You canât secretly trial every competitor or maintain their account using a dummy email address. You need to fill in the âContact salesâ form with a business email to gain access to some competitors. Even if you do that with the help of your friend who works in another company, you canât get too far.
So, how to gather competitor intel that will pull prospects towards your product? Is it possible to come up with your product vs. competitor collateral without setting eyes on your foe?
Yes, you can. Hereâs how:
1. Find Rival Turned Colleague(s)
People move from competitor brands to yours and vice versa. Chances are you might not be aware of it. Ask around and check if thereâs someone who has shifted from your competitor. If yes, what are you waiting for?
Ping or email them and ask if they would like to share some info. If theyâre okay with it, ask them to share their points in a document or set up a call.
Since the info from the ex-rival depends on their past role, it might or might not be useful. Still, itâs best to document everything as you never know when it might come in handy.
Now, what if you donât have a rival turned colleague?
2. Start with the Competitorâs Website
Open a new browser window, enter the competitor URL and get ready to open links in new tabs. Thatâs the amount of information you will be getting from their website.
Go through their pages, note down the features they have focused on, download their pricing manual and what not. If youâre looking for something specific and unable to find it, do a Google search. You might come across older documents, forum threads, etc.
Whenever you find something interesting, donât forget to copy-paste them in a doc along with the URL. It will help you compare the points with your product.
And yes, you can save a lot of time and effort by using a competitive intelligence tool that gives info on your competitor and their strategy.
3. Deep Dive into the Knowledge Base
While the competitorâs website gives you an overview, itâs the knowledge base where lies the treasure.
It can be a bit tricky to find the knowledge base. Yet, with some Google search and link following, you will be successful. Once you arrive there, all you need to do is go through solution articles and watch product videos.
If you see a statement, picture or video that will work to your productâs advantage, screenshot it before you bookmark the URL.
Now, what if the competitorâs knowledge base is not public? Itâs accessible only to their customers and you canât find it.
4. Browse the Product Review Sites
Sites like FinancesOnline, G2 Crowd, TrustRadius, Capiche, etc. have a trove of information about your competitor in the form of customer feedback and ratings. As you browse and compare various review sites, you will observe a pattern that can be used for comparison.
Thatâs about it.
It doesnât matter if the competitor doesnât offer any trial. You can still gather intel with research and patience.
Hit â¤ď¸ if you found this article useful.
If you have something to add on to this, comment below. You will be helping a lot of people.
Authorâs note: The second part of how baking and product marketing are distantly related is published too. Find it here.
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