If you’re on the hook for giving execs a clear picture of the competition, you know the pain: too much data, too little time, and an audience who doesn’t care about the details. This guide is for anyone who needs to use Crayon to cut through the noise and deliver competitive intelligence that actually gets read—and acted on—at the executive level.
We’ll walk through a no-nonsense approach, focusing on real-world steps, not just what looks good in a demo. Whether you’re in product marketing, sales enablement, or just the unlucky soul assigned to “CI summaries,” this is for you.
Step 1: Get Real About What Execs Actually Want
Before you even open Crayon, take five minutes to answer this: what does your exec team actually care about? Not what the product manager wants, not what sales wants—what will make your execs sit up and take notice?
What usually matters: - Key competitor moves (pricing, product launches, headcount changes) - Shifts that could threaten your revenue or market position - Trends, not trivia—big stuff, not every minor update
What to skip: - Feature-by-feature breakdowns (they’ll tune out) - Social media chatter unless it’s blowing up - Deep dives into competitor blog posts (unless there’s a bombshell)
Pro tip: If you don’t know what they want, ask. “What’s one thing you wish you knew about Competitor X right now?” You’ll get a better answer than guessing.
Step 2: Set Up Crayon to Filter the Noise
Crayon can be a firehose if you’re not careful. The trick is to set up your dashboard to surface only what matters.
How to do it:
-
Pick your competitors.
Don’t track everyone—stick to the 3–5 that actually keep your execs up at night. -
Choose your intel types.
Crayon tracks everything from web updates to job postings. For execs, focus on: - Major press releases
- Funding rounds or M&A activity
- Pricing changes
- Leadership changes
-
Product launches
-
Use custom alerts.
Set up notifications for only the high-impact stuff. Otherwise, your inbox will hate you. -
Ignore the rest.
You can always dig deeper if someone asks, but don’t clutter your main view.
What doesn’t work:
Trying to track “everything, just in case.” You’ll end up overwhelmed, and so will your readers.
Step 3: Build a Repeatable Workflow
Don’t reinvent the wheel every time an exec wants an update. Build a simple, repeatable process.
Weekly or Biweekly?
Most execs don’t want daily updates. Weekly or every other week strikes a good balance—they get the signal, not the noise.
Sample workflow:
-
Scan Crayon’s dashboard.
Spend 20 minutes skimming new intel since your last summary. -
Tag or save what stands out.
Crayon lets you flag items—use this to collect anything worth mentioning. -
Summarize, don’t copy-paste.
Write 1–2 sentences per key item. Focus on the “so what?” not just the “what.” -
Draft the summary.
Structure it by competitor or by theme (e.g., “Pricing Moves This Week”). -
Add your take.
Execs want your point of view. “This could signal a push into our core market.” Don’t be afraid to call it like you see it. -
Share in their preferred format.
Some want email. Some want a slide. Some want a Slack message. Don’t overcomplicate the delivery.
What to ignore:
Don’t waste time making it pretty. Execs don’t care about formatting—they want answers.
Step 4: Summarize for Humans, Not Robots
Crayon spits out a ton of data, but execs want clarity, not a data dump. Think of your job as translating noise into signal.
Tips for clear summaries:
- Lead with headlines.
Example: “Competitor X cuts pricing 15% for SMB segment.” - Explain the impact.
Example: “Could put pressure on our low-end offering.” - Keep it short.
One paragraph per competitor, max. - Use visuals sparingly.
If one chart tells the story, use it. But don’t force it.
What works:
Bullet points, bolding key moves, and calling out “What does this mean for us?”
What doesn’t:
Pasting in raw Crayon exports. No one will read them.
Step 5: Add Context and Gut Checks
Crayon can show you what’s happening, but not always why it matters. This is where you add value.
- Sense-check the data.
Is that “big announcement” actually just a minor feature tweak? - Gut check with the field.
Ask sales or support if they’re hearing about this from customers. - Don’t be afraid to say “no impact.”
If something’s not a threat, say so. Execs respect candor.
Pro tip:
Over time, track which updates actually sparked discussion or action. Double down on those, and cut the rest.
Step 6: Keep Improving (But Don’t Chase Perfection)
Every company’s needs change. What mattered last quarter might be noise now.
- Ask for feedback.
“Did this help you this week?” is a killer question. - Tweak your Crayon filters and summary format.
If execs keep asking for the same thing, just add it in.
What to ignore:
You’ll never please everyone. Don’t try. Focus on what helps execs make decisions.
What Works, What Doesn’t, and What to Ignore
What works: - Ruthless filtering. Less is more. - Adding your own analysis, not just copying Crayon output. - Keeping updates regular and predictable.
What doesn’t: - Drowning execs in every little competitor move. - Obsessing over perfect formatting. - Treating Crayon as a replacement for human judgement.
What to ignore: - “Best practices” that don’t fit your team. The best CI summary is the one that gets read and acted on, not the one that looks fancy.
Bottom Line
Crayon’s a solid tool for competitive intelligence, but it’s only as good as the person using it. Don’t get lost in features—focus on making things simpler for your audience. Start lean, iterate often, and remember: execs want clarity, not a PhD thesis.
Keep it simple. Keep it honest. And above all, keep it useful.