Podcast Episode: Building CI Credibility at Your Company

New month, new quarter, new… podcast episode. We’re kicking off April with a fresh episode on Into the Fray: The Competitive Intelligence Podcast! 

In case you missed our last blog, the podcast is hosted by Crayon’s own Erik Mansur–who prior to his time at Crayon, had stints in radio as a DJ (he’s a pro). In each episode, Erik interviews trailblazers in the CI field and discusses a wide range of topics–offering actionable insights on how CI can transform entire organizations. 

Before we go on, make sure you’re caught up on our first three installments, covering the ROI of CI, CI planning for 2022, and creating a culture of CI. Up to speed now? Good. 

In our latest episode, Erik sat down with Holly Jackson, the Head of Competitive Intelligence at Talkdesk. The duo discussed how to build CI credibility at an organization–no easy feat! Let’s give you a sneak peek into their conversation. 

Building credibility as the owner of a CI program | Holly Jackson, Head of Competitive Intelligence at Talkdesk

Do you remember a time when you had to prove your worth and capabilities to earn respect from your peer(s)? I’m guessing the answer is yes. 

Now imagine having to prove the value of your CI strategy and initiatives to a room full of colleagues who, quite frankly, don’t understand what you do or the value CI holds. I have a feeling every CI practitioner knows the feeling.

But, have no fear–our latest podcast episode is here… discussing exactly how to navigate this situation and prove your credibility.

When implementing (or scaling) your program, proving the functional discipline of CI can feel like an uphill battle. To demonstrate your program’s value, you must build allies across your organization–from product and engineering, all the way to marketing. Your peers must feel like they can rely on you and the information you’re sharing–whether that be your constant flow of new intel to inform their department’s strategies or the accuracy of intel throughout sales enablement materials. In the long run, building this trust will not only help you get more buy-in and create a culture of sharing, but it’ll help get more field intelligence sent your way.

Erik and Holly dive deep into this throughout the episode, naming these allies ‘influencers’–the stakeholders at your company who hold the power to affect the decisions of others because of their authority, knowledge, position, or relationship. If you can’t think of any current CI ‘influencers’ at your company, it’s time to set up meetings with leaders in each department. 

This only scratches the surface of what was discussed. The duo also covered the following:

• The value of quantifying your CI efforts
• How to prove the credibility of CI processes vs. projects
• Tips for uncovering CI champions within your organization
• Why you should brief stakeholders unfamiliar with CI on your tasks and goals
• The importance of demonstrating how stakeholders conduct CI organically

If scaling your program and getting buy-in company-wide are top priorities for you in 2022, you better grab your pen and notepad because this episode is chock-full of takeaways you can implement today!

Ensure you have the strongest CI program in your industry

Have you been thinking about adding headcount to your CI function? Are you curious if other companies are investing in CI technology in 2022 to streamline processes? Our 2022 State of Competitive Intelligence Report will answer these questions for you and more!

By arming yourself with CI data and tips from our report, you’ll keep your CI program growing and your competitive intel flowing. Click the banner below to download it for free!