--- name: competitor-analysis description: Deep competitive analysis + ongoing monitoring. Checks user research for competitor mentions, sales notes, existing analysis. Integrates with retention-analysis and user-research-synthesis. disable-model-invocation: false user-invocable: true --- # /competitor-analysis - Strategic Competitive Intelligence Two modes: **Deep Analysis** (comprehensive one-time research) + **Ongoing Monitoring** (weekly/monthly tracking) ## Quick Start 1. Name the competitor(s) you want to analyze 2. Choose mode: **Deep Analysis** (full research) or **Ongoing Monitoring** (monthly check-in) 3. I check your workspace first -- user research, meeting notes, churn data, past analysis 4. I show what we already know, identify gaps, then fill gaps with web research 5. I deliver a strategic report with defensive, offensive, and innovative plays **Example:** "Analyze Competitor X -- we're losing enterprise deals to them" **Output:** `thoughts/shared/pm/analyses/competitor-analysis-[name]-[date].md` **Time:** Deep Analysis: 2-4 hours | Monitoring: 30 min/month ## Context Routing Logic (Internal - for Claude) **Automatic Context Checks:** When this skill is invoked, immediately check: | Source | Files/Folders | Search Terms | What to Extract | | ----------------- | ---------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------ | ------------------------------------------------- | | User Research | `thoughts/shared/pm/*.md` | competitor name, "switched to", "chose", "vs [competitor]", "competitor" | Customer quotes, pain points, feature comparisons | | Existing Analysis | `thoughts/shared/pm/analyses/competitive-*.md` | competitor name | Past findings, dates, trends, avoid duplication | | Meeting Notes | `thoughts/shared/product/meeting-notes/*.md` | competitor name, "lost deal", "churn", sales, CS | Sales losses, CS feedback, win/loss patterns | | PRDs | `thoughts/shared/pm/prds/*.md` | competitor name, "competitive", "positioning" | Feature decisions, positioning rationale | | Strategy | `thoughts/shared/pm/frameworks/*.md` | competitor name, "positioning", "differentiation" | Strategic context, counter-positioning | | Metrics | `thoughts/shared/pm/metrics/*.md` | "churn", "retention", competitor name | Churn to competitors, competitive benchmarks | **Context Priority:** 1. Internal context FIRST (user research, meetings, PRDs) 2. Analytics MCP SECOND (if connected - query churn cohorts) 3. Web search LAST (only for gaps not covered by internal intel) **Cross-Skill Links:** - If churn mentioned → Link to `retention-analysis` - If user feedback → Link to `user-research-synthesis` - If positioning mentioned → Link to `write-prod-strategy` --- ## Step 0: Understanding What We Already Know Before diving into research, let me check what competitive intelligence already exists in your workspace... **Checking:** - `thoughts/shared/pm/` for user interviews mentioning competitors - `thoughts/shared/pm/analyses/competitive-*.md` for past competitive analysis - `thoughts/shared/product/meeting-notes/` for sales/CS notes with competitive intel - `thoughts/shared/pm/prds/` for competitive positioning decisions - `thoughts/shared/pm/frameworks/` for strategic context - `thoughts/shared/pm/metrics/` for churn data **[If analytics MCP connected]:** "Let me also query [PostHog/PostHog] for churn patterns and competitor-related data." **Based on what I find, I'll show you:** ### Internal Intelligence Summary **From User Research:** - [List interviews mentioning competitors with quotes] - Example: "Found 4 interviews mentioning Competitor X: 'We switched because...'" **From Sales/CS Meetings:** - [List competitive losses and patterns] - Example: "3 sales calls lost to Competitor Y in Enterprise segment" **From Existing Analysis:** - [Reference past competitive analysis] - Example: "Last analyzed Competitor X on 2024-08-15 (6 months ago). Key finding: [summary]" **From PRDs:** - [Features built in response to competitors] - Example: "PRD-2024-03 added Feature Z to match Competitor positioning" **From Strategy Docs:** - [Strategic positioning context] - Example: "Your strategy positions you as [X] vs competitors who are [Y]" **From Metrics/Analytics:** - [Churn data, if available] - Example: "20% of churned customers mentioned Competitor X as reason" ### Gaps in Knowledge Based on internal context, we **don't yet know:** - [Gap 1]: Recent product updates from Competitor X - [Gap 2]: Current pricing model for Competitor Y - [Gap 3]: Distribution channels for Competitor Z **Should I fill these gaps with web research, or do you want to provide additional context first?** --- ## Step 1: Choose Your Analysis Mode Based on your objective and existing context: ### Deep Analysis Mode **Use when:** - Entering a new market or launching major feature - Significant shift in competitive landscape - Need to inform strategic decision (roadmap, pricing, positioning) - Preparing for funding/board presentation - Haven't done competitive research in 6+ months **What I'll do:** 1. **Internal Intelligence First** - Synthesize what we already know 2. **Gap Analysis** - Identify missing information 3. **Web Research** - Fill gaps with public data (websites, pricing, reviews) 4. **SWOT Analysis** - Per competitor 5. **Positioning Map** - Visual 2x2 showing market space 6. **Strategic Recommendations** - Roadmap, pricing, GTM implications **Time:** 2-4 hours (depending on number of competitors) **Output:** Comprehensive report saved to `thoughts/shared/pm/analyses/competitor-analysis-[date].md` ### Ongoing Monitoring Mode **Use when:** - You already have baseline competitive analysis - Want to track competitor moves over time - Need regular intel updates (monthly check-ins) **What I'll do:** 1. **Monthly Check-in** - Search competitor mentions in user feedback 2. **Feature Tracking** - Monitor features appearing in customer requests 3. **Win/Loss Trends** - Track patterns via sales team 4. **Update Matrix** - Keep feature comparison current 5. **Alert on Major Moves** - Flag significant changes **Time:** 30 minutes/month **Output:** Updates saved to `thoughts/shared/pm/analyses/competitive-intel-[month].md` --- ## Deep Analysis Mode: PM-Specific Questions Instead of generic "Who are your competitors?", I'll ask: ### Question 1: Competitive Context **"Which competitors appear most frequently in your user research or churn interviews?"** This tells me who actually threatens your business (not just who you think competes with you). ### Question 2: Customer Segment **"Where do competitors win with your target customer segment?"** Focus on specific segments, not broad "they have more features." Examples: - "Competitor X dominates with enterprise IT buyers because..." - "SMB customers choose Competitor Y because..." ### Question 3: Churn Reasons **"What do churned customers say about why they picked competitors?"** Pull from actual customer interviews, not assumptions. ### Question 4: Distribution Advantage **"Where does Competitor X have stronger distribution/presence?"** Examples: - Geographic presence - Channel partnerships - Integration ecosystem - Community/network effects ### Question 5: Lost Segments **"What customer segments are you losing to specific competitors?"** Be specific: "Enterprise healthcare" not "big companies" --- ## Deep Analysis Framework Once I understand the competitive landscape from internal intel + your answers: ### Phase 1: Synthesize Internal Intelligence (15 min) I'll create a report showing: **What We Already Know:** - User quotes about competitors - Sales losses and why - Features we built to compete - Strategic positioning decisions - Churn patterns **What We Don't Know:** - [Gaps requiring web research] ### Phase 2: Gather Missing Intelligence (60-90 min) For each gap, I'll guide you through: #### Public Data Collection - Website positioning analysis - Pricing page breakdown - Product trial/demo walkthrough - Marketing messaging audit #### Customer Intelligence - G2/Capterra review synthesis - Reddit/Twitter sentiment analysis - App store feedback patterns #### Strategic Signals - LinkedIn hiring patterns (what they're building) - Funding announcements - Partnership deals - Executive changes ### Phase 3: Synthesize with Frameworks (30 min) #### SWOT Analysis (Per Competitor) ```markdown ## Competitor: [Name] ### Strengths - [What they do exceptionally well] - [Their sustainable advantages] - **Example from your data:** "User Interview 2024-08-15: 'Their onboarding is 10x faster'" ### Weaknesses - [Where they consistently fall short] - [Common customer complaints] - **Example from your data:** "G2 reviews: 70% mention poor customer support" ### Opportunities (for us) - [Gaps we can exploit] - **Example:** "30% of their users want Feature X but they don't offer it" ### Threats (from them) - [What they could do to hurt us] - **Example:** "Partnership with Salesforce could lock us out of enterprise" ``` #### Positioning Map I'll create a 2x2 visualization: ``` Complexity (Simple → Enterprise) │ You │ Competitor A │ ────────┼──────────── Price (Low → High) │ Comp B│ Competitor C │ Your opportunity: [Identify white space] ``` #### Feature Comparison Matrix ```markdown | Feature | Your Product | Comp A | Comp B | Analysis | | ---------------- | ------------ | ---------- | ------ | ----------------- | | [Core Feature 1] | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | Table stakes | | [Your Advantage] | ✅ | ⚠️ Limited | ❌ | Differentiator | | [Gap] | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ | Consider building | **Legend:** - ✅ Full support - ⚠️ Limited/beta - ❌ Not available ``` ### Phase 4: Strategic Recommendations (30 min) I'll categorize insights into 3 buckets: #### 🛡️ Defensive Plays (Close Critical Gaps) ```markdown **Feature:** [What to build] **Why:** Competitor has it, customers expect it, blocking deals **User Story:** "As a [user], I want [feature] so that [outcome]" **Priority:** High **Effort:** [Estimate] **Link to PRD:** [If exists] ``` #### ⚔️ Offensive Plays (Attack Weaknesses) ```markdown **Opportunity:** [Competitor weakness from customer complaints] **Our Advantage:** [How we can do it better] **Impact:** [Market share we can capture] **Evidence:** [Quote from user research or reviews] ``` #### 🚀 Innovative Plays (Create New Market Space) ```markdown **Gap:** [What no competitor is doing] **Hypothesis:** [Why customers would care] **Risk:** [Why no one else has done this] **Validation Plan:** [How to test before building] ``` ### Phase 5: Positioning & Pricing Guidance (15 min) #### Value Proposition Framework ```markdown **For:** [Target customer] **Who:** [Their pain or need] **Our product is a:** [Category] **That:** [Key benefit] **Unlike:** [Main competitor] **We:** [Key differentiator] ``` #### Pricing Recommendations Based on competitive benchmarks: - Market pricing range - Where you're positioned - Opportunity for price increase or new tier --- ## Ongoing Monitoring Mode: Setup Instead of complex Make.com automation, I'll help you set up: ### Monthly Competitive Check-in (30 min/month) **Week 1 of Month:** 1. **Search User Feedback** - Review latest interviews for competitor mentions - Check support tickets for "switching to" mentions - Scan feature requests citing competitors 2. **Sales Team Intel** - Ask: "Which competitors came up this month?" - Review win/loss log - Track deal-loss reasons 3. **Web Monitoring** - Check competitor blogs for product updates - Scan LinkedIn for major hires - Google Alerts for funding/partnership news 4. **Update Tracking** - Update feature comparison matrix - Note pricing changes - Log significant moves **Output Format:** ```markdown # Competitive Intel: [Month YYYY] ## Summary - [1-2 sentence summary of significant changes] ## Competitor Updates ### Competitor A - **Product:** [New features or changes] - **Pricing:** [Any changes] - **Strategic Moves:** [Partnerships, funding, hires] - **Customer Mentions:** [Quotes from your research] ### Competitor B [Same structure] ## Implications for Our Roadmap - **Defensive:** [Gaps we need to close] - **Offensive:** [Weaknesses we can exploit] - **Monitoring:** [Things to watch] ## Action Items - [ ] [Action 1 with owner] - [ ] [Action 2 with owner] ``` Save to: `thoughts/shared/pm/analyses/competitive-intel-[month].md` ### Optional: Google Alerts Setup I can help you set up: - Competitor name + "funding" - Competitor name + "acquires" - Competitor name + "announces" - Competitor name + "launches" --- ## Output Integration ### Where Files Go **Deep Analysis:** - Save to: `thoughts/shared/pm/analyses/competitor-analysis-[name]-[date].md` **Ongoing Monitoring:** - Save to: `thoughts/shared/pm/analyses/competitive-intel-[month].md` ### Link to Other Work After completing analysis: - **Reference in PRDs** - "Based on competitive analysis [link], we're positioning as..." - **Update strategy docs** - "Competitive landscape has shifted: [insight]" - **Create battlecards** - Use findings for sales team (via `/catalyst-pm-ops:slack-message`) - **Inform roadmap** - Link specific competitor threats to roadmap priorities ### Cross-Skill Integration **Feeds into:** - `/prd-draft` - Auto-populate "Market Context" and "Alternatives Considered" - `/write-prod-strategy` - Inform competitive positioning and differentiation - `/retention-analysis` - Understand churn to competitors - `/user-research-synthesis` - Reference competitive mentions in interviews **Pulls from:** - `/user-research-synthesis` - Uses existing research themes - `/retention-analysis` - Churn patterns and reasons - `/feature-results` - Which features helped us compete --- ## Web Research Methodology When performing competitive research to fill gaps not covered by internal intel, follow this systematic approach: ### Research Steps (in order) 1. **Check company website** for recent announcements, pricing changes, and feature updates. Look at their homepage messaging, pricing page, changelog/release notes, and blog. 2. **Search for recent product updates.** Query: "[competitor] product updates [current quarter]" and "[competitor] new features [current year]". Focus on the last 90 days for freshness. 3. **Check G2/Capterra for recent reviews** mentioning new features. Sort by "most recent" and look for patterns in what users praise or complain about. Extract specific quotes. 4. **Search LinkedIn for competitor PM/engineering job postings.** Job postings reveal strategic direction -- if they are hiring ML engineers, they are building AI features. If they are hiring enterprise sales reps, they are moving upmarket. Query: "[competitor] site:linkedin.com/jobs" 5. **Check their changelog/blog for release notes.** Most SaaS companies publish release notes. This gives you a timeline of what they shipped and how fast they are moving. 6. **Search for funding, partnerships, and acquisitions.** Query: "[competitor] funding [current year]" or "[competitor] partnership". These signals indicate where they are investing. ### Source Documentation For every competitive claim, document the source with a date: ```markdown **Claim:** Competitor X launched AI-powered search in Q4 2025 **Source:** Competitor X blog post (https://example.com/blog/ai-search) **Date verified:** 2026-02-05 **Confidence:** High (primary source) ``` **Confidence levels:** - **High** -- Primary source (company website, official announcement, direct product trial) - **Medium** -- Secondary source (G2 review, news article, LinkedIn post) - **Low** -- Third-party speculation (analyst report, Reddit thread, rumor) Always prefer high-confidence sources. Flag low-confidence claims explicitly so the PM can decide how much weight to give them. --- ## Common Mistakes to Avoid ### Mistake 1: Jumping to Web Research First **Bad:** Immediately Googling competitors without checking internal intel **Good:** Starting with "What do our churned customers say?" from actual interviews ### ❌ Mistake 2: Feature List Without Strategy **Bad:** "Competitor A has 47 features, we have 35" **Good:** "Competitor A's complexity is their weakness—30% of reviews complain about onboarding. Our opportunity is simplicity." ### ❌ Mistake 3: Ignoring Indirect Competitors **Bad:** Only tracking direct competitors **Good:** Watching for adjacent players who could pivot (like design tool launching FigJam to compete with Miro) ### ❌ Mistake 4: Static Document **Bad:** Beautiful analysis that lives in a deck, never updated **Good:** Living document feeding into monthly roadmap discussions ### ❌ Mistake 5: Missing Internal Intel **Bad:** Only using public data **Good:** Creating feedback loops with sales/CS teams who hear competitor intel daily --- ## Pro Tips ### 1. Focus on "Why" Not Just "What" Don't just list features. Understand: - Why customers choose each competitor (pull from interviews) - Why they churn from each competitor (pull from churn analysis) - Why certain features matter more than others (pull from user research) ### 2. Track Signals, Not Just Facts **Facts:** "Competitor raised $50M Series C" **Signals:** "With $50M, they'll likely expand to enterprise (based on hiring pattern) and build mobile app (top feature request in their reviews)" ### 3. Use Jobs-to-be-Done Lens **Bad:** "We need video calling because Competitor has it" **Good:** "Users hire products to collaborate async across timezones. Video calling is one solution, but async video or threaded conversations might be better for our segment." ### 4. Make It Visual Create positioning maps, feature matrices, and timelines. Visuals make patterns obvious and are easier to share with stakeholders. ### 5. Balance Your Competitive Response - 60% Defensive (close critical gaps) - 30% Offensive (attack their weaknesses) - 10% Innovative (create new market space) Don't spend all your time playing catch-up. --- **Remember:** The best competitive analysis isn't the most comprehensive—it's the one that shows what you _already know internally_, identifies the real gaps, and drives clear decisions about what to build next. ## Output Quality Self-Check Before delivering a competitive analysis, verify: - [ ] **Internal intel checked first** -- User research, meetings, PRDs, strategy, and metrics were searched before web research - [ ] **Gaps identified explicitly** -- Report clearly separates "what we know" from "what we researched externally" - [ ] **Sources documented with dates** -- Every competitive claim has a source, URL (if applicable), and date verified - [ ] **Confidence levels assigned** -- Claims marked as High, Medium, or Low confidence - [ ] **SWOT is specific, not generic** -- Strengths/weaknesses reference actual data (user quotes, review excerpts, feature comparisons), not vague statements - [ ] **Positioning map included** -- Visual 2x2 showing where competitors sit relative to your product - [ ] **Feature comparison is strategic** -- Not just a checklist; includes analysis of what matters to your customers - [ ] **Recommendations are actionable** -- Defensive, offensive, and innovative plays are specific enough to inform roadmap decisions - [ ] **Cross-skill links included** -- References to relevant retention-analysis, user-research-synthesis, or strategy docs where appropriate If any check fails, fix it before delivering. The best competitive analysis drives clear decisions, not just awareness. --- **This skill automatically checks your workspace first, references related skills, and only suggests web research for actual gaps. It works like a real PM connecting dots across research, meetings, and metrics.**