Who This Helps
Hey Junior Analyst. If you're drowning in competitor data and can't decide what to test next, this is for you. It's a core move from the Market Intelligence & Positioning course. It helps you ship clean analysis with clear recommendations, fast.
Mini Case
Zaid, a junior analyst, was stuck. He had 200+ competitor claims to sort through. He built a simple positioning grid in 90 minutes. It showed that 70% of competitors were all fighting over the same two features. This revealed a clear wedge—focusing on implementation speed—which became his team's next experiment. It got approved in one meeting.
Do This Now (5 Steps)
- Grab your notes from the last Competitor Claim Audit you did.
- Pick the 3 most common criteria customers use to compare solutions (like price, ease of use, depth).
- Draw a simple 2x2 grid. Put two key criteria on the axes.
- Plot your main 5 competitors on the grid based on your evidence.
- Now, plot where your own product lands. Spot the biggest empty space—that's your wedge.
Avoid These Traps
- Don't use more than two criteria for your first grid. It gets messy.
- Don't guess where competitors sit. Use actual evidence from reviews or win/loss calls.
- Don't try to 'own' a quadrant that's already crowded with 4 other players.
- Don't forget to align your wedge with what your ideal customer profile actually cares about.
- Don't present the grid without a clear 'so what' recommendation for the next test.
- Don't spend more than 2 hours on version one. It's a thinking tool, not art.
- Don't ignore trade-offs. If you win on speed, you might lose on customizability—own that story.
- Don't let perfect data stall you. Use your best available intel and note the gaps.
Your Win by Friday
Your win is a one-page positioning artifact. It's not just a pretty grid. It's a single, evidence-backed recommendation for your team's next experiment. You'll walk into the planning sync and say, 'Based on the grid, we should test X. Here's the wedge, and here's why it's the highest-impact move.' No more noise. Just a clear path forward. You've got this.