Who This Helps
This is for growth marketers tired of chasing random ideas when a key metric drops. The Strategy Basics: Competitive Map course gives you a clear, one-page artifact to see exactly where you're losing ground.
Mini Case
Aisha saw her conversion rate drop 18% last quarter. She was about to overhaul her entire ad campaign. Instead, she built a quick competitive map. In one afternoon, she spotted a new competitor targeting her core segment with a specific feature wedge she'd missed. She adjusted her messaging that week, and the metric recovered in 30 days.
Do This Now (5 Steps)
- Block 90 minutes. Seriously, put it on your calendar. No distractions.
- Grab your top 3 competitors. Not every company, just the ones your customers actually compare you to. This is your 'Competitor Set'.
- List 5 key buying factors for your main customer segment. Think price, features, support speed.
- Score yourself and each competitor on those 5 factors. Use simple High/Medium/Low.
- Spot the gap. Where is a competitor scoring High and you're scoring Low? That's likely your leak.
Avoid These Traps
- Don't analyze 10 competitors. It gets muddy. Stick to 3.
- Don't use vague factors like 'quality.' Be specific, like '24/7 chat support.'
- Don't skip the scoring. The visual grid is what makes the problem obvious.
- Don't try to fix everything at once. The map will show you the one biggest pressure point.
- Don't use old data. Look at what competitors are doing right now.
- Don't work in a vacuum. Show your grid to one teammate for a quick gut check.
- Don't make it pretty. Use a whiteboard or a simple table. Done is better than perfect.
- Don't forget the 'Customer Segment Wedge.' Are you losing a specific group, like 'small business owners'?
Your Win by Friday
Your win isn't a 50-page report. It's one page—your finished competitive map. By Friday, you'll know if the KPI drop is due to a pricing shift, a new feature, or a messaging blind spot. You'll have a single, evidence-backed move to make next week. And you'll have saved yourself weeks of guesswork. Go be a detective.