Competitive intelligence is the art of gathering, processing and analyzing the information about the competitors and environment in order to create and sustain the competitive advantage. The application of competitive intelligence in export companies can provide a complete picture of current and future competitive status for managers in addition to obtaining the most appropriate strategic decisions, which could ultimately lead to the improved exports in these companies. This study investigates the role of competitive intelligence for improvement of exports in Iranian industries. Using structural equation modeling, the study has detected six factors including understanding the competitive environment, intelligent response, superior features, customer orientation, managerial skills and competitive advantage.