/competitive-intel

name: "competitive-intel"
description: "Use for competitor analysis, battlecards, win/loss review or positioning against alternatives. Builds a tracking system that feeds positioning, sales and roadmap."
license: MIT
metadata:
  version: 1.0.0
  author: Alireza Rezvani
  category: c-level
  domain: competitive-strategy
  updated: 2026-03-05
  frameworks: ci-playbook, battlecard-template

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

Ask in natural language for the deliverable you need:

> "Map our competitive landscape" — direct, indirect, and future competitors > "Build a battlecard for [competitor]" — sales-ready battlecard > "Run a win/loss analysis" — recent wins and losses by reason > "What did [competitor] do recently?" — competitor update tracking > "Build a competitive positioning map" — 2x2 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