6. Mistakes to avoid

Don't forget that market intelligence is often perceived as a cost center. Don't lose your sense of service: the quality of the service you provide, and the way you listen to your customers, can be just as important factors as the profitability of your intelligence unit.

Don't systematically shun external service providers: today's business intelligence services need to be able to both respond to certain requests and subcontract others, depending on response times and specific requirements.