I create detailed Buyer Behavior models that allow you to avoid the most dangerous missteps. Knowing the problems your prospective customers want solved, not necessarily the technical ones, is an issue you need to know. You certainly need to know how they want their technical problems solved, but there may be underlying issues that will help develop that business relationship. Knowing the barriers to entry your technology will create and how the market will respond is an advantage of market research. Keeping your competition at bay is always a good plan and a lousy afterthought in new product introductions.
Financial analysis is a critical component to the whole data gathering activity.
Quantifying prices customers will pay, costs to position, sell and distribute your technology, and customer support desires should be known to capture your new clients and obstruct your competitors I perform financial analyses for both you and your prospective customer to provide you with the knowledge of how your product will affect both bottom lines. Being able to present your customer with the knowledge of how your technology will positively affect their profits and goals is a strong position to be in. Competitive intelligence is the art of ethical research into what your competition is up to and how they are a threat to your plans. I stay on the ethical side of intelligence gathering. I am able to gather significant information from many sources that I synthesize into useful knowledge.