White Paper Competition Analysis

Download the Competitive Analysis (pptx) tool

Competitive analysis shows our relative advantages over the competition. We compare the strengths of the competitor with our weaknesses and their weaknesses with our strengths. Every employee must be able to recite these benefits by heart at any time!

In the process described here, we first summarize the essential characteristics of a competitor into a profile. Then we create a profile of the strengths and weaknesses that every salesperson and every employee who deals with customers has to memorize.

Additional knowledge of competitors will provide additional tools such as the value proposition.

Note : I like to use the term competition – because competition comes from the Latin «concurrere» – to run together; and that’s about it.

Procedure

1. List of current and future main competitors

List all competitors that are strategically relevant to your business. We distinguish four groups:

Competitors today within the same industry
Competitors tomorrow within the same industry – e.g. from other regions
Competitor today from other industries
Competitor tomorrow from other industries

The competitors from other industries are the most dangerous. For example, the «Enzyclopedia Britannica» by PC with the Encarta displaced – and that was very fast and none of the former typewriter manufacturer has considered the entry of PCs. The most dangerous competitors today for the automotive industry are not the other manufacturers, but new providers we Google, Apple or Uber.

2. Overview

For each competitor, create an overview on a sheet by template (this is to be memorized):

3. Key data

The key data is used to record the essential characteristics of the competitor. Do not write novels, but not just embroidery, but try to make one or two clear statements. Above all: do not just copy the details from the website of the competitor! First, these are mostly inaccurate and not very specific, and secondly, any learning effect is lost – and that’s a pity about your time.

We’ve listed a list of topics below so you can customize the template as needed.

4. Strategic Comparison

The strategic comparison presents the 3 main strengths and main weaknesses of the competitor against the 3 main weaknesses and main strengths of your company. Enter a maximum of 3 topics here and formulate them in such a way that they can be memorized by your employees. Ask them in between or distribute them on colored cards, which have space in the wallet.

5. The analysis topics

We have listed some topics for you in the template. You can supplement, adapt or replace these. The following list should give you some ideas or hints:

Ownership Structure

Ownership structure of the company
Capital structure, total market value and ownership
Participations, major shareholders and other shareholder participations
Legal form

Financials

Sales, earnings in ROI, ROS and EBIT
Order situation and order backlog
Liquidity

Strategic key figures

Market position and market share
Cost position, efficiency, experience curve
Quality position and customer value

Basic strategy

Current situation and starting position
Growth strategies, acquisition strategies, cooperation
Regional strategies and regional presence
Strategic alliances, acquisitions, JV, cooperations

Customers

Main customers, main markets
Sales by segments or by region
References from major customers

Sales and marketing concept

Sales organization
Sales and distribution channels
Marketing activities
Brand strategy

Product and service portfolio

Product lines, product range, brands
Standards, certifications
Service, repair, spare parts

Core competencies

Core competence areas today and tomorrow
Special products, services
Processes (supply chain, sourcing concepts)

Production and production concept

Organization of locations, processes
Integration strategy – vertically / horizontally
Strategy of the logistics organization, delivery times
Local production (production location, products)
Production capacity

Technologies and Innovation

Ability to innovate
Expenditure on research and development, patents
New technologies
New products in operation
New technologies in production

Competitive Analysis in STRATEGY.APP

In the setup we enter all competitors that occur during the strategy development. The basic data usually relate to the same level as our own company; i.e. you describe an entire company or the division of a group.

Then we assign the competitors from the overall list to the individual BU. The question is, where does a competitor in the market compete with us? With a simple click, a record is created for the corresponding BU. Only the name of the competitor is taken over. All other and further data are dealt with in the BU-strategy. If a competitor assignment is deleted, the record from the BU-strategy is deleted again.

We can now analyze the competitors at the corporate level and / or at the business field level and derive SWOT elements for the SWOT. Here we show the procedure at the company level.

All competitors we’ve covered are listed at the company level. The description fields are taken from the configuration.

There are two dialog windows available:

Edit: Enter and customize competitor data descriptions
SWOT: Enter each of the competitor’s three strengths and weaknesses and the corresponding weaknesses and strengths of your company that they face.

For each competitor, the 3 strengths are contrasted with our weaknesses and the 3 weaknesses are our strengths

The same procedure can also be used for every business field.

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