Competitive Enablement Maturity Model - Klue
CompetitiveEnablementMaturityModelA Roadmap to Accelerate your Competitive Program5Stages ofCompetitive EnablementMaturity
Get your CompetitiveProgram on the PodiumEvery day, product marketers and competitive leaders come to Klueto learn about what goes into building a best-in-class competitiveenablement program.In order to find out, we worked alongside some of the topcompetitive intelligence practitioners in B2B SaaS and otherindustries and surveyed hundreds of competitive leaders.We discovered that companies with a successful competitiveprogram are driving improvements across the entire business. Thesehighly mature programs improve revenue performance in competitivedeals, have a seat at the executive table, inform strategic decisions,and save time with more efficient processes.So, what makes a successful program? Read on to find out.
Table of ContentsHow We Built The Modelpage 2-10The Keys That Drive Successpage 11-13The 5 Stages of Competitive Enablement Maturitypage 14-24Conclusionpage 25Our Co-creatorspage 26
RoadmapBuilding theMaturity ModelWe analyzed the data from the ‘2021Competitive Enablement Report’,consulted with leading competitivepractitioners in the field, and tappedinto the insights of our own in-houseexperts.The results of this research helpedbuild the competitive enablementmaturity model outlining the fivedifferent stages of OLOGIESKPIS & METRICS
What makes it unique?It’s the first, and the only maturity modelfor competitive enablementUntil now, people have been left to guess what themost important factors are that go into building agame-changing competitive program. There’s beenno benchmark for product marketers and competitiveleaders to assess success.It’s developed alongside thought leadersand experts that have built successfulprogramsNobody wants to be told what to do by someone inan ivory tower that’s detached from reality. That’s whywe collaborated with experts that have actually builtcompetitive programs and advanced them to becomea strategic asset to the business. Their input, along withour report data, determined each stage of the maturitymodel.What does this all mean for you?The maturity model is the methodology you canuse to quickly assess and locate exactly where yourcompetitive program is currently at. With the definingfeatures of each stage clearly outlined, this modelprovides guidance to help you to self-identify as towhere you are now, and what actionable next steps youcan take to elevate your program to the next level.Ready to level up? Klue can help. Book a demo.2
The Defining Featuresof CompetitiveEnablement MaturityOur findings show the most critical components thatdetermine if your program is winning Grand Prixs inMonaco or breaking down at every turn are: objectives,people, processes, technologies, and KPIs & metrics.Let’s take a look at these features and why they matterfor your competitive program.KPI’S & METRICSOBJECTIVESPEOPLEPEOPLEPROCESS3
ObjectivesMature programs establish business objectives andprogram objectives. These programs set out to improverevenue performance and clearly outline how they willinfluence strategic decisions. They also set programobjectives to proactively standardize and scale supportto different teams to help them confidently compete intheir role.However, early stage competitive programs are threetimes more likely to rely on reactive, ad hoc projectsthan mature programs.Our competitive program relies on ad hoc,reactive projects13%MATUREEARLY STAGEReady to level up? Klue can help. Book a demo.40%4
PeopleThe most successful competitive programs don’t stopwith just getting the attention of the exec team, theyearn their full support. Establishing executive buy-ingives your program sustainability, a strategic voice, anda seat at the table.Only 2% of early stage competitive programs aregetting full executive support.How would you rate the executive buy-in for yourcompetitive program?2% Full executive buy-inEARLY STAGEPROGRAMS15% Someexecutivesponsorship30% Full executivebuy-inMATUREPROGRAMS35% Some executivesponsorshipReady to level up? Klue can help. Book a demo.5
ProcessesYou don’t win a race by winging it. And competitiveprograms don’t impact the business without a processattached to how they operate. The most effectivecompetitive programs are regularly collecting anddistributing intel to their user-base and ensure thatthey have a central accessible location with up-to-dateinformation.Mature programs almost unanimously (96%) havethese standardized processes in place.Does your competitive program have standardizedprocesses in place?96% YES4% NOMATURE PROGRAMS40% YES60% NOEARLY STAGE PROGRAMSReady to level up? Klue can help. Book a demo.6
TechnologiesIt looks just a little different under the hood of a go-kartand a Mercedes. Competitive programs are no different— the most mature have technology in place to scaletheir efforts.Nearly two out of three early stage programs are usinglittle to no technology.Our competitive program has little to notechnology in place4%MATUREEARLY STAGEReady to level up? Klue can help. Book a demo.60%7
KPIs & MetricsMature programs establish KPIs, report on themregularly, and measure their impact on revenue.Reporting on KPIs — like revenue performanceimprovement — helps the business understand ifthe competitive program is progressing in the rightdirection.Almost half of early stage competitive programsrevealed that they don’t have any KPIs or reportingmetrics in place. They’re out there driving blindfolded.Does your competitive program have KPIs orreporting metrics?96% YES4% NOMATURE PROGRAMS53% YES47% NOEARLY STAGE PROGRAMSReady to level up? Klue can help. Book a demo.8
Competitive ProgramsAren’t Satisfied WithSecond PlaceTrue competitors hate losing, and competitive program leadersare no different. In fact, less than one in five (18%) surveyrespondents feel that they currently have a mature competitiveprogram in place at their company.And while the overwhelming majority are in the early stages ofdeveloping their competitive program, 86% of them are NOTsatisfied with where they’re at maturity-wise.Sprinkle in the fact that respondents have seen the importance ofcompetitive intelligence increase significantly since the pandemic,and there’s a huge opportunity to elevate both your competitiveprogram’s impact on the business and your role in the org.Ad hoc & reactive48%18%OF PROGRAMS IDENTIFIEDAS DEVELOPINGEmerging &impactingMATURE34%Proactive& scaledOF PROGRAMS IDENTIFIEDAS MATURINGReady to level up? Klue can help. Book a demo.9
The Five Stages ofCompetitive EnablementMaturity» Org-wide usage ofcompetitive content» Early battlecardsoverviewing maincompetitors» Reactive responsesto competitiverequests» Noisy externalcollection and intelshared in PDFs anddecks.» Distributingintel semi-regularly.» First attempt atcentralizing inteland keepingcontent fresh» General win-rateawareness» Intel scatteredacross multipleplaces» No competitiveobjectives ormeasurable KPIsin place» Limited visibilitywith execs» Enabling allrevenue teams andchannel teams within-depth battlecards» Distributing weeklynewsletters» All up-to-datecontent in anaccessible centrallocation» Tracking impact onwin-rate by contentusage» Strategicallyinforming product,execs, and otherstrategy teams» Regular intel briefsto product, sales,execs» Systematicallyproducing rolespecific content» Integrated analyticsfor true revenueattribution» Customized intelbriefs across theorganization» Competitive contentembedded intoline of businesstech stacks» Departmentalimpact metricsacross the business» Exec advocate forcompetitive» Exec commitmentand trust» Exec visibility andsupport» Zero visibility withexecsEnabling MyselfEnabling Others10
The Keys ThatDrive SuccessBefore we dive into the different stages ofmaturity, here are two of the biggest takeawaysthat we discovered during our research.11
1Sales trust is foundational toyour competitive enablementprogram’s success.Earning and maintaining trust with sales is critical at everystage of your competitive program. Why?First, the sales team is the lifeblood for collecting high valueintel from the field at every stage of maturity, and havingtheir collective buy-in allows you to gather informationat scale. Ensure that they use your competitive contenteffectively to improve sales performance so you can gaugehow your competitive program impacts revenue.There’s also a lesser known result of enabling sellers well— they’ll become your ticket to earning a strategic voice inthe company. Nobody wants to be order takers, and if yourprogram is getting vocal support from sales with quantitativemetrics to back that up, then execs are going to notice.Helping sales win competitive deals proves your impact onrevenue in the short-term, which will allow you to take onlonger-term strategic plays. That’s where you can really getinto the fun stuff.“Frankly, building trust with sales should bean objective across all stages of maturity.”Kimberley Bauer, Carbon BlackReady to level up? Klue can help. Book a demo.12
2Intel collection is thefoundation, but with contentit’s quality over quantity.One of the biggest takeaways from our analysis is thatmaturity isn’t just about how advanced your competitiveintelligence gathering tactics are, but about how repeatableand scalable your processes are at enabling the necessaryteams with usable information.Yes, collecting quality internal and external intel is crucialfor your program’s success. But it has no value if it goesunused, collecting dust. A mature program turns intel intoactionable competitive content by adding context and whyit matters, then gets that content into the hands of the rightpeople, and has a process attached to how they should useit to beat their competition.“As a large organization, the most importantaspect of our competitive program isenabling hundreds of employees to usecompetitive intel for their respective roles.”Enterprise UK-based printing companyReady to level up? Klue can help. Book a demo.13
Maturity ModelThe 5 Stagesof MaturityLevel 1 Ad HocLevel 2 AdoptingLevel 3 ImpactingLevel 4 InfluencingLevel 5 Transforming14
Level 1ADHOCReacting to the pastYou’re never going to win an F1 racein a go-kart. But you’re not going towin an F1 race if you didn’t START ina go-kart.OBJECTIVESKPI’S & METRICSPEOPLE‘Ad hoc’ competitive programs are reactiveand often too late. At this stage, competitiveresearch is done on a one-off basis or inresponse to sales requests.At this level, product marketers are assignedto these projects as one of their manyresponsibilities, and simply gathering intelis the name of the game. People across theorg are doing independent research andintel is scattered everywhere. Consider it thewild west of competitive intelligence.TECHNOLOGIESPROCESS15
Defining FeaturesLevel 1 Ad HocOBJECTIVESNo program or business objectives and purely projectbased competitive research like pricing research andmessaging auditsPEOPLEA product marketer with minimal resources. Little to novisibility with the exec team.PROCESSESTECHNOLOGIESKPI’S & METRICS“Focused on collection and reactively responding toexternal requests from sales. Intel is stuck in the mindsof individuals. Providing reps feature-comparison tablesinstead of structured battlecards.Distributing content through static PDFs and decks.Relying on public data and noisy web-scraping tools.No defined KPIs beyond reporting on the status ofone-off research projects.One of the challenges we had was that there were lots of decks andpresentations, but all were slightly modified. You never knew what wasaccurate and what wasn’t, and it was distributed all over the place.”Chris Owen, Director of Product Management, SaviyntWhat’s Next?» Proactively identify your main competitors and monitortheir changes» Create program objectives and measurable goals» Identify a clear owner of competitive enablement» Centralize the existing intel» Build battlecards overviewing main competitors» Share intel bi-weekly with sales and assess their initialconfidence on main competitorsPutting objectives and measurable goals in place — forthe competitive program and the larger business — isa critical starting point for ad hoc programs to get awayfrom their reactive nature. Ad hoc programs need to lookbeyond collecting raw information and instead add context and meaningful insights for the business.Ready to level up? Klue can help. Book a demo.16
Level 2ADOPTINGGetting the basicstogetherAlright, you’re in the race. You’re notcompeting for the podium just yet, butyou’re beginning to close the gap onthe field.At the ‘Adopting’ stage, you’re in theinitial phases of building out a competitiveprogram. You’re starting to centralizecompetitive intel in one place and aimingto keep information up-to-date. Althoughinsights are being shared with sales, therestill isn’t a regimented cadence with how thisis distributed.OBJECTIVESKPI’S & METRICSPEOPLETECHNOLOGIESPROCESSThe program now has some basic objectivesoutlined for the business such as improvingwin-rates, understanding your differentiationin the market, and building messaging.Establishing these KPIs and reporting onthem sheds a bit of light on your program’seffectiveness, but it still isn’t clearlydemonstrating your impact on revenue.17
Defining FeaturesLevel 2 AdoptingOBJECTIVESBasic objectives to improve win-rates and to builddifferentiated messaging. Aiming to have up-to-date intelin a central location.PEOPLEAn individual is in charge of the program, but it still isn’t apriority. Limited visibility with the exec team.PROCESSESActively collecting external data, semi-regularly updatingbattlecards and comparison grids, and in the early stagesof centralizing informationTECHNOLOGIESKPI’S & METRICS“Sharing intel through Slack, email, and Sharepoint.Looking for CI tech to save time in the short-term. Firstattempt at battlecards that provide an overview of maincompetitors.Reporting on KPIs such as win-rate improvements andusage metrics.One of the biggest jumps in our competitive program happened once wecrowdsourced collecting intel. It allowed us to gather information at scaleand ensured that information wasn’t getting stuck within the minds ofa few individuals.”Patty McDonald, Global Solution Marketing Director, Symphony RetailAIWhat’s Next?» Share intel with all revenue teams» Map win-rates in your CRM to battlecard and othercompetitive content usage» Develop further depth of insights on competitorsand make accessible through content layeringand linking.» Start crowdsourcing intel from the field to improvethe quality of competitive insights» Identify emerging competitive threats and enableteams to proactively respond to them» Use quarterly internal surveys to assessimprovements in users’ confidence on competitorsand requests.Establishing more sophisticated sales performancemetrics that can better tie competitive efforts directlyto revenue is crucial to leveling up an adopting competitive program. These programs should expand theirsupport to all revenue teams.Ready to level up? Klue can help. Book a demo.18
Level 3IMPACTINGImproving the bottom-lineYour program is putting salespeoplein a position to overtake thecompetition in head-to-head dealsCompetitive enablement programs at the‘Impacting’ stage are focused on servingall revenue teams at scale and reporting ingreater detail on their impact on revenueperformance.At this stage, there’s a dedicated competitiveenablement team — that can still be ateam of one — along with clear roles andresponsibilities between the programowner, contributors, and support teams.By improving the efficiency of supportingtactical needs, the program can also take onmore proactive strategic initiatives.OBJECTIVESKPI’S & METRICSPEOPLETECHNOLOGIESPROCESSImpacting programs prioritize improvingCRM data hygiene for faster and moreaccurate reporting, integrating theircompetitive program with internal datasources, and using a win/loss program tohelp inform competitive strategy.19
Defining FeaturesLevel 3 ImpactingOBJECTIVESPEOPLEPROCESSES“Clear objectives to enable all revenue and channel teams.Aiming to fully centralize intel, gain wider visibility, and tieefforts directly to revenue.Individual dedicated to leading the program given theincreased support and visibility from the exec team.Crowdsourcing intel from the field and sharing it backout to revenue teams and establishing a repeatable win/loss program. Identifying emerging threats to the salespipeline and enabling teams to respond to them.TECHNOLOGIESAn accessible central platform for all revenue teams that isintegrated with high value internal data sources. Multiple,linked battlecards on each competitor with actionableinformation on how to beat them.KPI’S & METRICSReporting on KPIs with better attribution such ascomparing competitive win-rates between those who usebattlecard content vs. those that don’t, deal velocity/size,and discounting trends.Once you satisfy the lower levels in your hierarchy of needs — whetherthat’s getting your battlecards in order or establishing a baseline rhythmwith your field teams — things can get really interesting.”Justin Topliff, Sr. Product Marketing Manager, HighspotWhat’s Next?» Share quantitative and qualitative insights in regularbriefings across the org» Integrate competitive metrics into businessintelligence tools for true revenue attribution» Expand sharing intel briefs with sales, customersuccess, product, market, and exec teams» Start predicting and preparing for your competitor’snext moves» Use your understanding of the competitive landscapeto forecast future market trends» Have a strategic voice present at all executiveconversationsThe key to improving maturity beyond this stage isbeing able to measure and report on the program’sdirect attribution to revenue. With this in place, programsdevelop even greater trust with execs and earn a loudervoice in strategic initiatives.Ready to level up? Klue can help. Book a demo.20
Level 2INFLUENCINGStrategically guidingthe companyYour competitive program’s enginehas been fine-tuned and is now firingon all cylinders.OBJECTIVESKPI’S & METRICSCompetitive enablement programs atthe ‘Influencing’ stage have enoughcredibility with executives to inform highlevel strategies like the company’s productroadmap and acquisition decisions. There’ssignificant investment and advocacy fromexecs in competitive enablement.PEOPLETECHNOLOGIESPROCESSThe reporting metrics in place measuretrue revenue attribution of the program byintegrating competitive metrics into businessintelligence tools. Influencing programs aredelivering a regular cadence of executive,product, market, and competitive intel briefsin addition to their support for revenueteams.21
Defining FeaturesLevel 4 InfluencingOBJECTIVESObjectives are to increase market share, retain andexpand customers. Aiming to strategically inform productand executive decisions.PEOPLESenior leader in charge of the program, others fully invested in competitive enablement. Possesses a strategicvoice in exec conversations.PROCESSESTECHNOLOGIESKPI’S & METRICS“Weekly intel briefs customized for sales, CS, product,market, and exec teams. Predicting your main competitor’s next moves and proactively preparing against that.Leading larger strategic campaigns to steal customersCompetitive metrics integrated into business intelligencetools for true revenue attribution. Integrations with marketdata and primary research tools to create a view ofcurrent and future competitor trends.True revenue attribution in place such as deal assistmetrics and content attribution. Reporting on marketshare by location, industry, and segment.The idea of enabling every department with competitive intel isforeign, but exciting.”Sophie Pagalday, Locus RoboticsWhat’s Next?» Inform how every department competes in theirrespective roles» Increase the knowledge of competitors across theentire organization» Competitive content shared on every department’stech stack» Measure content usage across every team» Have a member in charge of competitive strategy onthe exec teamIt’s time to transform the way that every departmentin the org competes in their respect markets. In orderto level up, programs have to distribute customizedcompetitive intel to every team and have the contentshared embedded within each department’s tech stack.Consider it wall-to-wall competitive enablement.Ready to level up? Klue can help. Book a demo.22
Level 5TRANSFORMINGImproving competitivenessorg-wideEvery team is in pole positionto knock off their respectivecompetitors. Move over, Toto Wolff,there’s a new leader in town.OBJECTIVESKPI’S & METRICS‘Transforming’ programs have earned broadexecutive trust and buy-in that a seniorexecutive steps up to become a vocalchampion and advocate for competitiveenablement across the org to helpindividuals make decisions more accurately.At this stage, everything is about scale ofadoption throughout the organization.PEOPLETECHNOLOGIESPROCESS23
Defining FeaturesLevel 5 TransformingOBJECTIVESPEOPLECenter of Excellence to quickly spin up competitive teamsin lines of business or departments.PROCESSESA vocal executive champion to advocate for the program’svision and impact across businesses and departments attown halls and corporate events.TECHNOLOGIESKPI’S & METRICS“Providing a personalized view of relevant competecontent for every team and department.Compete content embedded and delivered indepartmental tech stacks.Adoption metrics across the company elevated to KPIlevel as leading indicators of success, in addition torevenue attribution metrics.Competitiveness should inform how every team operates on aday-to-day basis.”Tamara Grominsky, Chief Strategy Officer, UnbounceReady to level up? Klue can help. Book a demo.24
ConclusionCongrats, you’vemade it past thecheckered flag!We’ve worked with experts in the fieldto put together this maturity modelso that you can identify what you cando to accelerate your competitiveprogram’s impact on the business.The defining features of each stage inthe maturity model can help inform notonly where your competitive effortscurrently are, but also what’s next.Wondering where to go next?Book a demo and let’s talk about what this report means for your practice and your companyGET A DEMO
The Co-creatorsWe’d like to thank the competitive experts who helpedco-create this maturity model by contributing their insights and experiences:Justin Topliff, HighspotRuth Wood, BeekeeperTerri Allegretto, VerizonJennifer Hartwell, BoomiRahim Kaba, OneSpanPaul Senatori, SitecoreSherry Schneider, Lincoln Financial GroupSophie Pagalday, Locus RoboticsKimbery Bauer, Carbon BlackAnders Lofgren, HitachiBarbara Doane, EmburseCody Bernard, DriftPete Codevilla, Red HatHope Lynch, CloudbeesNeil Martin, Dell TechnologiesTerry Hurst, WorkdayFiona Schrader, Dell TechnologiesReady to level up? Klue can help. Book a demo.26
Maturity Model We analyzed the data from the ‘2021 Competitive Enablement Report’, consulted with leading competitive practitioners in the field, and tapped into the insights of our own in-house experts. The results of this research helped build the competitive enablement maturity model
Sales Enablement has become firmly entrenched within sales organizations. Almost 60% of respondents now have a Sales Enablement function. Further, the question “Who owns sales enablement?” can be answered with more certainty every year. The trend shows that increasingly (72.5%) sales enablement reports senior sales management.
Fig. 3. Capgemini's DevOps Maturity Model [11] 2.4 Hewlett Packard Enterprise DevOps Maturity Model Inbar et al. [10] from Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE), developed a new maturity model that is aligned with the CMMI maturity model to measure DevOps adoption. This model is designed to cover the entire lifecycle of an
3rd International Conference on Leadership, . Davies, 2004 and others) and institutions (PMI-OPM3, SEI-CMMI-PPMMM Gartner, OGC, P3M3 and other) addressed the topic of maturity in project management and have developed models for evaluating the maturity of . (2010) distinguished between two types of maturity, maturity of the PMO and maturity .
Within the software industry, maturity is frequently related to the Capability Maturity Model (CMM) and the CMM successor, the Capability Maturity Model Integration (CMMI). The Cloud Maturity Model parallels this understanding and measures Cloud capability
The cloud maturity model is a multidimensional approach to how you can identify concrete development targets for your cloud transition. The cloud maturity model includes the notion that people and processes are as important as technology in cloud maturity. We now introduce the Cloud Maturity Model
The Prosci Change Management Maturity Model . info@tpsoc.eu 7 www.tpsoc.eu and Prosci Maturity Model Audit give you the insights you need to assess your organization's change maturity level and map out a strategy for growing your change competency. By advancing your maturity level, you're focusing
Maturity Model is loosely based on the RM3i. The working group chose to modify that tool to expand its appeal to all federal agencies. This Federal RIM Program Maturity Model was created as a tool to measure the maturity of an agency RIM program. It can be used to measure the maturity of agency programs of any size and at any level.
wesley long hospital . womack army medical center . 3 overview of goals the student should spend the majority of their time in the inpatient pharmacy learning the roles and responsibilities of every staff member. this is a medication use process and systems based experience, not a clinical experience. students should be encouraged to work with pharmacy technicians, including those .
