Competitor Intelligence

Workflow

1. Competitor Identification

Three tiers:

Discovery methods:

• Search your top 5 keywords — who ranks?
• Ask churned customers who they switched to
• Check G2/Capterra/TrustRadius category pages
• Monitor "alternatives to [your product]" searches
• Track who bids on your brand keywords

2. Feature Comparison Matrix

Rules:

• Be honest. Don't mark competitors as "None" when they have partial support.
• Update quarterly minimum — features change fast.
• Note which plan includes each feature (not just "has it").
• Source every claim (link to their docs/pricing page).

3. Positioning Map

2x2 matrix — choose two axes that matter to your buyers:

Common axis pairs:

• Ease of use ↔ Feature depth
• SMB focus ↔ Enterprise focus
• Price ↔ Capability
• Self-serve ↔ High-touch
• Horizontal ↔ Vertical/specialized

How to place competitors:

1. Score each competitor 1-10 on both axes
2. Use customer reviews, demos, and published materials (not assumptions)
3. Identify the white space — where are there no competitors?
4. Position yourself in or near the white space (if it has demand)

4. Win/Loss Analysis

Interview framework (20-min call with recent wins AND losses):

Aggregate analysis (quarterly, minimum 20 interviews):

• Win rate by competitor: Who do we beat most? Lose to most?
• Top 3 win reasons: What keeps winning deals for us?
• Top 3 loss reasons: What keeps losing them?
• Feature gaps cited: What do prospects wish we had?
• Pricing feedback: Are we perceived as expensive, fair, cheap?

5. Sales Battlecards

Template (one per competitor):

# Battlecard: [Competitor Name]

## Quick Facts
- Founded: [year] | HQ: [city] | Employees: ~[X] | Funding: $[X]M
- Pricing: [starting price] - [enterprise price]
- Target: [who they sell to]

## They Say (their positioning)
"[Their tagline/main claim]"

## We Say (our counter-positioning)
"[How we differentiate — one sentence]"

## When We Win
- [Scenario 1: specific situation where we're stronger]
- [Scenario 2]
- [Scenario 3]

## When We Lose
- [Scenario 1: specific situation where they're stronger]
- [Scenario 2]

## Landmines (questions to ask prospects to highlight our strengths)
- "How do they handle [area where competitor is weak]?"
- "What happens when you need [feature they lack]?"
- "Have you looked into their [known pain point — pricing, support, etc.]?"

## Objection Handling
| Their claim | Our response |
|-------------|-------------|
| "[Competitor claim 1]" | "[Factual counter with proof]" |
| "[Competitor claim 2]" | "[Factual counter with proof]" |

## Proof Points
- [Customer who switched from them to us + result]
- [Head-to-head benchmark or comparison data]
- [Review quote from G2/Capterra]

6. Monitoring

Ongoing competitive intelligence:

Competitive newsletter (internal, monthly):

• Top 3 competitive moves this month
• Win/loss trend update
• New feature comparison updates
• Pricing or positioning changes
• Recommended battlecard updates