Our Book

Listed as one of the Best Competitive Intelligence reads of 2009 and 2010 by the Strategic and Competitive Intelligence Professionals (SCIP) Association.

How often do you search the Web?

Over the last 15 years, the business world has seen the Web go from irrelevant to essential. Individuals with almost every job title now search the Web on a daily basis, making it the
reference desk for the masses.

As Jeska Dzwigalaski of Linden Lab puts it, “Google makes us simultaneously smarter and stupider. Got a question? With instant access to practically every piece of information ever known to humankind, we take for granted that we’re only a quick Web search away from the answer.” But if we take for granted that the information is out there, why is it often so difficult to find? How often do we walk away from the computer with that terrible feeling that the information was out there, we just didn’t find it?

As competitive intelligence professionals, we use Google and a wide variety of other Web-based tools to find very specific pieces of information, answer critical business questions, and support broader marketing and sales initiatives. In short, we help companies accelerate their sales and overall market share in their niche or industry.

We’ve written this book because everyone who goes to work and finds themselves staring at the search box can use our techniques to “Go Beyond Google” and get much more out of the Web in far less time. If any of the following information needs seem relevant to your work, then this book is for you:

• Information on competitors. Current and future strategy, tactics, products, acquisitions, expansion or contraction, challenges, opportunities, culture, morale, wages,
  promotions, and marketing.
• Information on customers. Major initiatives, current and future businesses lines, expansion, cost cutting, hiring, layoffs, challenges, needs, mergers, and
  acquisitions.
• Information on key individuals. Organizational roles, responsibilities, initiatives, goals, ideologies, politics, interests, and quotes.
• Information on industry trends. Where new trends are heading, who is backing them, and who is attempting to slow them down.

Our goal is to help you pull the pearls of information you are searching for out from the obscure recesses of your search results so they are front and center. In the process, you will also learn to find information that you previously didn’t know was available about the subjects you’re researching.

Some recent reviews from Amazon

• “Crystal Clear CI from two Masters – Sean and Scott say their book is about gathering intelligence beyond Google. It’s that, true, and it’s really good at that, and it’s also more than that. It’s also a source of practical, concise, scary-clever, crystal-clear advice about competitive intelligence from two masters.”Go Beyond Google” has a wealth of examples that make Sean and Scott’s lessons come alive. They never get lost in jargon or technobabble and they never lose sight of the creative, strategic value in data. With this book you have found a treasure. Search no further. Listen to Sean and Scott. You want these guys on your side”
• Useful right out the Gate from the CI Experts Toolkit – “Go Beyond Google” is a welcome addition from two experts in Competitive Intelligence, Sean and Scott. Their work is an easy practical read, useful right from the start. They show you the key tools they use themselves. They share examples that illustrate how internet tools can be used to answer specific questions. The guide is built as a living document, their ebook can be added and updated as new tools and features come out. As I read through it, they posed questions that reveal insights about companies that I hadn’t considered. For example, locating former employees that used to work for a company. Those employees might be more inclined to share what they valued while being at that company and what prompted them to move to a new company. They take each tool and tell you what value it has to them as a CI practioneer. You can easily scan the book to see if a particular tool is of interest to you. It is rich in pictures and graphics that hits the mark in terms of readability and comprehension. It isn’t just for CI practioners, but for those that want to understand trends, thought leaders, companies, and opportunity. The price for their ebook is great value and risk/reward is quite good. Even getting just one tool and question it answers is well worth it.
• Excellent Resource – Go Beyond Google is an excellent read. It’s well-written and easy to understand. I would highly recommend it for anyone from sales to executive management. It’s filled with tools that can not only help you find a great new employee online, but also get a sneak peek at what some of your competitors are doing. The internet is full of so much information, it can be completely overwhelming. However, with the assistance of Scott & Sean’s book, you have an easy reference source with excellent examples to walk you through the world of gathering information online.
• A fantastic toolbox and way more – Potential information super heroes, take note. This is a great little book that reveals a wealth of tools most of us have never heard of, and it also gives some pointers about how to uncover insights that dwell below the surface. But its real value is even more profound–there’s a narrative here about how to look more deeply at people and organizations to get an edge, whether you’re making a company more competitive, doing academic research, or trying to land a job.
• Insight on turning over stones – One idea can change make a big improvement in how you accomplish something, and Go Beyond Google is full of ideas. I found resources and comments here that I’d never heard of, and I literally spend all day, every day, in front of a web connection. Perhaps just as useful, though, are new insights for uncovering intelligence in many places you’re already familiar with.