external source definition
You have suddenly become a spy. You don't creep through dark alleys or have gun fights in the street, but you do have sources that can provide you the information you need; these are your external marketing sources. External marketing sources are sources of marketing information that are obtained from outside your company. External sources can provide company, customer, competitor, or industry data. External marketing information is most reliable when it is gathered from and compared with a variety of external sources, such as those we'll explore in this lesson.