision making
• Learn the steps in setting up an internal market intelligence system
• Discover how to tap key existing sources available in a structured manner
• Know when primary research may be necessary – to capture customer voice
• Ensure that maximum use is made of the large amount of data available
• Use information to support management decisions
• Create the supporting evidence from which to make a case for development, continuation or cessation of the service offering

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