As I said before, the other most common mistake that deprives SWOT analyses of their value is the failure to take the essential next step, after it has been completed.  “What is that next step?” you may ask.  The answer lies in the fundamental intent behind the SWOT analysis.  The purpose of a SWOT is […]

Price to Win is both a process and a result.  Price to Win as more than a number, but could be best defined as the cost-capability tradeoff that embodies your company’s strategy. Price to Win, the process, identifies the position your company needs to achieve to meet your company’s business goals and objectives.  It does […]

Whether you love them or hate them, SWOT Analyses have been around for many decades, and they continue to pervade the realm of business development and strategic decision-making, most commonly in competitive assessment.  I could talk at length about why these simple quad charts have garnered so much attention (both positive and negative) over the […]

Price to Win is always an ongoing process, which undergoes many iterations before an actual proposal is ever delivered.  Richter & Company’s training courses are designed to give you the tools and templates you need to maximize the benefit of your competitive intelligence and price to win efforts.  Actionable intelligence is derived from following the […]

Over the course of the past several years, “best value” has reigned supreme in the federal contracting world.  But with the economic downturn, we’ve seen an increase in Lowest Price-Technically Acceptable (LPTA) contracts.  Despite the general aversion for LPTA awards, they’re here to stay. Last summer, Washington Technology did a survey among contractors regarding LPTA […]

At Richter & Company, we make the call.  Primary research– actually talking to people within industry– provides quantitative data we need to make sound analysis. On most projects, there are 150 to 300 contacts that we reach out to.  In our consulting role, we have flexibility in reaching out to companies as a third party.  […]

Brandon Conroy, former Competitive Intelligence Analyst at Northrop Grumman, has joined Richter & Company as Executive Competitive Analyst.  As an Executive Analyst, Conroy will provide senior-level competitive analysis and business development support for clients.  Conroy will also be involved in training development. “We’re excited to have Brandon join our team,” said Randy Richter, President and […]

Competitive analysis can be a daunting task.  At Richter & Company, we believe strong, reliable processes build the foundation and framework for sound, defensible analysis.  Competitive analysis can be broken down into three parts: Business Intelligence forms the foundation of competitive intelligence.  It focuses on quantitative numbers, like financial metrics and number of units produced.  […]

Many companies include the SWOT chart as part of a competitive intelligence presentation.  They spend a lot of time preparing the strengths and weaknesses, opportunities and threats, and creating a beautiful image.  And… that’s it. SWOT charts were designed to be springboards for creating strategies.  What products or services will the company leverage?  How will […]

In the journey of competitive intelligence, it’s essential to have some kind of knowledgebase to store information.  This knowledgebase allows you to capture data, analyze historical trends and preposition information as you move into the future.  Here are a few characteristics of a strong knowledgebase: A strong knowledgebase is shared by your team.  Too often, […]