Keith Brooks is CMO and VP of Product Marketing at B2B Whisperer, but he’s also been an active participant in the Competitive Intelligence Alliance community since day one.
From helping CI newcomers in the Slack community to contributing his insights to our recent Competitive Positioning Playbook, Keith continues to find new ways to share his expertise.
Keith has a wealth of experience in product marketing and competitive intelligence, from his time as EMEA Regional Product Manager for IBM in the late 90s, through roles as a Data Intelligence Consultant, to his position today as CMO and VP of Product Marketing at B2B Whisperer.
Together, Keith’s depth of knowledge and willingness to share make him a much-valued member of our competitive intelligence community.
In this case study, he discusses:
- His motivations for joining the CIA community.
- What Keith has found most valuable about engaging with the community.
- The aspects of CIA he would most strongly recommend to friends and colleagues.
Keith’s motivations for joining the CIA community
Q: You’ve worked in CI for a long time. What were your motivations for joining the Competitive Intelligence Alliance community? Did you have particular goals or interests in mind when you joined?
A: A lack of space for CI people. We live a quiet life sometimes, and people stay away from us once they see us in action. Or, we’re unique in that we support many departments including sales, marketing, executive, and support, and need a home outside of that.
What Keith has found most valuable about engaging with the community
Q: You’ve been one of the most active contributors across the community, both in the Slack workspace and by contributing your expertise to our recent Competitive Positioning playbook. What have you found most valuable about engaging with the community in these ways?
A: Having other people to bounce ideas off, or helping new people as they start their CI journey, is great. Tools, ideas, and how to pitch or approach people (and more) can be learned from the chat discussions.
On one hand, I am just a solo CI practitioner so some of this is done because I have many years of experience. I’ve worked at the Enterprise B2B level down to startups and I want to share what I know and have learned with everyone.
On the other hand, I’m trying to do something new with my business, so these efforts will, I hope, help me in my efforts to grow the business. I have a long history of sharing my work with business communities that comes from the collaboration space.
The aspects of the community Keith most strongly recommends
Q: Which aspects of the CIA community would you recommend most strongly to a friend or colleague? Do the products, articles, or events stand out for you? Or does the Slack community loom the largest given its frequent use?
A: The Slack community is key… Without interacting with others you will not grow professionally.
Our competitive intelligence community on Slack gives you the opportunity to do just that: interact with other CI practitioners. Join today to ask questions, share resources, and network with the best.
