Post on 01-Nov-2014
description
Using the Internet to
Research Private Companies
August Jacksonaugust (at) augustjackson (dot) net
http://www.augustjackson.net@8of12
#sla2011ci
Our Approach
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I need Competitor X’s
price list, customer list and
tax filings.
I need Competitor X’s
price list, customer list and
tax filings.
Decision-Focused Intelligence
#sla2011ci
I need Competitor X’s
price list, customer list and
tax filings.
I need Competitor X’s
price list, customer list and
tax filings.
I also need their CEO’s 4th grade report card, her
mother’s maiden name and the book report she wrote
on “The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe” in the
5th grade.
I also need their CEO’s 4th grade report card, her
mother’s maiden name and the book report she wrote
on “The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe” in the
5th grade.
Decision-Focused Intelligence
#sla2011ci
I need Competitor X’s
price list, customer list and
tax filings.
I need Competitor X’s
price list, customer list and
tax filings.
I also need their CEO’s 4th grade report card, her
mother’s maiden name and the book report she wrote
on “The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe” in the
5th grade.
I also need their CEO’s 4th grade report card, her
mother’s maiden name and the book report she wrote
on “The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe” in the
5th grade.
Decision-Focused Intelligence
#sla2011ci
I have an important
decision that I need to make.
I have an important
decision that I need to make.
Decision-Focused Intelligence
#sla2011ci
I have an important
decision that I need to make.
I have an important
decision that I need to make.
There are some things I need to understand about Competitor X to help me
make those decisions.
There are some things I need to understand about Competitor X to help me
make those decisions.
Decision-Focused Intelligence
#sla2011ci
Strategic PlanningPartnershipMergers & AcquisitionsBusiness DevelopmentResearch & DevelopmentProduct Development & Life CycleMarket Entry/ExitMarketing & Advertising PlanningTactical Sales Activity
Decisions Commonly Supported
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Define KITs: Choosing Analytical Models
Which analytical
frameworks will we use?
Choose The Right Analytical Frameworks
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Define KITs: Choosing Analytical Models
Match Analysis to Your Business Decision
Business and Competitive AnalysisBabette Bensousan and Craig Fleisher
Choose The Right Analytical Frameworks
#sla2011ci
Define KITs: Common Information Requirements
Product RevenuePricing
ProfitabilityMarket Share
StrengthsWeaknesses
Product RevenuePricing
ProfitabilityMarket Share
StrengthsWeaknesses
Marketing and SalesPartners
Current MarketsMarket Position
Marketing and SalesPartners
Current MarketsMarket Position
Supply ChainCapacityFacilities
EmployeesHiring
Supply ChainCapacityFacilities
EmployeesHiring
Likely StrategiesFinancial CapacityExecutive Decision-MakingIndustry TrendsOpportunitiesThreats
Likely StrategiesFinancial CapacityExecutive Decision-MakingIndustry TrendsOpportunitiesThreats
FinancialsOwnership
Legal and Regulatory
Kinds of Information Commonly Sought
#sla2011ci
Plan Research StrategyD
ata
Inte
lligence
PrimarySecondary
A Framework for Research Planning
#sla2011ci
Plan Research StrategyD
ata
Inte
lligence
PrimarySecondary
Internet research
Interviews
Verifiable answers direct from a single source
Diverse sources, analysis, varying levels of confidence
A Framework for Research Planning
#sla2011ci
Plan Research StrategyD
ata
Inte
lligence
PrimarySecondary
Hiring
Locations
Channels to Market
Current Markets
Company Revenue
Ownership
Legal
Regulatory
Industry Trends
Employees & Skills
Market Share & Position
Capacity
Opportunities & Threats
Product Revenue
Suppliers
Product Profitability
Supply Chain
Decision Making
Capacity to ActStrengths & Weaknesses
A Framework for Research Planning
#sla2011ci
Best Secondary Sources for Private Company Info
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Our Use Case: Raynor Garage Door
Our use case: Raynor Garage Door
of Dixon, Illinois
Our Use Case
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Premium Sources
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Premium Sources
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Company Web Site
DescriptionsOffices LocationsIdentified partnersExecutivesJob postingsPress releaseSales channelsCorporate history
Company Web Site
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META Tags and Web Page Source Code
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META Tags and Web Page Source Code
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#sla2011ci
Link Analysis
http://www.siteexplorer.search.yahoo.comUse “link:” command in Google
PartnersDistributorsPhilanthropic venturesFormer employeesFansCriticsBloggersUser forumsNews coverage
Free and Easy-to-Use Link Analysis Tools
#sla2011ci
Legal and Regulatory Filings
• Regulatory Filings• Environmental• Employment• Building Permits• Export Permits• Shipping Records• Legal Filings and Decisions• Patents & Trademarks• Securities• Government contracts and proposals
Budget time and funds!
• Regulatory Filings• Environmental• Employment• Building Permits• Export Permits• Shipping Records• Legal Filings and Decisions• Patents & Trademarks• Securities• Government contracts and proposals
Budget time and funds!
Jurisdiction-Specific•National•State and provincial•City, county, municipal
Not all offices are Internet-ready, some may require an office visit
Search+jurisdiction+”public records”+”probate”+”legal records”
Directory of resources in the appendix
Jurisdiction-Specific•National•State and provincial•City, county, municipal
Not all offices are Internet-ready, some may require an office visit
Search+jurisdiction+”public records”+”probate”+”legal records”
Directory of resources in the appendix
Legal & Regulatory Filings
#sla2011ci
Legal and Regulatory Filings
#sla2011ci
#sla2011ci
#sla2011ci
#sla2011ci
Legal and Regulatory Filings
• Location openings• Site growth• Hiring & firing• Near-term activities• Changes in management• Industry position• Execute profiles• Company profiles
• Location openings• Site growth• Hiring & firing• Near-term activities• Changes in management• Industry position• Execute profiles• Company profiles
Location and industry specific
Search+city+”newspaper”
Search+industry+”journal”
Search+industry+product+technology+”association”+”society”
Location and industry specific
Search+city+”newspaper”
Search+industry+”journal”
Search+industry+product+technology+”association”+”society”
Local and Industry News Sources
#sla2011ci
Example of Local News Discovery
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Example of Local News Discovery
#sla2011ci
Example of Local News DiscoveryLocal News Coverage
#sla2011ci
Industry Associations and Journals
#sla2011ci
Industry Associations and Journals
#sla2011ci
Industry Associations and Journals
#sla2011ci
Legal and Regulatory Filings
• Locations• Centralization• Employees’ skills• Outlines of organization charts• Targets for primary research• History of business initiatives• Perspectives of customers
Remember your ethics.Don’t be scary or pushy!
• Locations• Centralization• Employees’ skills• Outlines of organization charts• Targets for primary research• History of business initiatives• Perspectives of customers
Remember your ethics.Don’t be scary or pushy!
LinkedInhttp://www.linkedin.com
Ninghttp://www.ning.com
Industry-specific social networksSearch+industry+”social network”
Directory in the appendix
LinkedInhttp://www.linkedin.com
Ninghttp://www.ning.com
Industry-specific social networksSearch+industry+”social network”
Directory in the appendix
#sla2011ci
People Search and Social Networks
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People Search and Social Networks
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People Search and Social Networks
#sla2011ci
Slideshare
#sla2011ci
People Search and Social Networks
#sla2011ci
People Search and Social Networks
#sla2011ci
#sla2011ci
Legal and Regulatory Filings
• New hiring• Skills sought• Location of new hires• Clues to expansion• Clues to new market entry• Clues to priorities• Postings reveal corporate culture
• New hiring• Skills sought• Location of new hires• Clues to expansion• Clues to new market entry• Clues to priorities• Postings reveal corporate culture
Leading general job sitesMonsterCareerBuilderYahoo JobsIndeed
Industry-specific job sitesSearch+industry+”job”+”career”
Pay attention to sponsored search results and ads when doing a jobs keyword search
Leading general job sitesMonsterCareerBuilderYahoo JobsIndeed
Industry-specific job sitesSearch+industry+”job”+”career”
Pay attention to sponsored search results and ads when doing a jobs keyword search
Job Sites
#sla2011ci
Use Google Maps for Location Details
• Street view or sky view
• Square footage• Number of parking
spaces suggests workforce size and capacity
• Appearance of buildings
• Vehicles in the lot• Street access• Utilities evident• Preparation for
location visit
Google Maps
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Questions?
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Appendix: Directory of Filings Databases
• Fuld & Co. on-line resources:– http://www.fuld.com/fuld-bin/f.wk?fuld.i3.home
• BRB Publications Free Resource Center– http://www.brbpub.com/freeresources/pubrecsites.aspx?h=1
• State and Local Government on the Net (US)– http://www.statelocalgov.net
• Virtual Gumshoe (US)– http://www.virtualgumshoe.com/resources/
• International Organization of Securities Commissions– https://www.iosco.org/lists/display_members.cfm?memID=1&orderBy=none
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Appendix: Directory of Newspapers and Industry Journals and Organizations
• Google News– http://news.google.com
• NewsVoyager– http://www.newspaperlinks.com
• BizJournals (US city-specific business journals)– http://www.bizjournals.com
• Scirus Scientific Journal Directory– http://www.scirus.com/
• Google Scholar– http://scholar.google.com
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Appendix: People Search Engines
• Pipl: http://www.pipl.com• Spock: http://www.spock.com/• 123people: http://www.123people.com/• Yo Name: http://www.yoname.com/
• Masters of Criminal Justice Web Directory of People Search Engines– http://www.mastersincriminaljustice.com/blog/2009/50-best-people-
search-engines-to-track-down-anyone/
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