Who This Helps
You're a growth marketer who needs to move channel metrics without guesswork. You have data, but stakeholders want a clear story before they approve your next move. The Strategy Basics: Competitive Map course is built for exactly this moment.
Mini Case
Meet Aisha. She runs growth at a SaaS company. Her team spent 3 weeks analyzing competitors, but the CEO asked: "So what do we do?" Aisha used the Differentiation Grid mission to build a clean comparison with evidence. She showed that her product wins on speed (12% faster onboarding) but loses on integrations. The grid took 2 hours to build. The CEO approved her new positioning in one meeting.
Do This Now (5 Steps)
- Pick one market shift that actually changes your strategy. Don't boil the ocean. Aisha chose "remote team adoption" as her signal.
- Choose the right competitor set. Not every logo in the market. Pick 3-5 that compete for the same customer segment. Aisha picked 4 direct rivals.
- Select one customer segment wedge. Avoid diluted positioning. Aisha focused on mid-market HR teams.
- Build a comparison grid with evidence. Use the Differentiation Grid mission. List 5 criteria (price, speed, support, integrations, reliability). Score each competitor. Add a short note for each score.
- Write one strategic tradeoff. What you will NOT do. Aisha decided not to build more integrations this quarter, doubling down on speed instead.
Avoid These Traps
- Analyzing every competitor. You don't need 20 logos. 3-5 is plenty.
- No evidence in your grid. Stakeholders will poke holes. Add numbers or quotes.
- Trying to win everywhere. A clear tradeoff is more convincing than a vague "we're the best."
- Skipping the moat signals. Show what protects your advantage (patents, network effects, brand).
Your Win by Friday
By Friday, you'll have a one-page strategy artifact: a competitive map with a clear market signal, competitor set, segment wedge, differentiation grid, moat signals, and one strategic tradeoff. That's 6 sections, 1 page, 1 meeting to get approval. No guesswork. Just a clean story that moves metrics.