johnefemer/competitive-intel

Competitive Intelligence

Systematic competitor tracking. Not obsession — intelligence that drives real decisions.

Keywords

competitive intelligence, competitor analysis, battlecard, win/loss analysis, competitive positioning, competitive tracking, market intelligence, competitor research, SWOT, competitive map, feature gap analysis, competitive strategy

Quick Start

/ci:landscape         — Map your competitive space (direct, indirect, future)
/ci:battlecard [name] — Build a sales battlecard for a specific competitor
/ci:winloss           — Analyze recent wins and losses by reason
/ci:update [name]     — Track what a competitor did recently
/ci:map               — Build competitive positioning map

Framework: 5-Layer Intelligence System

Layer 1: Competitor Identification

Direct competitors: Same ICP, same problem, comparable solution, similar price point. Indirect competitors: Same budget, different solution (including "do nothing" and "build in-house"). Future competitors: Well-funded startups in adjacent space; large incumbents with stated roadmap overlap.

The 2x2 Threat Matrix:

| | Same ICP | Different ICP | |---|---|---| | Same problem | Direct threat | Adjacent (watch) | | Different problem | Displacement risk | Ignore for now |

Update this quarterly. Who's moved quadrants?

Layer 2: Tracking Dimensions

Track these 8 dimensions per competitor:

| Dimension | Sources | Cadence | |-----------|---------|---------| | Product moves | Changelog, G2/Capterra reviews, Twitter/LinkedIn | Monthly | | Pricing changes | Pricing page, sales call intel, customer feedback | Triggered | | Funding | Crunchbase, TechCrunch, LinkedIn | Triggered | | Hiring signals | LinkedIn job postings, Indeed | Monthly | | Partnerships | Press releases, co-marketing | Triggered | | Customer wins | Case studies, review sites, LinkedIn | Monthly | | Customer losses | Win/loss interviews, churned accounts | Ongoing | | Messaging shifts | Homepage, ads (Facebook/Google Ad Library) | Quarterly |

Layer 3: Analysis Frameworks

SWOT per Competitor:

• Strengths: What do they do well? Where do they win?
• Weaknesses: Where do they lose? What do customers complain about?
• Opportunities: What could they do that would threaten you?
• Threats: What's their existential risk?

Competitive Positioning Map (2 axis): Choose axes that matter for your buyers:

• Common: Price vs Feature Depth; Enterprise-ready vs SMB-ready; Easy to implement vs Configurable
• Pick axes that show YOUR differentiation clearly

Feature Gap Analysis: | Feature | You | Competitor A | Competitor B | Gap status | |---------|-----|-------------|-------------|------------| | [Feature] | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ | Your advantage | | [Feature] | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ | Gap — roadmap? | | [Feature] | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | Moat | | [Feature] | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ | Competitor B only |

Layer 4: Output Formats

For Sales (CRO): Battlecards — one page per competitor, designed for pre-call prep. See templates/battlecard-template.md

For Marketing (CMO): Positioning update — message shifts, new differentiators, claims to stop or start making.

For Product (CPO): Feature gap summary — what customers ask for that we don't have, what competitors ship, what to reprioritize.

For CEO/Board: Monthly competitive summary — 1-page: who moved, what it means, recommended responses.

Layer 5: Intelligence Cadence

Monthly (scheduled):

• Review all tier-1 competitors (direct threats, top 3)
• Update battlecards with new intel
• Publish 1-page summary to leadership

Triggered (event-based):

• Competitor raises funding → assess implications within 48 hours
• Competitor launches major feature → product + sales response within 1 week
• Competitor poaches key customer → win/loss interview within 2 weeks
• Competitor changes pricing → analyze and respond within 1 week

Quarterly:

• Full competitive landscape review
• Update positioning map
• Refresh ICP competitive threat assessment
• Add/remove companies from tracking list

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Win/Loss Analysis

This is the highest-signal competitive data you have. Most companies do it too rarely.

When to interview:

• Every lost deal >$50K ACV
• Every churn >6 months tenure
• Every competitive win (learn why — it may not be what you think)

Who conducts it:

• NOT the AE who worked the deal (too close, prospect won't be candid)
• Customer success, product team, or external researcher

Question structure:

1. "Walk me through your evaluation process"
2. "Who else were you considering?"
3. "What were the top 3 criteria in your decision?"
4. "Where did [our product] fall short?"
5. "What was the deciding factor?"
6. "What would have changed your decision?"

Aggregate findings monthly:

• Win reasons (rank by frequency)
• Loss reasons (rank by frequency)
• Competitor win rates (by competitor, by segment)
• Patterns over time

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The Balance: Intelligence Without Obsession

Signs you're over-tracking competitors:

• Roadmap decisions are primarily driven by "they just shipped X"
• Team morale drops when competitors fundraise
• You're shipping features you don't believe in to match their checklist
• Pricing discussions always start with "well, they charge X"

Signs you're under-tracking:

• Your AEs get blindsided on calls
• Prospects know more about competitors than your team does
• You missed a major product launch until customers told you
• Your positioning hasn't changed in 12+ months despite market moves

The right posture:

• Know competitors well enough to win against them
• Don't let them set your agenda
• Your roadmap is led by customer problems, informed by competitive gaps

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Distributing Intelligence

| Audience | Format | Cadence | Owner | |----------|--------|---------|-------| | AEs + SDRs | Updated battlecards in CRM | Monthly + triggered | CRO | | Product | Feature gap analysis | Quarterly | CPO | | Marketing | Positioning brief | Quarterly | CMO | | Leadership | 1-page competitive summary | Monthly | CEO/COO | | Board | Competitive landscape slide | Quarterly | CEO |

One source of truth: All competitive intel lives in one place (Notion, Confluence, Salesforce). Avoid Slack-only distribution — it disappears.

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Red Flags in Competitive Intelligence

| Signal | What it means | |--------|---------------| | Competitor's win rate >50% in your core segment | Fundamental positioning problem, not sales problem | | Same objection from 5+ deals: "competitor has X" | Feature gap that's real, not just optics | | Competitor hired 10 engineers in your domain | Major product investment incoming | | Competitor raised >$20M and targets your ICP | 12-month runway for them to compete hard | | Prospects evaluate you to justify competitor decision | You're the "check box" — fix perception or segment |

Integration with C-Suite Roles

| Intelligence Type | Feeds To | Output Format | |------------------|----------|---------------| | Product moves | CPO | Roadmap input, feature gap analysis | | Pricing changes | CRO, CFO | Pricing response recommendations | | Funding rounds | CEO, CFO | Strategic positioning update | | Hiring signals | CHRO, CTO | Talent market intelligence | | Customer wins/losses | CRO, CMO | Battlecard updates, positioning shifts | | Marketing campaigns | CMO | Counter-positioning, channel intelligence |

References

• references/ci-playbook.md — OSINT sources, win/loss framework, positioning map construction
• templates/battlecard-template.md — sales battlecard template