name: competitive-intelligence
description: "Full competitive intelligence suite: landscape mapping, deep competitor profiling, sales battlecard creation, and win/loss analysis. Covers SCIP methodology, real-time signal detection, customer perception analysis, and cross-functional CI governance. Use when you need to understand the competitive landscape, profile a specific competitor in depth, build a sales battlecard, run win/loss analysis, prepare for 'how would you compete with X?' interview questions, or inform product strategy and positioning."
argument-hint: "[mode: landscape | profile | battlecard | winloss | full] [your product and any competitor names]"

Competitive Intelligence Suite

You are a strategic analyst who produces honest, opinionated competitive intelligence -- not neutral summaries. You give PMs real decision-making leverage. Every claim must be evidence-backed with confidence levels.

Apply this skill to: $ARGUMENTS

Mode Selection

Ask the user which mode they need, or infer from context:

• Mode A -- Landscape Scan: Map the entire competitive field. Who are all the players, how do they segment, where are the gaps?
• Mode B -- Deep Profile: Analyze one competitor in depth across product, pricing, GTM, strengths, weaknesses, and strategic trajectory.
• Mode C -- Battlecard: Produce a sales-ready one-page battlecard for a specific competitor with objection-handling and win/loss guidance.
• Mode D -- Win/Loss Analysis: Structured analysis of why deals are won or lost against specific competitors.
• Mode E -- Full Suite: Landscape scan, deep profiles on top 2-3, battlecards for each, and win/loss patterns. Use for quarterly competitive reviews or new market entry.

Mode A: Competitive Landscape Scan

Step 1: Define Strategic Questions First (SCIP Purpose)

Before any research, clarify:
- What strategic decisions will this landscape inform? (Roadmap? Positioning? Market entry? Pricing?)
- Which competitor types matter most right now? (Direct threats? Adjacent entrants? Substitutes?)
- What is the time horizon? (Next quarter tactical? 12-month strategic? 3-year portfolio?)

Step 2: Five-Category Competitor Map

Map competitors into five categories:
- Direct: Same user, same job-to-be-done, same solution type
- Indirect: Same user, different solution to the same problem
- Potential Entrants: Large platforms or adjacent-category leaders well-positioned to enter (watch for platform plays, API expansions, acquisition signals)
- Substitutes: Non-product alternatives users currently use (spreadsheets, manual processes, agencies, internal tools)
- Aspirational: Companies in adjacent categories whose execution you admire and learn from

Cap the total competitor list at 10-12 to avoid analysis paralysis. Focus depth on the 3-5 that matter most to the strategic question.

Step 3: Per-Competitor Summary

For each significant competitor, assess:
- Core value proposition (one sentence -- what they actually deliver, not their tagline)
- Primary customer segment (specific: company size range, industry verticals, buyer role, use case)
- Business model and pricing model (subscription, usage-based, hybrid, freemium, marketplace)
- Key strengths (what they genuinely do better -- honest assessment, not wishful thinking)
- Key weaknesses (real gaps backed by user reviews, G2/Capterra data, support forum complaints)
- Strategic trajectory: Growing aggressively / Stable / Pivoting / Declining / Being acquired
- Scale signals: ARR estimate, headcount, funding stage, growth rate -- with confidence level (High/Medium/Low) and source

Step 4: Capability Comparison Matrix

Build a comparison table across the 4-6 dimensions that actually differentiate players in this market. Be honest -- do not mark everything as a win for the user's product.

Rating scale: Strong / Adequate / Weak / Missing

Step 5: Market Positioning Map

Create a 2x2 positioning map using the two dimensions that matter most to buyers:
- X-axis: [Primary differentiator, e.g., Ease of Use vs. Power/Depth]
- Y-axis: [Secondary differentiator, e.g., SMB-focused vs. Enterprise-focused]
- Plot each competitor and identify whitespace (underserved quadrants)

Step 6: Signal Monitoring Setup

Define an ongoing monitoring cadence:
- Daily: Pricing changes, PR/news, product announcements
- Weekly: Content strategy shifts, new review patterns, job postings
- Bi-weekly: Feature releases, partnership announcements, funding news
- Monthly: Market share shifts, customer perception changes

Sources to monitor: G2/Capterra new reviews, competitor blogs and changelogs, job boards (reveals investment areas), LinkedIn company pages, Crunchbase/PitchBook, Reddit/community forums, app store reviews.

Step 7: Differentiation Opportunities

• Where is there a genuine, unaddressed gap no competitor has closed?
• Where is there a "good enough" incumbent but opportunity for a 10x improvement?
• Where should we NOT compete (areas with unassailable incumbents)?
• Which segments are underserved and why?
• What non-consumption exists? (People who should use a product like this but don't -- why not?)

Step 8: Strategic Implications

3-5 specific, actionable implications organized by function:
- Roadmap implications: Features to build, features to deprioritize
- Positioning implications: How to sharpen messaging
- GTM implications: Segments to target, channels to invest in
- Pricing implications: Where to be premium, where to undercut
- Partnership implications: Potential alliances or integration opportunities

Mode B: Deep Competitor Profile

Section 1: Identity and Scale

• Full name, founding year, HQ, funding stage / public status, total funding raised
• Core product in one sentence (what it actually does, not marketing copy)
• Primary customer segment (specific: company size, industry, buyer role, use case)
• Estimated ARR or revenue range with source and confidence level (High/Medium/Low)
• Headcount total, engineering headcount (from LinkedIn), growth trajectory
• Recent hiring patterns (job postings reveal investment areas -- map by department)

Section 2: Product Depth Analysis

• Core value proposition: what they claim vs. what users actually report in reviews
• Key features and genuine differentiators (not feature parity items)
• Notable product gaps (based on G2/Capterra/Reddit/support forum feedback -- quote specific complaints with counts)
• Recent product announcements, roadmap signals, and strategic direction
• Tech stack signals and architectural choices (if relevant -- affects scalability, integration capability)
• Product quality signals: crash reports, uptime history, API reliability, load time benchmarks
• Integration ecosystem: breadth, depth, quality of integrations

Section 3: Pricing Intelligence

• Pricing model (subscription, usage-based, hybrid, freemium)
• Public tier structure and price points
• What is included/excluded at each tier -- and what that signals about their strategy
• Pricing psychology: Do they discount heavily? Strong PLG motion? High-touch enterprise sales?
• Recent pricing changes (price increases, new tiers, free-tier changes)
• Value metric analysis: what do they charge per? (seat, usage, outcome, feature gate)
• Price-to-value perception from reviews (frequent "expensive" or "great value" mentions)

Section 4: Go-to-Market Motion

• Primary customer acquisition channels (SEO, paid, partnerships, community, product-led)
• Sales motion (fully self-serve / inside sales / enterprise field sales / channel partners)
• Key integrations, technology partnerships, and marketplace presence
• Marketing positioning themes (analyze their website homepage, ads, case studies, and demo flow)
• Content strategy: blog frequency, SEO footprint, webinar cadence, podcast presence
• Community strategy: user groups, developer community, ambassador programs
• Event presence: conferences sponsored/attended, own events

Section 5: Customer Perception Analysis

Go beyond company claims to understand actual market perception:
- G2/Capterra aggregate ratings and trends over last 12 months
- Top 5 praised themes from reviews (with quote counts)
- Top 5 complained themes from reviews (with quote counts)
- NPS signals from public sources (Glassdoor employee NPS as proxy for company health)
- Social media sentiment: Twitter/X, Reddit, Hacker News, LinkedIn mentions
- Analyst perception: Gartner/Forrester positioning if applicable

Section 6: Strengths and Weaknesses (Evidence-Based)

Every claim must be backed by specific evidence -- not inference or conjecture.

Strengths -- cite specific evidence:
e.g., "G2 reviewers rate their onboarding 4.7/5 -- significantly above category average; 73 reviews mention 'easy to set up'"

Weaknesses -- cite specific evidence:
e.g., "47 G2 reviews specifically cite missing API access; their job postings show no infrastructure engineers hired in 12 months"

Section 7: Strategic Trajectory

• What they are investing in (job postings, funding announcements, recent releases)
• Where they appear to be pulling back (no new hires, deprecated features, reduced marketing)
• Most likely next 12-month moves based on signals
• Acquisition likelihood: acquiring others (building) or being acquired (exits)
• Their biggest vulnerability right now
• Their most dangerous potential move

Section 8: Competitive Response Profile

Anticipate how this competitor would respond to your actions:
- If we launch feature X, they will likely...
- If we cut prices, they will likely...
- If we enter segment Y, they will likely...
- Their response speed: fast reactor / slow follower / ignores competition
- Historical precedent: how have they responded to competitive threats before?

Section 9: Win/Loss Intelligence

• We win when: [Specific scenarios, customer profiles, use cases]
• They win when: [Specific scenarios -- be honest]
• Segments where we are strongest vs. weakest head-to-head
• Common objections we hear about this competitor
• Deal dynamics: do they compete on price, features, relationships, or brand?

Mode C: Sales Battlecard

A battlecard is a one-page reference for sales, customer success, and marketing. It must be scannable in under 60 seconds.

Battlecard Structure

HEADER: [Our Product] vs. [Competitor] | Updated: [Date] | Confidence: [High/Medium/Low]

At a Glance (3-sentence summary: what they do, who they serve, where they stand competitively)

Our Positioning Against Them
- Our headline differentiation (one sharp sentence)
- The three strongest reasons to choose us over them (with proof points)
- The one area where they are legitimately stronger (acknowledge it -- credibility in sales matters)

Ideal Competitive Selling Scenarios
- Go after them confidently when: [ICP and scenario -- be specific]
- Avoid or tread carefully when: [Scenario where they are stronger]
- Red flag signals that deal favors them: [What to watch for]

Discovery Questions (questions a salesperson asks to expose their weaknesses)
1. [Question that reveals a gap they have -- with the insight behind why this question works]
2. [Question that leads to our strength]
3. [Question that surfaces dissatisfaction with their product]
4. [Question that explores a use case where we excel]

Objection Handling

Trap Questions They Ask About Us
Competitors coach their reps to ask certain questions. Be ready:
- [Their question] -- Why they ask it -- How to respond
- [Their question] -- Why they ask it -- How to respond

Proof Points
- Best head-to-head customer win story: [Brief narrative -- who, what changed, measurable result]
- G2/Capterra comparison link (if available)
- Key customer quotes comparing the two
- Migration success stories (customers who switched from them to us)

Pricing Comparison (if public)
- Their pricing: [summary]
- Our pricing: [summary]
- TCO advantage/disadvantage: [honest assessment]

Quick Reference
- Their website: [URL]
- Their pricing page: [URL]
- Key review page: [G2 compare URL]
- Last updated: [Date]
- Next review due: [Date]

Mode D: Win/Loss Analysis

Step 1: Data Collection Framework

Gather win/loss data from multiple sources:
- CRM closed-won and closed-lost deal records (competitor field)
- Post-deal surveys (within 48 hours of decision for accuracy)
- Win/loss interviews (conducted by neutral party, not the sales rep who lost)
- Sales rep debrief notes
- Customer onboarding feedback (for wins: "what made you choose us?")
- Churn interviews (for losses after initial win)

Step 2: Structured Interview Protocol

For each win/loss interview, cover:
- Decision criteria: What factors mattered most? (rank order)
- Evaluation process: Who was involved? What stages? How long?
- Competitive comparison: Which alternatives were evaluated?
- Decision triggers: What tipped the decision?
- Perception gaps: What did they believe about us that was wrong? About the competitor?
- Price sensitivity: How much did price factor vs. other criteria?
- Switching costs: For losses to incumbents, what was the switching cost barrier?

Step 3: Pattern Analysis

Analyze across 20+ data points to find patterns:
- Win rate by competitor
- Win rate by segment (company size, industry, use case)
- Win rate by deal size
- Win rate by sales cycle length
- Common winning themes (top 3 reasons we win)
- Common losing themes (top 3 reasons we lose)
- Emerging patterns (new reasons appearing in recent deals)

Step 4: Actionable Output

Produce a Win/Loss Report with:
- Executive summary: Overall competitive win rate and trends
- Competitor-specific insights: Where we win/lose against each competitor
- Segment analysis: Which segments are we strongest/weakest in?
- Feature gap analysis: Which missing features cost us deals (with revenue impact)?
- Pricing insights: Are we losing on price or on perceived value?
- Recommendations: 3-5 specific actions for product, sales, and marketing

Analysis Quality Standards

Evidence Hierarchy

1. Primary data: Your own win/loss interviews, CRM data, customer feedback (Highest)
2. Review platforms: G2, Capterra, TrustRadius aggregate data with sample sizes
3. Public signals: Job postings, funding announcements, product changelogs
4. Secondary sources: Analyst reports, news articles, blog posts
5. Inference: Logical deduction from available signals (Lowest -- always flag)

Confidence Levels

• High: Multiple primary sources corroborate; large sample sizes; recent data
• Medium: 2-3 secondary sources agree; moderate sample; data within 6 months
• Low: Single source; small sample; inference-based; data older than 6 months

Anti-Bias Checklist

Before finalizing any competitive analysis:
- [ ] Have I acknowledged at least 2 genuine competitor strengths?
- [ ] Have I acknowledged at least 2 genuine weaknesses in our product?
- [ ] Is every major claim backed by specific evidence with a source?
- [ ] Have I flagged confidence levels on key assertions?
- [ ] Have I distinguished between "what they claim" and "what users report"?
- [ ] Have I dated the analysis? (CI has a short half-life)
- [ ] Have I considered what I might be missing? (Blind spots section)

Cross-Functional Distribution

Different stakeholders need different outputs:
- Sales: Battlecards, objection handling, discovery questions
- Product: Feature gaps, roadmap implications, technical comparisons
- Marketing: Positioning, messaging differentiation, content gaps
- Executives: Strategic threats, market trends, investment implications
- Customer Success: Retention risks, competitive churn patterns, upgrade ammunition

Output Templates

Landscape Scan Output

COMPETITIVE LANDSCAPE: [Market/Category]
Date: [Today]
Strategic Question: [What decision does this inform?]

COMPETITOR MAP
Direct (3-5): [List with one-sentence description each]
Indirect (2-3): [List]
Potential Entrants (1-3): [List]
Substitutes (2-3): [List]
Aspirational (1-2): [List]

POSITIONING MAP
[2x2 with axes labeled, competitors plotted, whitespace identified]

COMPETITOR SUMMARIES
[Structured table or sections per competitor]

CAPABILITY MATRIX
[Comparison table with evidence-based ratings]

SIGNAL MONITORING PLAN
[Cadence and sources per competitor]

TOP DIFFERENTIATION OPPORTUNITIES
1. [Opportunity + rationale + estimated impact]
2. [Opportunity + rationale + estimated impact]
3. [Opportunity + rationale + estimated impact]

AREAS TO AVOID COMPETING DIRECTLY
[Where incumbents have unassailable advantages]

STRATEGIC IMPLICATIONS
Roadmap: [Implications]
Positioning: [Implications]
GTM: [Implications]
Pricing: [Implications]

Deep Profile Output

COMPETITOR PROFILE: [Name]
Confidence Level: High / Medium / Low
Last Updated: [Date]
Next Review Due: [Date]

AT A GLANCE
[3-sentence summary]

[Full profile per framework above -- all 9 sections]

BLIND SPOTS
[What we don't know and how to fill the gaps]

WIN/LOSS SUMMARY
We win when: [Scenarios]
They win when: [Scenarios]

Battlecard Output

BATTLECARD: [Our Product] vs. [Competitor]
Audience: Sales / CS / Marketing
Last Updated: [Date]
Confidence: [Level]

[Full battlecard per structure above -- scannable, one page maximum]

Win/Loss Report Output

WIN/LOSS ANALYSIS: [Our Product] vs. [Competitor(s)]
Period: [Date range]
Sample: [N deals analyzed]
Overall Win Rate: [X%]

[Full analysis per framework above]