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Competitive Teardown
Production-grade competitor analysis framework covering systematic data collection across 6 intelligence sources, a 12-dimension scoring rubric, feature comparison matrices, SWOT analysis, pricing model deconstruction, UX audit methodology, and strategic action plans. Produces battle-card-ready output and stakeholder presentation templates.
Table of Contents
- When to Use
- Teardown Workflow
- Data Collection Framework
- 12-Dimension Scoring Rubric
- Feature Comparison Matrix
- Pricing Analysis Framework
- SWOT Analysis Template
- UX Audit Methodology
- Positioning Map
- Action Plan Framework
- Battle Card Template
- Stakeholder Presentation
- Output Artifacts
- Related Skills
When to Use
| Trigger | Teardown Scope |
|---|
| Before product strategy or roadmap session | Full teardown (2-4 competitors) |
| Competitor launches major feature or pricing change | Focused teardown (1 competitor, updated dimensions only) |
| Quarterly competitive review | Update existing teardowns + trend analysis |
| Before a sales pitch (battle card needed) | Single-competitor battle card |
| Entering a new market segment | Full teardown of segment incumbents |
Teardown Workflow
Step-by-Step Process
- Define competitors -- List 2-4 competitors. Confirm which is the primary focus.
- Collect data -- Gather intelligence from at least 3 of the 6 sources per competitor.
- Score using rubric -- Apply the 12-dimension rubric to produce a numeric scorecard.
- Generate comparison outputs -- Feature matrix, pricing analysis, SWOT, positioning map.
- Build action plan -- Translate findings into quick wins, medium-term, and strategic priorities.
- Package for stakeholders -- Assemble the presentation or battle card.
Validation Checkpoints
- Before scoring: Confirm you have pricing data, 20+ user reviews, and recent product data
- Before action plan: Every dimension should have a score and supporting evidence
- Before presentation: Every recommendation should tie back to a data point
Data Collection Framework
Source 1: Website and Product Analysis
| Data Point | Where to Find | What It Signals |
|---|
| Pricing tiers and price points | Pricing page | Market positioning, target segment |
| Feature lists per tier | Pricing + feature pages | Packaging strategy |
| Primary CTA and messaging | Homepage hero | Positioning and ICP |
| Case studies and customer logos | Case study page, homepage | Target segments, social proof |
| Integration partnerships | Integrations page | Ecosystem strategy |
| Trust signals | Footer, security page | Enterprise readiness |
| Job postings | Careers page, LinkedIn | Growth direction, tech stack |
Source 2: User Reviews
Platforms: G2, Capterra, TrustRadius, App Store, Product Hunt
| Category | What to Track | Strategic Value |
|---|
| Praise themes | What users love (top 5 themes) | Their defensible strengths |
| Complaint themes | What users hate (top 5 themes) | Your opportunities |
| Feature requests | What users want but do not have | Product roadmap gaps |
| Switching mentions | Why users left competitors | Competitive migration paths |
| Rating trends | Quarter-over-quarter rating change | Improving or declining |
Sample size target: 50+ reviews per competitor for reliable themes.
Source 3: Job Postings
| Signal | What It Means |
|---|
| High engineering hiring | Product investment, scaling |
| AI/ML roles | AI features coming |
| Sales team expansion | Moving upmarket or expanding geographically |
| Customer success roles | Retention focus, enterprise motion |
| Compliance/legal roles | Regulatory expansion |
| Reduced postings | Cost cutting, potential contraction |
Source 4: SEO and Content Analysis
| Metric | Tool | Strategic Value |
|---|
| Top 20 organic keywords | Ahrefs, SEMrush, GSC | Content strategy and targeting |
| Domain authority | Ahrefs, Moz | Brand strength |
| Blog publishing cadence | Manual check | Content investment level |
| Ranking pages (product vs blog vs docs) | Ahrefs | Traffic composition |
Source 5: Social Media and Community
| Platform | What to Track |
|---|
| Twitter/X | Product announcements, customer praise, complaints |
| Reddit | Honest reviews, comparison threads |
| LinkedIn | Thought leadership, hiring signals, employee count |
| Community forums | Feature requests, workarounds, power user patterns |
| Discord/Slack | Community size, engagement level |
Source 6: Financial and Market Data
| Source | Data Available |
|---|
| Crunchbase | Funding, valuation, investors, employee count |
| LinkedIn | Employee count trend (growth proxy) |
| Public filings (if public) | Revenue, growth rate, churn |
| Industry reports | Market share estimates |
12-Dimension Scoring Rubric
Score each competitor (and your own product) on a 1-5 scale with evidence notes.
| Dimension | 1 (Weak) | 3 (Average) | 5 (Best-in-class)
---|---|---|---|---
1 | Features | Core only, many gaps | Solid coverage | Comprehensive + unique capabilities
2 | Pricing | Confusing or overpriced | Market-rate, clear | Transparent, flexible, fair
3 | UX / Design | Confusing, high friction | Functional, adequate | Delightful, minimal friction
4 | Performance | Slow, unreliable | Acceptable | Fast, high uptime, responsive
5 | Documentation | Sparse, outdated | Decent coverage | Comprehensive, searchable, with examples
6 | Support | Email only, slow response | Chat + email, reasonable SLA | 24/7, multiple channels, fast
7 | Integrations | 0-5 native integrations | 6-25 integrations | 26+ or deep ecosystem (API + marketplace)
8 | Security | No mentions | SOC2 claimed | SOC2 Type II + ISO 27001 + GDPR
9 | Scalability | No enterprise tier | Mid-market ready | Enterprise-grade (SSO, SCIM, SLA)
10 | Brand | Generic, unmemorable | Decent positioning | Strong, differentiated, recognized
11 | Community | None | Forum or Slack exists | Active, vibrant, user-generated content
12 | Innovation | No releases in 6+ months | Quarterly releases | Frequent, meaningful, well-communicated
Scoring Output Format
| Dimension | Your Product | Competitor A | Competitor B | Competitor C |
|---|
| Features | 4 | 3 | 5 | 3 |
| Pricing | 3 | 4 | 3 | 4 |
| ... | ... | ... | ... | ... |
| Total (/60) | 38 | 35 | 42 | 33 |
Feature Comparison Matrix
Matrix Structure
| Feature Category | Your Product | Competitor A | Competitor B | Notes |
|---|
| Core Features | | | | |
| Feature 1 | Full | Full | Partial | Comp B lacks [specific capability] |
| Feature 2 | Full | Missing | Full | Our differentiator |
| Feature 3 | Partial | Full | Full | Gap to close |
| Platform | | | | |
| Web app | Yes |
Score per cell: Full = 5, Partial = 3, Basic = 2, Missing = 0
Pricing Analysis Framework
Pricing Model Comparison
| Attribute | Your Product | Competitor A | Competitor B |
|---|
| Model type | Per seat | Usage-based | Flat rate |
| Free tier | Yes (3 users) | Yes (limited) | No |
| Entry price | $15/user/mo | $29/mo (up to 1K events) | $49/mo |
| Mid-tier price | $35/user/mo | $99/mo | $99/mo |
| Enterprise | Custom | Custom | $249/mo |
| Annual discount | 20% | 15% | 2 months free |
| Trial | 14-day free | 7-day free | 30-day money-back |
Pricing Position Map
| Position | Characteristic | Your Strategy |
|---|
| Price leader | Lowest price, may signal lower quality | Win on value, not features |
| Value leader | Best features-per-dollar ratio | Win on differentiation |
| Premium | Highest price, justified by brand/features | Win on exclusivity and support |
| Disruptor | Radically different model (free, usage-based) | Win on accessibility |
SWOT Analysis Template
For each competitor, produce:
Competitor SWOT
| Quadrant | Points |
|---|
| Strengths (Their advantages) | 3-5 bullets, each anchored to a data signal |
| Weaknesses (Their vulnerabilities) | 3-5 bullets, each tied to reviews, missing features, or complaints |
| Opportunities for Us | What their weaknesses create for us |
| Threats to Us | What their strengths mean for our position |
Evidence rule: Every bullet must cite the data source (review quote, pricing page, job posting count, feature comparison, etc.).
UX Audit Methodology
First-Run Experience Audit
| Dimension | What to Measure | How to Score |
|---|
| Time to first value (TTFV) | Minutes from signup to first meaningful output | < 5 min = 5, 5-15 min = 3, > 15 min = 1 |
| Steps to activation | Number of screens/actions before core value | < 3 = 5, 3-7 = 3, > 7 = 1 |
| Credit card required | Required at signup? | No = 5, Optional = 3, Required = 1 |
| Onboarding quality | Wizard, tooltips, empty states | Comprehensive = 5, Basic = 3, None = 1 |
| SSO available | Google, Microsoft, etc. | Yes = 5, No = 1 |
Core Workflow Audit
For the 3 most common workflows, compare:
| Workflow | Steps (Yours) | Steps (Competitor) | Friction Points |
|---|
| [Primary workflow] | N | N | Specific UX issues |
| [Secondary workflow] | N | N | Specific UX issues |
| [Tertiary workflow] | N | N | Specific UX issues |
Positioning Map
2x2 Positioning Map
Choose the two axes most relevant to your market:
| Common Axis Pairs | When to Use |
|---|
| Simple / Complex x Low Price / High Price | General product comparison |
| SMB / Enterprise x Narrow / Broad Features | Market segment analysis |
| Self-Serve / Sales-Led x Point Solution / Platform | Go-to-market comparison |
| Technical / Non-Technical x Niche / Horizontal | Audience analysis |
Map Template
High Price / Enterprise
│
│
[Competitor B] │ [Competitor C]
│
Simple ─────────────────┼─────────────────── Complex
│
[YOUR PRODUCT] │ [Competitor A]
│
│
Low Price / SMB
Action Plan Framework
Three Horizons
| Horizon | Timeframe | Effort | Examples |
|---|
| Quick wins | 0-4 weeks | Low | Publish comparison pages, update pricing page, add missing trust badges |
| Medium-term | 1-3 months | Moderate | Build top-requested integration, improve onboarding TTFV, launch free tier |
| Strategic | 3-12 months | High | Enter new market segment, build API v2, achieve SOC2 Type II |
Priority Scoring
For each action item, score:
| Factor | Weight | Scale |
|---|
| Competitive impact | 40% | How much does this close or widen a gap? |
| Customer demand | 30% | How many customers/prospects request this? |
| Implementation effort | 20% | How hard is this to build/execute? |
| Revenue impact | 10% | Direct revenue contribution? |
Battle Card Template
One-Page Battle Card
COMPETITOR: [Name]
LAST UPDATED: [Date]
THREAT LEVEL: [LOW / MEDIUM / HIGH / CRITICAL]
THEIR POSITIONING: [1 sentence]
OUR POSITIONING AGAINST THEM: [1 sentence]
WHERE THEY WIN:
- [Strength 1 with evidence]
- [Strength 2 with evidence]
- [Strength 3 with evidence]
WHERE WE WIN:
- [Advantage 1 with evidence]
- [Advantage 2 with evidence]
- [Advantage 3 with evidence]
LANDMINES (questions that expose their weaknesses):
- "How does [competitor] handle [weakness area]?"
- "Can you show me [feature they lack]?"
- "What do their customers say about [common complaint]?"
OBJECTION HANDLING:
- "They're cheaper" → [Response with value framing]
- "They have [feature]" → [Response with alternative/roadmap]
- "Everyone uses them" → [Response with differentiation]
PRICING COMPARISON:
[Quick comparison table]
CUSTOMER QUOTE:
"[Quote from a customer who switched from this competitor to you]"
Stakeholder Presentation
7-Slide Structure
| Slide | Content |
|---|
| 1. Executive Summary | Threat level, top strength, top opportunity, recommended action |
| 2. Market Position | 2x2 positioning map with all players |
| 3. Feature Scorecard | 12-dimension scores, total comparison |
| 4. Pricing Analysis | Pricing comparison table + key pricing insight |
| 5. UX Comparison | Where they win (3 bullets) vs where we win (3 bullets) |
| 6. Voice of Customer | Top 3 competitor complaints from reviews (quoted) |
| 7. Action Plan | Quick wins, medium-term, strategic priorities |
Output Artifacts
| Artifact | Format | Description |
|---|
| Data Collection Report | Structured notes per source | Raw intelligence organized by source type |
| 12-Dimension Scorecard | Scored table with evidence | Numeric comparison across all dimensions |
| Feature Comparison Matrix | Grid table | Feature-by-feature comparison with scoring |
| Pricing Analysis | Comparison table + position map | Model comparison, tier mapping, positioning |
| SWOT Analysis | Per-competitor 4-quadrant | Anchored to data signals |
| UX Audit | Scored checklist | TTFV, steps, friction analysis |
| Positioning Map | 2x2 diagram | Visual market position |
| Action Plan | Three-horizon table | Prioritized competitive responses |
| Battle Card | One-page template |
Related Skills
- competitor-alternatives -- Use for creating comparison and alternative pages for SEO/marketing. Competitive-teardown provides the intelligence; competitor-alternatives produces the marketing content.
- pricing-strategy -- Use when competitive analysis reveals pricing misalignment. Feed teardown pricing data into pricing-strategy.
- page-cro -- Use for optimizing your comparison or competitor landing pages for conversion.
- content-creator -- Use for writing competitive content (blog posts, comparison guides) based on teardown findings.
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