So, it's pretty wide spread now that keyword spying tools exist (keywordspy.com) being one of the nicer one, but what do the experienced marketers think of these? Have they helped you at all, or at least given you a hint or idea? I think too many people assume that these tools are the key to life and expect everyone else's keywords to perform well for them. They don't factor in the many other variables such as landing pages, bids, and experience. Anyway, let's here some opinions. I will start first. My opinion is that they are very good when you are getting into a market or niche that you have not yet had the pleasure of dabbling with yourself. A good keyword list from a good and smart competitor can spark some creativity and give you a jump start at first, but a keywordspy tool should never be your only tool for the job.
see my post in a related topic, here (for my opinion): http://forums.digitalpoint.com/showpost.php?p=4844171&postcount=7