Competitor Monitoring

## Setup On first use, read `setup.md` for integration guidelines. ## When to Use User needs competitive intelligence. Agent tracks competitors, monitors changes, analyzes positioning, and maintains strategic dossiers with pricing, features, and market moves. ## Architecture Memory lives in `~/competitor-monitoring/`. See `memory-template.md` for structure. ``` ~/competitor-monitoring/ ├── memory.md # Status + preferences + active competitors ├── competitors/ # Individual dossiers │ ├── {company}.md # Per-competitor intelligence │ └── ... ├── alerts/ # Triggered alerts │ └── YYYY-MM-DD.md # Daily alert log └── analysis/ # Strategic analyses └── {topic}.md # Comparison reports ``` ## Quick Reference | Topic | File | |-------|------| | Setup process | `setup.md` | | Memory template | `memory-template.md` | ## Core Rules ### 1. Check Dossiers Before Acting Before any competitor question, load the relevant `competitors/{company}.md` file. Build on existing intelligence, don't start fresh each time. ### 2. Track These Signals | Signal | Where to Look | Impact | |--------|---------------|--------| | Pricing changes | Pricing page, announcements | Direct competitive threat | | New features | Changelog, blog, social | Capability gap/parity | | Positioning shifts | Homepage copy, ads | Market narrative | | Hiring patterns | Jobs page, LinkedIn | Strategic direction | | Funding/acquisitions | News, Crunchbase | Resource changes | ### 3. Alert Priorities - **Critical:** Pricing undercut, feature that blocks your advantage - **High:** Major feature launch, positioning change - **Medium:** Blog posts, minor updates, team changes - **Low:** Social activity, routine content ### 4. Maintain Signal-to-Noise Don't report everything. Only surface changes that require action or awareness. If nothing actionable happened, say so. ### 5. Compare Objectively When analyzing competitors, be honest about their strengths. Acknowledge where they're ahead. False confidence leads to bad strategy. **Framework:** ``` For each competitor, answer honestly: - Where are they better than us? - What do their customers love that ours don't have? - If I were a customer, why would I choose them? ``` ### 6. Update Dossiers Proactively After any research or mention of a competitor, update their dossier. Don't wait for explicit instructions. ### 7. Connect to Strategy Every observation should connect to "so what?" What does this mean for user's positioning, roadmap, or priorities? **Template:** ``` OBSERVATION: Competitor X launched feature Y SO WHAT: This means... → For our roadmap: [accelerate/deprioritize/ignore] → For positioning: [adjust messaging/double down/no change] → For sales: [new objection/new advantage/neutral] ``` ## Monitoring Patterns ### Regular Check-ins ``` Weekly: Scan pricing pages, homepages, changelogs Monthly: Deep dive on positioning, feature comparison Quarterly: Full competitive landscape review ``` ### Trigger-Based - User mentions competitor → refresh dossier - Industry news → check all relevant competitors - User launches feature → compare to competitor alternatives ## Competitor Dossier Structure Each `competitors/{company}.md` contains: - Company overview (what they do, target market) - Pricing (current, historical changes) - Features (core, recent additions) - Positioning (messaging, differentiation) - Strengths (honest assessment) - Weaknesses (opportunities to exploit) - Recent moves (last 90 days) - Watch list (what to monitor) ## Analysis Types ### Head-to-Head Compare user vs one competitor. Feature matrix, pricing, positioning. ``` User vs Acme Corp: - Pricing: We're 40% cheaper for same features - Features: They have X, we have Y (differentiated) - Positioning: They target enterprise, we target SMB → Our wedge: Simpler and cheaper for smaller teams ``` ### Landscape Map all competitors by segment. Who's premium, who's cheap, who's niche. ``` Market Map (example): ├── Premium ($500+/mo): BigCorp, EnterpriseCo ├── Mid-market ($100-500): CompetitorA, CompetitorB ├── SMB ($20-100): Us, StartupX └── Free/Freemium: OpenSourceY → Gap: No one owns "professional but affordable" ``` ### Trend How is the competitive space evolving? What's the direction? - Watch for: New entrants, funding rounds, pivots, acquisitions - Pattern recognition: Are competitors moving upmarket? Going vertical? ### Gap Where are opportunities nobody's addressing? - Underserved segments - Features everyone complains about but nobody fixes - Adjacent markets competitors ignore ## Common Traps - **Vanity metrics obsession** → Tracking social followers instead of pricing/features. Social numbers don't predict competitive moves. - **Confirmation bias** → Ignoring competitor strengths because you don't want to see them. Honest assessment beats false confidence. - **Information overload** → Reporting every blog post and tweet. Filter for actionable signals, not noise. - **Stale dossiers** → Intelligence from 6 months ago is worse than no intelligence. Update after every mention. - **Missing indirect competitors** → Watching direct rivals but ignoring substitutes. Spreadsheets compete with project management tools. - **Reactive only** → Only checking competitors when something breaks. Proactive monitoring catches threats early. - **Single source** → Only watching their website. Combine: pricing page, changelog, blog, jobs, social, reviews. ## Security & Privacy **Data that stays local:** - All competitor dossiers stored in `~/competitor-monitoring/` - Analysis reports and alert history - User preferences and monitoring settings **What happens on first use:** - Creates folder `~/competitor-monitoring/` with your data - Asks how you want monitoring to work (proactive vs on-demand) **This skill does NOT:** - Access competitor internal systems - Scrape data in violation of ToS - Store credentials or sensitive tokens - Send your data externally ## Related Skills Install with `clawhub install <slug>` if user confirms: - `market-research` — broader market analysis - `business` — strategic frameworks - `analytics` — data analysis patterns ## Feedback - If useful: `clawhub star competitor-monitoring` - Stay updated: `clawhub sync`