Meet CIS at the Quest Center in beautiful Naples, Florida.
As a leading competitive
intelligence supplier in the U.S., we believe that the world of competitive research
changed for the better when the Economic Espionage Act became law in 1996.
Drafters of this law sought to
protect U.S. companies from theft by foreign interests of trade secrets and other
confidential information. The law also potentially affects any company operating in
the U.S. that is concerned about what competitors are doing.
The Economic Espionage Act has
dramatically altered how companies may gather information on their competitors. The
law also affects third party research organizations such as ours. While many in the
competitive research community have yet to grasp the full significance of the new law, we
at CIS have done so.
Our clients may rest assured that
they are working with a supplier that fully understands the law, does not engage in
certain controversial "gray area" research, and uses research techniques that
are without even a hint of impropriety. We do not seek to acquire, and
will not accept, confidential information or trade secrets.
Competitive
Intelligence Services, Inc.™
works on a confidential basis
with only ONE CLIENT PER BUSINESS CATEGORY, avoiding conflicts of interest. We
practice full disclosure, and we adhere to the ethical guidelines of the Society of Competitive Intelligence Professionals
(SCIP).
In fact, our company's ethical guidelines are tougher than those of SCIP.
We have special expertise in
sophisticated analysis, market profiling, secondary research, acquisition due-diligence. We often
conduct customer and prospect surveys.
CIS also has expertise in
development of business plans, which usually include competitive profiles, to present to
venture capital firms. As a free service to our business plan clients, CIS provides
customized, targeted lists of venture capital firms (with key personnel).
These are the essential elements of
the competitive intelligence services we offer:
-
The
study of competitors.
-
Systematic
programs.
-
Professional
management.
-
Honest,
experienced researchers.
-
Use
of only legal and ethical means.
Combining these elements, we define
"competitive intelligence" as
follows:
The study of competition, using
only legal and ethical means, systematically applied by honest and ethical professionals.
All competitive intelligence assignments
have one common element. That is the objective of obtaining
ACTIONABLE BUSINESS INFORMATION
about competition. In other words, this is information which clients
can profitably use in planning and managing their businesses, NOT ho-hum
data of mere academic interest.
Note that it is possible to acquire
ACTIONABLE BUSINESS INFORMATION
about competitors, even given the restrictions of the Economic Espionage
Act. Permit us to include some illustrations of non-confidential,
non-trade secret information that is often (but not always) available about
companies:
Strategic and tactical objectives and goals.
Feedback on companies, products,
markets.
Strategic
thinking trends and channels.
Marketing
tactics.
Sales
figures and trends.
Advertising
campaigns planned.
New
product research and development.
Target
account strategies and tactics.
Customer
service techniques.
Business
culture or work environment.
Acquisition
and/or downsizing strategies.
Self-perception
of company image.
Perception
of competition.
Backgrounds
of executives, in depth.
Marketplace
perceptions of the company.
Distribution
channels.
Pre-acquisition
due-diligence, in depth.
As stated above, we accept and work with
only ONE CLIENT PER BUSINESS CATEGORY,
avoiding all potential conflicts of interest.
It is important to emphasize again
that the techniques we use are 100% legal and 100% ethical. We avoid even a hint of
impropriety and, when conducting primary research, always inform respondents that we are
conducting research for a competitor or a company with significant interest in the
field and are therefore NOT interested in confidential information or trade
secrets.
This is one factor that sets us apart from many other research organizations.
Another major strength and
advantage for our clients is that we provide smart analysis and comprehensive reporting,
based on many years of business experience in a variety of fields.
For our recommended listing of
excellent
online research sources,
click
here.
