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Competitive Intelligence (CI) professionals often find themselves in a paradox: the more seamlessly we integrate insights into decision-making, the less visible our value can seem. It’s the CI equivalent of being the stagehand who moves props perfectly—no one notices unless something goes wrong. But in our current world, “invisible value” just won’t cut it. Decision-makers need to see it, and it’s up to us CI professionals to show it!

Enter ROCI®: Return on Competitive Intelligence, a framework I refer to as Rocky (play movie theme music now). Gary Maag and I developed it in 2006, building on Jan Herring’s work on Measures of Effectiveness, to help CI professionals articulate and amplify their strategic value. 

The ROCI® Framework has stood the test of time because it tackles the very challenge CI leaders face when cornered by skeptics. It provides a structured, defensible, and flexible approach to proving CI’s value through measurable outcomes, incorporating the perceived value of deliverables directly from the stakeholders using it. Today, I’m adding a fresh lens to ROCI® with four key pillars that make it even more actionable and measurable: Relevance, Outcomes, Confidence, Impact.

1. Relevance: If It Doesn’t Matter, It Doesn’t Matter

The first hurdle isn’t data quality or analytical rigor—it’s relevance. CI must address the burning questions that keep leaders awake at night and help them solve problems.

Consider a Fortune 500 CPG company preparing to launch a new product in an oversaturated category. Their CI team could have delivered a standard competitor overview. Instead, they reframed the analysis to spotlight competitor supply chain vulnerabilities amid emerging geopolitical tensions. That pivot shifted the conversation from “How do we compete?” to “How do we win while competitors are constrained?” Relevance unlocked strategic advantage.

2. Outcomes: Insights Are Not the Destination

Insights are only as good as the decisions they drive. CI should be measured not just by reports delivered but by the quality of outcomes influenced. Did leadership make a smarter investment? Did a product pivot avoid disaster?

In one case, a B2B technology firm faced declining win rates. The CI team analyzed competitor sales tactics, their GTM strategy, and key differentiators or unique value propositions, identifying a major shift toward value-based selling. Armed with this insight, the company revamped its own approach, leading to a 15% increase in conversion rates within six months, translating to millions of dollars.

The outcome wasn’t just known internally—it was owned by CI.

3. Confidence: The Silent Multiplier

Confidence is intangible but transformative. It’s the difference between a leadership team hesitating on a strategic bet and decisively moving forward. CI builds confidence through robust triangulation, scenario planning, and by speaking the language of risk mitigation.

A pharmaceutical client, for example, grappled with whether to accelerate a product launch ahead of an anticipated competitor entry. The CI team’s layered analysis—combining primary competitor and KOL interviews, regulatory trend data and filings, and probabilistic modeling—convinced executives to greenlight the fast-track strategy. The product captured a first-mover advantage, securing $50M in incremental revenue. That’s one hell of an investment return on a $150,000 annual monitoring program that flagged the intel early enough to drive action with confidence!

4. Impact: Show Your Work (and Its Worth)

Lastly, impact requires intentional storytelling. Don’t just report findings—connect the dots between CI deliverables and business results. Quantify when you can (e.g., cost savings, revenue gains) and qualify when you can’t (e.g., risk avoided, speed of decision-making improved).

Consider creating a Master ROCI® Summary Dashboard every quarter, providing specifics like projects completed, stakeholders served, costs, type of impact, and ROI. This not only keeps CI visible but also demonstrates tangible business outcomes that even the most doubting CFO can’t ignore.

The Bottom Line

The ROCI® Framework (Return on Competitive Intelligence) isn’t just about demonstrating CI’s value; it’s about amplifying it. When CI is relevant, drives meaningful outcomes, instills confidence, and demonstrates impact, it evolves from a support function to a strategic force multiplier. I’ve seen this during my 35 years of CI experience, but implementing the framework requires rigor and discipline. It can’t be an afterthought!

Businesses face both unprecedented risks and opportunities, and competitive intelligence isn’t just valuable—it’s indispensable. And who knows? With the right application of ROCI®, even your biggest C-suite skeptics might come around… and maybe even double your budget and award you a bonus.

So, next time you’re asked, “What value does CI bring to the table?” don’t just talk about reports and analyses. Speak the language of ROCI®. Show them the time saved, the costs avoided, the revenue gained, and the strategic decisions shaped, and how CI was a contributor to those results. Because when CI proves its worth, it doesn’t just survive—it thrives.Keep an eye out for an upcoming free webinar I will host on this topic. In the meantime, visit www.proactiveworldwide.com to learn more about how our trusted CI services can help you gain strategic clarity.