I’ve often played the “secret shopper,” hired to approach key competitors as a customer or as a consultant to a prospective customer.  The goal is to find out in detail what the Other Guys are really saying about themselves — and about you — plus specifics on their products, pricing, positioning, channels and delivery dates.

It’s very difficult for insiders to do this because [1] return phone calls to their office voicemail give away the game immediately, [2] competitive analysis needs consistency and concentration during several weeks of sporadic discussions, and [3] internal product managers/product marketers already believe they know the answers. Continue reading →