COMPETITIVE COUNTERINTELLIGENCE
Discover what your own people say to your competitors.
The security budget includes firewalls and phishing tests, but no one carries out the testing of the friendly chat at a trade show stand, the helpful call with a support agent. Each week, competitors gather everything your staff gives away, and we know this because it’s how we gather intelligence for our own clients. We apply these methods to your business so that you will see the gaps before your competitors do.
What We Do
We treat your staff the same way that a competitor would. We act as a buyer when contacting your sales team. We go to your booth at events. We track what your people publish online.
We will show you what a competitor could assemble from your pricing, roadmap, clients, hiring practices, and weaknesses. You’ll gain a clear understanding of where information leaks from your business and also receive training to eliminate those gaps. We won’t blame your team; it’s about learning, not blaming.
Why this matters
In most cases of information loss, there is no breach, since nothing is hacked. For example, a salesperson shares a discount limit to keep a deal going. An engineer states at a conference that a release has been delayed. A support agent confirms that they have a well-known client. Each fact seems harmless on its own, but when an experienced analyst handles it, it can reveal your plan.
What we test
What your team says during sales and pre-sales about pricing, discount limits, the roadmap, and your clients when a serious buyer asks us remains unnamed.
Support and account management
What front-line staff confirm about problems, outages and customer names
Conference and exhibition teams
What stand staff and speakers tell a friendly visitor with good questions
Partner and supplier channels
What resellers and suppliers say about you
Online footprint
What your people publish on LinkedIn, in conference slides, on podcasts and in job adverts
What you find out
- What a competitor could learn about you
- Which teams, roles and channels leak the most
- The questions that get answers, and the ones your team deflect
- Which small details link up to reveal plans you meant to keep private
- Where your policies and training fall short in practice
- A ranked list of fixes
That is how your competitor sees you. From now on, you can see it too.
How do we do Counterintelligence?
Our analysts developed their skills while working for British military intelligence and use the same HUMINT techniques we use in our B2B mystery shopping and event intelligence activities; they create believable personas, contact your staff through ordinary business channels, and have the conversation the way a real competitor would.
Every engagement follows five steps:
- The scope includes the information you need to protect and the teams involved.
- We will sign the rules of engagement within a SOW.
- We run approaches across calls, events, email and online over an agreed window.
- Here is what we collected, together with an explanation of how we obtained it and what it shows.
- We share real examples from the tests with your teams.
How we protect your people
We examine habits, processes and training, and we publish the results by team and channel without giving any names. The terms prohibit using the findings as a basis for disciplinary action.
Who uses it
- Chief executives and boards preparing for a launch, funding round, sale or merger
- Security leaders who test phishing and access but have no view of spoken information loss
- Heads of sales who want their teams to sell with confidence without giving away margin or roadmap
- Marketing and events teams sending staff to major shows such as GITEX and Infosecurity Europe
- Private equity firms checking portfolio companies before an exit
- General counsel protecting trade secrets and deal information
Why Octopus Intelligence?
For more than twenty years, we have gathered competitive intelligence for clients in the UK, Europe, the US, and the MENA region. We have watched a few hundred competitors’ sales calls, visited their exhibitions and talked to their employees. We know what people inadvertently reveal and why. That is why we can identify the same gaps in your business.
Related services
- B2B mystery shopping
- Win-loss analysis
- Counterintelligence Case Study: What Your Own Sales Team Told Your Biggest Competitor
- Counterintelligence helps ships safely navigate angry waters
- Counterintelligence Case Study: The Funding Round That Nearly Leaked
Just book a free consultation.
And we provide discrete and comprehensive competitor product evaluation services.
Frequently asked questions
What is competitive counterintelligence?
This service is designed to protect your business against having its competitive intelligence gathered. We assess the amount of sensitive information your employees disclose to people outside the organisation and then assist you in reducing that disclosure.
How does this differ from phishing simulation or penetration testing?
The services check systems, links and passwords; we examine conversations. We look at the things that your staff say to buyers, visitors, recruiters and partners. The two are sitting beside one another.
Is it legal?
Yes, provided that it is properly scoped and authorised. We agree on the rules of engagement with your senior management, and we comply with data protection and call-recording laws in each market.
Will the report include staff names?
No, our reports are prepared by team, by role type, and by channel; furthermore, our terms state that the findings cannot be used as a basis for disciplinary action.
Shall you inform the staff in advance?
We agree with you on this point. Most clients select a small number of senior sponsors, keep the test window confidential, and then hold the teams back for a debriefing session. Maintaining confidentiality is necessary.
Where do you work?
We operate in the UK, the US, and the MENA region, with prominent exhibitions in the UK, Europe, and the Middle East and Far East.