Our book on management especially focuses on the process side of business, though the importance of processes are probably more often overlooked in sales and marketing. In doing competitive analysis, you must search for the truth about your competition while you hide your own abilities and position. Sun Tzu thought that misleading the competition was largely the key to success. You must recognize that while you are analyzing the competition, they are also analyzing you. Markets are dynamic because your competitors are adjusting to you just as you try to adjust to them.
Competition is a moving target.
You don't want to aim as where competitors are weak now, but where they will be weak in the future. To do this, you have to guide them with misinformation. We will end this discussion of competitive analysis with Sun Tzu's words on the importance of deception. W arfare is one thing. It is a philosophy of deception.