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Case Study #1 How a Communications Company used
Continuous Competitive Intelligence (CCI)™ to Increase Sales
The Problem:
An EndGame Advantage client was selling a communications tool in an emerging market. Although its product had made it one of the pioneers, the technology was now heading toward the mainstream. The number of competitors was increasing daily and prospect's questions were becoming more complex in nature. Salespeople had to transition from explaining the merits of the client's product to justifying this product was a better solution than competitive offerings. Revenues were decreasing, salespeople became frustrated and top management had to divert strategic resources to helping sales efforts.
The Solution:
After conducting a needs analysis with the company's top management, EndGame went to work to address their Competitive Intelligence (CI) requirements on several levels. To help address the immediate sales needs, EndGame identified the main competitors through interviews with each salesperson. To disseminate findings, a series of Brown Bag training sessions were developed, targeting sales and marketing personnel. Each session identified one top competitor and explained the competing product lines. Special emphasis was placed on why the client company's products were superior to the competitor. Time was left in each session for feedback from sales as to how they had fared when going "head to head" with the competitor. This had the effect of fostering communication among sales representatives while providing EndGame valuable information that could be added to the extensive intelligence database maintained by EndGame on behalf of the client company. The company then implemented EndGame's Talking Point Alerts system, via EndGame's CCI process, so salespeople would receive Talking Points as soon as or before competitors released new products or upgrades.
Result:
Salespeople felt more confident about their own product and how it was positioned in the market. Sales revenue immediately increased in the short term while product development efforts became more targeted for
long term gains.
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Case Study #2 - How an Internet ASP used CCI to get Disparate Departments Talking the Same Company Line
The Problem:
Another EndGame client was selling an internet-based software service. New technologies had led to a major shift in the market. Although the company
took advantage of the new technology in time, new companies began competing with EndGame's client by adding seemingly comparable services. To complicate matters, existing competitors were updating products quarterly and it was almost impossible to keep up. Marketing and engineering were at odds as to how to improve the product. Sales representatives received different information based on their region and sales support staffs. The PR firm hired by the company received mixed messages about an upcoming product launch and about how to position the product relative to the competition. This led to a decrease in analyst and press coverage, further hampering the company's positioning and bargaining power relative to partnerships and reseller arrangements.
The Solution:
Endgame worked with Senior VPs to determine the global objectives of the company and desired strategic
direction. EndGame immediately set up its CCI process to receive information from internal and external contacts at the client company. This allowed EndGame to leverage information from existing sources while conducting additional research. Lost leads were contacted to find out why
they chose certain competitors. Engineers and product management were brought in
and asked to explain why they made certain technological enhancements. After the research and analysis phase, EndGame prepared a competitive overview training event. Because the company was dispersed, EndGame held the event online via Web Conferencing. This meant company personnel could log in via their own office or personal computers. In addition, the session was recorded so new personnel or those that missed the event could access the training. A portion of the event was dedicated to Q/A and a lead engineer was brought
in to address technical questions from sales about the Company's own product enhancements. In addition, the company received "Talking Point Alerts" via EndGame's CCI process which meant that appropriate company contacts received formulated responses to competitors actions. The PR firm was included in these Talking Point Alerts" which meant the company representatives always gave the same "story".
Result:
Once sales and marketing realized why their technology path held an advantage over the competition, marcom efforts and sales pitches had the effect of convincing prospects and analysts about the superiority of the company's product line. The company was acquired by a new company
that had attempted to "beef up" their product line with a similar but "sub-par" technology.
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