2024 State of Competitive Intelligence

“Having technology integrations set up (from Crayon to our tech stack) helps the sales team find what they need, when they need it. By putting intel in Slack, for example, we’ve noticed a significant reduction in the amount of ad-hoc requests we’re getting because the reps can self-serve.”

“Most battlecard updates are a no-brainer. Of course you make updates when competitors release big announcements and/or your launch a new capability that changes your competitive positioning. Prioritizing when your incorporate other insights can be more challenging considering competitive intel volume. I update Tier One battlecards quarterly and use field intel themes, win/loss findings, and recent wins and displacements to determine what gets added, edited, or even removed from battlecard content.”

“While it’s still early days for incorporating AI into our CI workflows, tracking our competitor’s AI moves — such as new messaging and product releases — became a top priority this past year. As AI continues to dominate the dialogue, CI leaders will be expected to stay ahead of the new AI developments but also understand and be able to advise on their implications and potential pitfalls.”

“The future of CI is augmented: human experts and generative agents collaborating as strategic advisors. Imagine a future where AI analyzes vast amounts of data at lightning speed, while human expertise interprets it — within the unique context of your organization. This isn’t just a tool anymore, it’s a generative teammate joining your CI team. Get ready for this new reality”

“AI is incredibly promising and can be helpful today for content summarization, but is still a long way from credibly conducting win/loss interviews by itself. Until it has feelings — not just the ability to sense them in others, but to experience them itself — it will lack the dignity that I believe is essential to a meaningful human connection.”