The world of Competitive Analysis is often like watching the Discovery Channel. Every company “spins” themselves to the tune of a primate puffing his chest to protect his troop from outsiders.
If you talk to a business development director, they’ll often tout their company as “a leader in the business, with a creative, innovative approach in the marketplace.” And so on, and so forth. Every business development manager says that.
In order to get valuable information from talking to a company, you have to be able to “read through the spin.”
Looking at company news, financial reports, and talking to employees in the field help you get a more realistic look at how a company is faring. Recent acquisitions, bid and proposal efforts and management statements help reveal business strategy. Once you “read through the spin,” you’re left with what matters: the basis for real analysis.
