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If you want to find out what your competition would rather you didn't know, read on.

Launch date

Company A heard that Company B was about to launch a product similar to one of theirs. It wanted to know when. This would allow them to run a counter-advertising campaign at the same time as Company B's, to convince prospective customers that the rival product was no better than theirs just because it was newer. But who had the information?

Someone will always know the answer. The trick is to think who this might be, and assess who is most likely to divulge it.

People in the know would include Company B's PR company, the press (who may have been sent press releases), other companies in the field, and the Company B's major customers. There might even be information on Company B's website about it.

Of course, Company B's employees would know! Personnel like secretaries and receptionists are often willing to talk, simply because few bosses say to their staff, 'Do not talk about this, it's top secret!'