Let’s talk about an often overlooked, but super important issue in business and sales that is completely underestimated …

I’m talking about market intel.

So often we think selling is all about the conversation, the offer and conversion – but there is a critical step before that we should be talking about.

Prior to the sale we need intimacy and I’m not talking about intimacy of relationship – I’m specifically talking about intimacy of intel and insight.  In other words, when you know your marketplace, both customers and competitors, better than anyone else, you have an automatic market advantage.

When the customer feels like you know them better than anyone else, you get a disproportionate advantage.

When you know your competition better than they know you, you get a disproportionate advantage.

Of course this really means that you know how your customers and competitors think.

This is basic game theory!  

In any covert law enforcement or military activity, intel is everything.  In elite sport, intel and preparation is everything.  You win the game BEFORE you take the field!

Why would we think business is any different?

There are two key aspects to great business and sales intel:

Capturing it – in today’s world you must find a tool that lets every member of your team easily and quickly capture intel ON THEIR PHONE that can then be easily shared across the business.

Using it – key people in the business must establish a cadence of looking at, understanding and then adjusting for the story the intel is giving them.

We could spend days on this topic but for now, I’d love to know how you use intel in your business in deliberate and strategically powerful ways?