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Warning: That week we lost 3 clients to the same competitor in 5 days was brutal
They undercut us by 15% on every bid and used our own proposal language word for word, so has anyone else dealt with a competitor who somehow got inside access to your estimates?
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max_cooper213mo ago
Read a case study from some security firm about this exact thing. They said most of the time it's not a mole or a leak, it's someone reusing the same software or templates for proposals. Like a shared CRM that doesn't lock down old files. Had a buddy whose competitor somehow had his exact pricing spreadsheet and it turned out one of his own sales guys logged into his work email on an old public computer at a library of all places. Left the whole inbox open. Your mileage may vary, but it's worth checking if any of your old proposals or drafts are stored on any shared platforms or cloud drives you forgot about. Could be as simple as a contractor or temp who still has login access to something.
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hannah_wells3mo ago
My neighbor runs a small construction outfit and they lost a big job the exact same way last year. Turned out the competitor had a part-time bookkeeper who also did data entry for a local proposal software vendor, and she was selling access to old client files on the side. Took them months to trace it back because everyone blamed the software itself. Might be worth checking if anyone at that competitor has a history at a shared vendor or subcontractor that handles your paperwork.
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stellat463mo ago
Has anyone checked if any of your temp workers or subcontractors also work for that competitor? I had a buddy who found out his own bookkeeper was moonlighting for a rival firm and sharing pricing files from both companies.
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