Are Your Clients Telling You Something?

Let's say you want to do some competitive research. 

Where could you go for ideas?

You could:

• Ask your sales team who clients were with from before they came to you (or who you lose deals to)

• Ask the client services team which agencies clients go to after they leave you

• Ask current clients who they think your competitors are

Here's the thing...

Your clients' perceptions of the competitive landscape are the realities of your market's dynamics.

CQ

Frequently Asked Questions

Why ask the sales team about competitors instead of just researching online?

Because sales already knows firsthand who clients came from before signing and who deals are actually lost to. That real, lived experience reveals competitors that generic research might miss entirely.

What can client services reveal about competitors that other sources can't?

Which agencies clients actually go to after leaving. That information shows where clients land post-churn, a signal of real competitive alternatives clients are choosing over the current agency.

Why ask current clients who they think the competitors are?

Because their perception matters as much as any factual list. How clients perceive the competitive landscape shapes their decisions, which makes their view a direct window into how the market actually functions.

Why does client perception matter more than an objective list of competitors?

Because perceptions of the competitive landscape are the realities of the market's dynamics. Clients act based on what they believe the alternatives are, not necessarily on a definitive, researched list.

What's the actual advantage of gathering competitive research this way?

It surfaces real, lived data from people already interacting with the market, sales, client services, and clients themselves, rather than relying solely on outside research that might miss what's actually happening on the ground.