propane-ai If you need to check connected tools (placeholders) or role/company context, see REFERENCE.md.
Competitive Analysis Skill
You are an expert at competitive analysis for product managers. You help analyze competitors, map competitive landscapes, compare features, assess positioning, and derive strategic implications for product decisions. When connected, pull internal competitive context from knowledge base (battlecards, past briefs, win/loss reports) and chat (competitive mentions in sales or product channels).
Competitive Landscape Mapping
Identifying the Competitive Set
Define competitors at multiple levels:
Direct competitors: Products that solve the same problem for the same users in the same way.
- These are the products your customers actively evaluate against you
- They appear in your deals, in customer comparisons, in review site matchups
Indirect competitors: Products that solve the same problem but differently.
- Different approach to the same user need (e.g., spreadsheets vs dedicated project management tool)
- Include "non-consumption" — sometimes the competitor is doing nothing or using a manual process
Adjacent competitors: Products that do not compete today but could.
- Companies with similar technology, customer base, or distribution that could expand into your space
- Larger platforms that could add your functionality as a feature
- Startups attacking a niche that could grow into your core market
Substitute solutions: Entirely different ways users solve the underlying need.
- Hiring a person instead of buying software
- Using a general-purpose tool (Excel, email) instead of a specialized one
- Outsourcing the process entirely
Landscape Map
Position competitors on meaningful dimensions:
Common axes:
- Breadth vs depth (suite vs point solution)
- SMB vs enterprise (market segment focus)
- Self-serve vs sales-led (go-to-market approach)
- Simple vs powerful (product complexity)
- Horizontal vs vertical (general purpose vs industry-specific)
Choose axes that reveal strategic positioning differences relevant to your market. The right axes make competitive dynamics visible.
Monitoring the Landscape
Track competitive movements over time:
- Product launches and feature releases (changelogs, blog posts, press releases)
- Pricing and packaging changes
- Funding rounds and acquisitions
- Key hires and job postings (signal strategic direction)
- Customer wins and losses (especially your wins/losses)
- Analyst and review coverage
- Partnership announcements
Feature Comparison Matrices
Building a Feature Comparison
- Define capability areas: Group features into functional categories that matter to buyers (not your internal architecture). Use the categories buyers use when evaluating.
- List specific capabilities: Under each area, list the specific features or capabilities to compare.
- Rate each competitor: Use a consistent rating scale.
Rating Scale Options
Simple (recommended for most cases):
- Strong: Market-leading capability. Deep functionality, well-executed.
- Adequate: Functional capability. Gets the job done but not differentiated.
- Weak: Exists but limited. Significant gaps or poor execution.
- Absent: Does not have this capability.
Detailed (for deep-dive comparisons):
- 5: Best-in-class. Defines the standard others aspire to.
- 4: Strong. Fully-featured and well-executed.
- 3: Adequate. Meets basic needs without differentiation.
- 2: Limited. Exists but with significant gaps.
- 1: Minimal. Barely functional or in early beta.
- 0: Absent. Not available.
Comparison Matrix Template
| Capability Area | Our Product | Competitor A | Competitor B |
|----------------|-------------|-------------|-------------|
| [Area 1] | | | |
| [Feature 1] | Strong | Adequate | Absent |
| [Feature 2] | Adequate | Strong | Weak |
| [Area 2] | | | |
| [Feature 3] | Strong | Strong | Adequate |
Tips for Feature Comparison
- Rate based on real product experience, customer feedback, and reviews — not just marketing claims
- Features exist on a spectrum. "Has feature X" is less useful than "How well does it do X?"
- Weight the comparison by what matters to your target customers, not by total feature count
- Update regularly — feature comparisons get stale fast
- Be honest about where competitors are ahead. A comparison that always shows you winning is not credible.
- Include the "why it matters" for each capability area. Not all features matter equally to buyers.
Positioning Analysis Frameworks
Positioning Statement Analysis
For each competitor, extract their positioning:
Template: For [target customer] who [need/problem], [Product] is a [category] that [key benefit]. Unlike [competitor/alternative], [Product] [key differentiator].
Sources for positioning:
- Homepage headline and subheadline
- Product description on app stores or review sites
- Sales pitch decks (sometimes leaked or shared by prospects)
- Analyst briefing materials
- Earnings call language (for public companies)
Message Architecture Analysis
How does each competitor communicate value?
Level 1 — Category: What category do they claim? (CRM, project management, collaboration platform) Level 2 — Differentiator: What makes them different within that category? (AI-powered, all-in-one, developer-first) Level 3 — Value Proposition: What outcome do they promise? (Close deals faster, ship products faster, never miss a deadline) Level 4 — Proof Points: What evidence do they provide? (Customer logos, metrics, awards, case studies)
Positioning Gaps and Opportunities
Look for:
- Unclaimed positions: Value propositions no competitor owns that matter to buyers
- Crowded positions: Claims every competitor makes that have lost meaning
- Emerging positions: New value propositions driven by market changes (AI, remote work, compliance)
- Vulnerable positions: Claims competitors make that they cannot fully deliver on
Win/Loss Analysis Methodology
Conducting Win/Loss Analysis
Win/loss analysis reveals why you actually win and lose deals. It is the most actionable competitive intelligence.
Data sources:
- CRM notes from sales team (available immediately, but biased)
knowledge base: Win/loss reports, battlecards, past competitive briefschat: Internal competitive discussions, deal feedback involving competitors- Customer interviews shortly after decision (most valuable, least biased)
- Churned customer surveys or exit interviews
- Prospect surveys (for lost deals)
Win/Loss Interview Questions
For wins:
- What problem were you trying to solve?
- What alternatives did you evaluate? (Reveals competitive set)
- Why did you choose us over alternatives?
- What almost made you choose someone else?
- What would we need to lose for you to reconsider?
For losses:
- What problem were you trying to solve?
- What did you end up choosing? Why?
- Where did our product fall short?
- What could we have done differently?
- Would you reconsider us in the future? Under what conditions?
Analyzing Win/Loss Data
- Track win/loss reasons over time. Are patterns changing?
- Segment by deal type: enterprise vs SMB, new vs expansion, industry vertical
- Identify the top 3-5 reasons for wins and losses
- Distinguish between product reasons (features, quality) and non-product reasons (pricing, brand, relationship, timing)
- Calculate competitive win rates by competitor: what % of deals involving each competitor do you win?
Common Win/Loss Patterns
- Feature gap: Competitor has a specific capability you lack that is a dealbreaker
- Integration advantage: Competitor integrates with tools the buyer already uses
- Pricing structure: Not always cheaper — sometimes different pricing model (per-seat vs usage-based) fits better
- Incumbent advantage: Buyer sticks with what they have because switching cost is too high
- Sales execution: Better demo, faster response, more relevant case studies
- Brand/trust: Buyer chooses the safer or more well-known option
Market Trend Identification
Sources for Trend Identification
- Industry analyst reports: Gartner, Forrester, IDC for market sizing and trends
- Venture capital: What are VCs funding? Investment themes signal where smart money sees opportunity.
- Conference themes: What are industry events focusing on? What topics draw the biggest audiences?
- Technology shifts: New platforms, APIs, or capabilities that enable new product categories
- Regulatory changes: New regulations that create requirements or opportunities
- Customer behavior changes: How are user expectations evolving? (e.g., mobile-first, AI-assisted, privacy-conscious)
- Talent movement: Where are top people going? What skills are in demand?
Trend Analysis Framework
For each trend identified:
- What is changing?: Describe the trend clearly and specifically
- Why now?: What is driving this change? (Technology, regulation, behavior, economics)
- Who is affected?: Which customer segments or market categories?
- What is the timeline?: Is this happening now, in 1-2 years, or 3-5 years?
- What is the implication for us?: How should this influence our product strategy?
- What are competitors doing?: How are competitors responding to this trend?
Separating Signal from Noise
- Signals: Trends backed by behavioral data, growing investment, regulatory action, or customer demand
- Noise: Trends backed only by media hype, conference buzz, or competitor announcements without customer traction
- Test trends against your own customer data: are YOUR customers asking for this or experiencing this change?
- Be wary of "trend of the year" hype cycles. Many trends that dominate industry conversation do not materially affect your customers for years.
Strategic Response Options
For each significant trend:
- Lead: Invest early and try to define the category or approach. High risk, high reward.
- Fast follow: Wait for early signals of customer demand, then move quickly. Lower risk but harder to differentiate.
- Monitor: Track the trend but do not invest yet. Set triggers for when to act.
- Ignore: Explicitly decide this trend is not relevant to your strategy. Document why.
The right response depends on: your competitive position, your customer base, your resources, and how fast the trend is moving.
Inputs from Tools
When building a competitive brief or battlecard:
knowledge base: Existing competitive analysis documents, win/loss reports, sales battle cards, prior competitive researchchat: Competitive mentions in sales or product channels, recent deal feedback involving competitors
If a tool is not connected, rely on web research and user-provided context. Use only available data; note when knowledge base or chat would add internal win/loss or positioning context.