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3.6IntermediateModule 03 · Know Your Market

Competitor Mapping

You're losing deals to competitors and don't fully understand why. Or you're preparing a

The prompt

Copy & paste ready
3.6Competitor Mapping
Act as a competitive intelligence analyst. My business : [WHAT YOU DO AND WHO YOU SERVE] Key competitors : [LIST 5–8 DIRECT AND INDIRECT] Map each competitor across these dimensions: Price positioning (budget / mid / premium) Target customer (SMB / mid-market / enterprise) Core strength (what they are known for) Core weakness (where they are consistently criticised) Key differentiator (what makes them choose-able) After mapping : 1. Where is the market most crowded? 2. What white space exists that no competitor occupies? 3. Where am I most vulnerable to competitive pressure? 4. What is the one thing I must own to be clearly different? 1 2 3 White Space Top-right corner, High Quality, High Price representing untapped Competitor Top-left corner, market potential. Low Quality, Low Price occupied by premium Landscape competitors. Bottom-left corner, dominated by budget- friendly options.
LabelsReplace theseSwap the role below

LabelsReplace theseSwap the role below

Pro tip, from the book

The most valuable output is not the map itself, it is the white space analysis. Ask AI specifically: 'Given this competitive map, describe the customer who is currently underserved by every player in this market.' That customer is your Blue Ocean opportunity.

Who should run this prompt

Module role profile

Who should read your competitive landscape? Every market looks different depending on where you are standing. A market researcher sees data. A competitor's strategist sees opportunity. A customer sees none of your positioning — only their own problem. Use this page to choose the right lens before drawing any conclusions about the market you operate in.

Choose any role to drop it into the prompt above. Only the highlighted opening clause changes — the rest of the prompt stays exactly as printed.

Internal rolesThink from inside the organisation
Outside perspectivesChallenge your blind spots

◆◆◆◆◆ → ◆ seniority, board level down to specialist outside the organisation

How to make any role sharper

  1. Add years of experience: "...with 15 years in enterprise SaaS" produces different depth than just the title.
  2. Add what they care most about: "You care most about [X]" shapes every word of the output.
  3. Add their communication style: "Be direct. Flag risks first. No jargon." changes the tone entirely.
See also: 1.3 Role Prompting - The Expert Chair

Use this when

The problem it solves

market-entry strategy and need to know the landscape before you move.

How the framework works

From the printed page

Competitor mapping is the structured process of plotting your competitors across dimensions that matter to your customers price, capability, speed, service model, target segment, and key differentiators. Done well, it reveals clusters of competition (where everyone is fighting), white spaces (where no one plays), and your own positioning clarity. AI can build a preliminary map quickly when given enough context about your market.

The method, in four moves

Do these in order
1

List your top 5–8 direct and indirect competitors before prompting.

2

Choose 4–6 dimensions that your customers actually use to evaluate options.

3

Look for white spaces combinations of dimensions that no competitor occupies.

4

Update your map every six months or after any significant competitor move. See exactly where you stand and where the gaps are Most competitor maps list only direct competitors by product category. The most dangerous competitors are often indirect, the workaround your customer uses instead of buying anything. Spreadsheets, manual processes, and doing nothing are your biggest competitors in most B2B markets. Map the workaround first, then the direct alternatives.

Where the framework comes from

Strategic management methodology — competitor analysis frameworks, 1980s onwards

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