/gtm-competitive-intel — Competitive Intelligence

Build a comprehensive competitive dossier focused on how competitors sell, not just what they sell. Produces competitive matrix, GTM analysis, battlecard drafts, and market dynamics. Supports incremental updates.

When to Use

• User says "competitive intel", "competitor analysis", "battlecards", "competitive landscape"
• Need to understand how competitors acquire customers and position themselves
• Preparing for competitive deals or building sales enablement
• Quarterly competitive refresh

Before Starting

Check for existing context:

1. Read projects/<project>/gtm-context.md — master GTM context
2. Check if projects/<project>/competitive-intel.md already exists — if so, this is an UPDATE (compare to previous snapshot)
3. Check projects/<project>/icp-personas.md for buyer context

If gtm-context.md does not exist, tell the user: "I need GTM context first. Run /onboarding or tell me: what you sell, who you compete with, and who your buyer is."

Process

Step 1: Intake — Competitive Context

If GTM context exists, reference it. Then gather:

AskUserQuestion:
  question: "What's driving this competitive analysis?"
  header: "Context"
  options:
    - label: "Full landscape"
      description: "Need a comprehensive view of the competitive field"
    - label: "Specific competitor"
      description: "Deep-dive on 1-2 competitors we keep losing to"
    - label: "New entrant"
      description: "A new competitor has entered — need to understand them"
    - label: "Quarterly refresh"
      description: "Updating existing intel — what's changed?"

Then gather:

• Competitors to analyze — Names + URLs (include indirect alternatives: spreadsheets, agencies, doing nothing)
• What you know already — Any intel from sales calls, lost deals, or customer feedback?
• Specific concerns — Any competitor moves that worry you?

Step 2: Research — Parallel Competitive Intelligence

Launch 3 agents IN PARALLEL:

Agent 1 — Product & Positioning Intelligence

Task(subagent_type: "general-purpose", model: "sonnet", description: "Research competitor products")
prompt: Research competitive products in [SPACE]. Competitors: [LIST].
  For each competitor, find:
  - Product positioning and tagline
  - Key features and capabilities
  - Pricing model and price points (check pricing pages)
  - Target audience and market segment
  - Customer reviews and sentiment (G2, Capterra, TrustRadius)
  - Strengths and weaknesses from reviews
  - Recent product launches or changes
  Return a structured competitive product matrix.

Agent 2 — GTM & Sales Intelligence

Task(subagent_type: "general-purpose", model: "sonnet", description: "Research competitor GTM")
prompt: Research how competitors in [SPACE] go to market. Competitors: [LIST].
  For each, find:
  - GTM motion (PLG, sales-led, community, content, hybrid)
  - Sales team structure (check LinkedIn for team size and roles)
  - Key marketing channels (content, paid, social, events, partnerships)
  - Content strategy (blog topics, frequency, gated content)
  - Outreach approach (check if SDRs are active on LinkedIn, common messaging)
  - Customer success model (self-serve, CSM, community)
  - Notable GTM tactics or recent campaigns
  Return a structured GTM competitive analysis.

Agent 3 — Market Dynamics

Task(subagent_type: "general-purpose", model: "sonnet", description: "Research market dynamics")
prompt: Research market dynamics in [SPACE].
  Find:
  - Recent funding rounds, acquisitions, or partnerships among competitors
  - New entrants or emerging players
  - Competitors who've pivoted, struggled, or exited
  - Analyst coverage or market reports
  - Key market trends affecting the competitive landscape
  - Regulatory or technology shifts that change the playing field
  Return structured market dynamics findings.

Step 3: Synthesize — Competitive Dossier

Using research + context, build:

1. Competitive Matrix

2. Competitive GTM Analysis For each competitor:

• How they acquire customers (channels, tactics)
• Their sales process (self-serve, demo, enterprise)
• What their messaging emphasizes
• Where they're investing (hiring, content, events)

3. Win/Loss Patterns Based on reviews, forums, and user input:

• Why customers choose each competitor
• Why customers leave each competitor
• Common switching triggers
• What matters in the evaluation (from buyer perspective)

4. Competitive Messaging Analysis

• Claims each competitor makes
• Proof points they use
• Messaging gaps (what they DON'T say)
• Positioning vulnerabilities

5. Battlecard Drafts (one per major competitor)

• Their pitch — How they position themselves
• Their weaknesses — Based on reviews and analysis
• How to win — Your differentiators that matter against them
• What to say — Talk track when they come up in a deal
• Landmines — Questions to ask the prospect that expose competitor weaknesses
• When you lose — Scenarios where they're genuinely better (be honest)

6. Market Dynamics

• New entrants and emerging threats
• Funding and M&A activity
• Market shifts and trend implications
• Opportunities and white space

If this is an update (previous competitive-intel.md exists), add a "What Changed" section comparing to the previous snapshot.

Step 4: Validate with User

Present the dossier. Checkpoint:

AskUserQuestion:
  question: "How does this match your competitive experience? What are we missing?"
  header: "Intel Review"
  options:
    - label: "Comprehensive"
      description: "This captures the landscape well — finalize it"
    - label: "Missing a competitor"
      description: "There's a competitor we should add"
    - label: "Intel is off"
      description: "Some analysis doesn't match what we see in deals"
    - label: "Need deeper dive"
      description: "Want more detail on a specific competitor"

Iterate based on feedback.

Step 5: Save

Save to: projects/<project>/competitive-intel.md

Methodology

See references/competitive-frameworks.md for battlecard templates, competitive matrix methodology, and incremental update format.

Output

Saves to: projects/<project>/competitive-intel.md

Next Steps

• Need positioning? → /gtm-positioning (competitive intel directly feeds positioning)
• Need outreach? → /gtm-outreach (uses competitive messaging gaps for sequences)
• Ready for strategy? → /gtm-strategy