3 Tips For Researching Your Rivals

Know your enemy and know yourself.

By Christopher Hann • Oct 26, 2016

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

Q: What are the best ways to research the competition?

A: When it's time to size up your opposition, consultant and author Becky Sheetz invokes the wisdom of ancient Chinese military strategist Sun Tzu: Know your enemy, and know yourself.

1. Cultivate spies. Hire your competition's top salespeople -- or at least invite them for lunch, dinner or cocktails. "It's a great conversational way to find out stuff you may not otherwise be able to," says Sheetz, author of The Art of War for Small Business.

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