𝐌𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐟𝐥𝐲 𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐠𝐲.

Why?

Because they forget what the intelligence community figured out long ago: people talk.

While reading Confidential: Uncover Your Competitors’ Top Business Secrets, I couldn’t help but draw parallels between CIA fieldcraft and the world of business intelligence.

Here are a few standout insights:

🔹Human sources are king.
Early warning without them? Nearly impossible. Competitors, customers, suppliers—even that chatty person at the trade show—can become valuable intelligence nodes.

🔹Elicitation beats interrogation.
Forget blunt questions. The pros use conversational judo: subtle, ego-suspending techniques that draw out insights naturally (and legally). Think less “grill session,” more “Sherlock Holmes with a coffee.”

🔹Trade shows are the new battlefield.
With the right prep and positioning, one well-placed conversation can yield more value than months of desk research.

🔹Competitive intelligence isn’t just about gathering—it’s about guarding.
Protecting your own data, mapping your vulnerabilities, and even deploying strategic misdirection should be part of your playbook.


Bottom line?
Confidential doesn’t advocate for espionage—it advocates for discipline, curiosity, and ethical awareness. It’s a reminder that the smartest businesses are both hunters and guardians.

Have you ever used intelligence-gathering principles in your business strategy? Or seen them used on you?

Let’s hear some stories (the legal ones, of course).