The Situation
A technology company faced a growing concern: an emerging competitor was gaining visibility in the market, but little was known about their actual capabilities. Internal hypotheses had formed, especially around the competitor’s use of AI and product implementation, but the company lacked the evidence to validate or refute these assumptions.
The competitor had proven elusive through traditional intelligence methods. To break through the opacity, the client turned to Sedulo Group to uncover actionable insights that would inform sales strategy and competitive positioning.
The Solution
Sedulo launched a targeted intelligence initiative using buy-side research as its core methodology. Key elements included:
- Stakeholder Interviews: Collaborated with client stakeholders to identify specific knowledge gaps and refine research priorities regarding AI usage, product delivery, and sales cycle dynamics.
- Buy-Side Engagement: Sedulo entered the competitor’s sales process, capturing first-hand insights into pricing, positioning, and claims. Through the engagement, Sedulo confirmed that despite marketing messaging around AI, the competitor was instead scaling through manual data entry operations based offshore.
- Executive Competitor Report: Delivered a concise, visually engaging summary contrasting AI claims with actual implementation, go-to-market behaviors, and key product insights—equipping the client with verified, strategic intelligence.
The Success
Sedulo’s findings allowed the client to:
- Validate Internal Hypotheses: Confirm suspicions around the lack of true AI integration in the competitor’s offering
- Arm Sales Teams: Provide field reps with fact-based talking points to effectively counter the competitor’s claims in active opportunities
- Strengthen Positioning: Adjust marketing narratives to highlight authentic differentiation and practical advantages
The result was a more confident, evidence-backed go-to-market strategy and improved performance in head-to-head sales cycles.
Chief Product Officer
Sedulo helped us cut through our competition’s marketing fluff to understand how they were actually addressing customer needs. Knowing their approach for scaling up to meet customer demands and validating our existing hypotheses equipped our sales team to counteract any of their messaging with factual information.