Competitive intelligence example questions

Financial questions

1. What is our competitors’ current financial performance?
2. What are our competitors’ real profit margins?
3. What is our competitors’ growth rate, and in which areas?
4. What are our competitors’ drivers for financial success?
5. How do our competitors allocate their funds?
6. How are our competitors generating capital for new ventures?
7. Are our competitors resource-constrained, or are they financially strong?
8. What is our competitors’ attitude to risk?
9. What are our competitors’ strengths in the eyes of the capital markets?
10. Who is backing our competitors, and what is their real financial state?
11. What are our competitors’ economic and non-economic values or beliefs?
12. What are our competitors’ pricing strategies?

Competitor questions

1. Who are our key competitors?
2. Who are our future competitors?
3. Who is the key competitor in a new market or geographical area?
4. What are the key issues facing our industry?
5. What is our competitors’ strategy?
6. What are our competitors’ goals and strategic objectives?
7. Are our competitors meeting their strategic objectives?
8. What does our competitor appear to believe about its relative position in cost, product quality, and technological sophistication?
9. What is our understanding of our competitors’ assumptions about themselves, such as being an industry leader or the low-cost producer?
10. What is our competitors’ current market share?
11. Where do our competitors compete? In what segment, and for which customers?
12. Who are our competitors’ main customers?
13. How do our competitors differentiate themselves from us?
14. What do our competitors do better than anyone else?
15. Where are our competitors’ weaknesses compared to others?
16. What vulnerabilities in our competitors can we exploit?
17. How can our competitors take our customers from us?
18. Which is the best battleground for competing with them?
19. How do you think our competitors will react to a particular move?
20. How do our competitors perceive us, our strategies and our tactics?
21. How aggressive are our competitors in product development and marketing?
22. How quickly can our competitors bring a new product or service to market?
23. Are our competitors exploiting their research and development?
24. Are our competitors planning to introduce any radical new approaches?
25. What are our competitors doing that is interesting?
26. What business do our competitors not do, or claim not to do?
27. What expertise do our competitors hold in a particular process or technology?
28. What are our competitors’ marketing strategies?
29. How do our competitors price their products?
30. What are our competitors’ exclusive marketing agreements?
31. What are our competitors’ supplier agreements?
32. How strong is our competitors’ supplier management?
33. Do our competitors have sophisticated inventory management?
34. Do our competitors have efficient order processing?
35. What are the changes in our competitors’ plans, activities or relationships with our key customers?
36. Who are our competitors’ partners, why do they partner, and what is in it for them?
37. Who do our competitors collaborate with, such as research labs and universities?
38. What is the background of our competitors’ top management?
39. What kind of managers work in their teams?
40. Who within our competitors are the risk-takers?
41. Are the key players seen to be developing the business?
42. How many people do our competitors employ, and is that the right level?
43. Are our competitors’ teams managed to achieve financial or human objectives, and how does that affect the company?
44. How do our competitors motivate and train their workers?
45. How do our competitors motivate and train a remote sales force?
46. What are our competitors’ cultures and styles?
47. What reputation does our competitor really have?

Decision questions

1. Should we move into that market, and what are the implications for our company if we do?
2. What is the best route to enter a market?
3. Where do we not want to compete with our competitors?
4. How and where might our competitors’ objectives conflict with ours?
5. How do our competitors plan to compete in the future?
6. Are our competitors aiming for a premium price?
7. Which companies should we acquire to develop market share?
8. What is the range of options open to us for dealing with unfolding new realities?

Warning questions

1. What are the current and future threats, including disruptive change in industry, government and technology?
2. Who are the potential new entrants into our industry?
3. Which companies should we forge alliances or joint ventures with that would give us a unique advantage?
4. Which companies should we acquire to improve our most important technology platforms or market share?
5. Should we divest or cancel product lines?

Investor questions

1. What is the market for this product and investment?
2. What industry are they really competing in, and what markets do they think they are in?
3. What niche do they operate in?
4. Will they be able to compete in their market?
5. What is their market entry strategy?
6. What is their current and future market growth strategy?
7. Is their business strategy well thought out?
8. How committed are they to achieving their declared strategic objective?
9. Are their stated goals and strategic objectives achievable?
10. Can we challenge their assumptions?
11. What distinguishes them from their rivals and gives them a competitive advantage?
12. What are their unique value proposition and unfair advantage?
13. What business-critical problems do they solve for their customers?
14. What is the compelling reason for customers to use their products or services?
15. Who are their ideal customers, and who would want their product?
16. How many customers does their offering have?
17. How do their potential customers make buying decisions?
18. What trends and trigger events cause their prospects to search for solutions?
19. How are customers going to find them?
20. What else can their customers use instead?
21. What is the pricing structure within their market?
22. What is the sales cycle for this product?
23. How capable is the technology?
24. How easy is the product to copy?
25. What are their key product features, and what can they offer?
26. What products do they not offer?
27. What is the supply chain for this product, and what are its potential problems?
28. Who are the people behind this product, and what is their background?
29. What are the risks with the people running this company?
30. Why do they really need investment?
31. Are they asking for too little money to make it work?
32. What other investments have they been involved in?
33. What are they capable of, and will they want too much of our time?
34. Where is the risk in our investment?

Product and technology questions

1. What new products are our competitors developing?
2. What is the expected product launch date?
3. What are our competitors’ intentions or plans to launch or extend brands and products?
4. What are our competitors’ key product features?
5. What developments are underway in product, production and packaging technologies within our competitors?
6. What are the key technical areas where our competitors are focusing their research and development?
7. Does our competitor have a strong historical or emotional identification with particular products?
8. Which channel partners do our competitors engage with?

Customer, market and distribution questions

1. What kind of demand is there for our product or service?
2. What are the barriers to entry?
3. What are the critical success factors of the industry sector?
4. What trends could change the industry drastically?
5. Will competitive density increase or decrease?
6. What niche do we operate in, and what niche should we be operating in?
7. What industry should we be competing in?
8. What is our route to market?
9. How do our competitors compete? On cost, speed or service?
10. Where do our competitors compete, and for which customers and niches?
11. What gives our competitors their distinctiveness?
12. In what areas of the business have our competitors exceeded expectations, and why?
13. What have our competitors stopped doing over the last few years, and why?
14. Which prospective clients are our competitors not interested in?
15. What clients do our competitors prospect?
16. What products do our competitors offer, and what do they not offer?
17. Who are our competitors’ biggest and key customers?
18. What is our competitors’ international customer base?
19. Who are our competitors’ key suppliers, and what is their supply chain?
20. Is our competitors’ supply chain ethical?
21. Who manufactures our competitors’ range of products?
22. Who owns our competitors’ intellectual property?
23. What brands are in our competitors’ portfolios?
24. What is our competitors’ social media footprint?
25. What advertising route do our competitors prefer an agency to pursue?

Counterintelligence questions

1. What legitimate denial and deception tactics might we employ to safeguard our proprietary information?
2. What can we do, and what are we doing, to reduce our competitors’ chances of getting it?

SWOT: strengths questions

1. What are our unique selling propositions or competitive advantages in the market?
2. What are the core competencies or expertise that differentiate us from competitors?
3. What are our key strengths in product quality or service excellence?
4. How strong is our brand reputation and customer loyalty?
5. How effective are our marketing and advertising strategies in reaching and engaging customers?
6. How effective are our customer service and support functions?
7. How effective are our customer relationships and client retention strategies?
8. How well do we understand and meet the needs of our target market?
9. How well do we leverage technology and innovation to drive the business forward?
10. What strengths exist in our research and development capabilities?
11. What strengths do we hold in intellectual property, patents, or proprietary technology?
12. What strengths exist in our operational efficiency and cost management?
13. What strengths exist in our supply chain management or logistics capabilities?
14. How well do we use data and analytics to drive informed decision-making?
15. How strong is our financial position and stability compared to competitors?
16. What strengths do we have in strategic partnerships or alliances?
17. What strengths exist in our geographical reach or market presence?
18. What strengths do we hold in employee expertise, skills and dedication?
19. How strong are our company culture and organisational values?
20. How well do we adapt to changes in the market or industry trends?

SWOT: weaknesses questions

1. What are the key weaknesses in our current product or service offerings?
2. What weaknesses are associated with our current pricing or cost structure?
3. What weaknesses are associated with our current marketing and advertising strategies?
4. How strong is our brand identity and recognition compared to competitors?
5. What weaknesses exist in our customer service or support capabilities?
6. What weaknesses are associated with our sales and distribution channels?
7. Are there shortcomings in our operational processes or efficiency?
8. What weaknesses exist in our financial management or budgeting practices?
9. Are there gaps in our technology infrastructure or IT systems?
10. How well do we manage and use our data and information resources?
11. How effective is our internal communication and collaboration?
12. What weaknesses exist in our organisational structure or decision-making processes?
13. Are there skill or knowledge gaps within our workforce?
14. What weaknesses are associated with employee retention and talent development?
15. Are there weaknesses in our supply chain management or logistics?
16. How effective are our current risk management and mitigation strategies?
17. Are there weaknesses in our ability to innovate and stay ahead of the competition?
18. How well do we adapt to changes in customer preferences or demands?
19. How well do we adapt to changes in the market or industry trends?
20. Are there weaknesses in our ability to anticipate and respond to market disruptions?

SWOT: opportunities questions

1. What are the most promising new markets for our products or services?
2. Are there new or emerging markets we could enter with our existing offerings?
3. Are there underserved or neglected customer segments we could target?
4. What are the largest unmet needs of our target customers?
5. What customer pain points could we address with new products or services?
6. What are the most significant gaps in our current offerings, and how can we fill them?
7. How can we innovate and differentiate ourselves from our competitors?
8. What new technologies could we adopt to improve our products or services?
9. What new revenue streams could we generate through diversification?
10. Are there new distribution channels we could use to reach more customers?
11. How can we improve our marketing efforts to generate more leads and sales?
12. Are there strategic partnerships we could form to expand our reach?
13. How can we leverage our existing strengths to create new opportunities?
14. How can we leverage our brand and reputation to create new opportunities?
15. How can we better serve our existing customers and increase customer loyalty?
16. How can we improve our operational efficiency to reduce costs and increase profitability?
17. How can we use data and analytics to identify new opportunities and make better decisions?
18. What trends in our industry or the broader economy could we capitalise on?
19. Are there regulatory changes that could create new opportunities for us?
20. What are the biggest challenges facing our industry, and how can we turn them into growth?

SWOT: threats questions

1. What are the potential threats posed by emerging competitors in the market?
2. Are there potential threats from substitute products or services in the market?
3. Are there potential threats from disruptive technologies or business models?
4. What risks are associated with technological advancements or disruptions in our industry?
5. How might changing customer preferences and trends impact our business?
6. How vulnerable are we to economic downturns or fluctuations in the market?
7. How exposed are we to natural disasters or other unforeseen events that could disrupt our business?
8. Are there potential supply chain disruptions that could impact our business?
9. What risks are associated with our reliance on key suppliers or partners?
10. What risks are associated with our current pricing strategy or cost structure?
11. What risks are associated with our current distribution channels or logistics?
12. What risks are associated with our current marketing and advertising strategies?
13. What risks are associated with our current financial position or funding sources?
14. How exposed are we to cybersecurity threats or data breaches?
15. Are there regulatory or legal threats that could affect our operations?
16. How might changes in government policies or regulations impact our business?
17. Are there geopolitical or international factors that could pose threats to our business?
18. Are there environmental or sustainability threats that could affect our operations?
19. How vulnerable are we to changes in labour market conditions or talent availability?
20. How vulnerable are we to negative public perception or reputation damage?

Real-life questions we have used

Questions drawn from real engagements over the last year, grouped by what each one is built to uncover. Sector flavour is light and deliberate. No client, brand or identifying detail appears.

Pricing and commercial terms

1. What does the competitor actually quote once you reach a real conversation, rather than the list price on the site? (SaaS vendor evaluation)
2. Where does the published price end and the negotiated price begin, and what triggers a discount? (martech platform review)
3. What is bundled into the headline figure, and what becomes a paid add-on later? (B2B software mystery shop)
4. How does the per-seat or per-contact price change as volume climbs through each tier? (CRM pricing benchmark)
5. What contract length does the salesperson push for, and what changes if you resist it? (SaaS vendor evaluation)
6. Which fees only appear at implementation, onboarding, or renewal? (enterprise software due diligence)
7. How firm is the renewal uplift, and is it negotiable before the term ends? (subscription vendor review)
8. What discount does the rep offer to close before the end of the quarter? (SaaS pricing study)
9. How does the price quoted to a small buyer differ from the one quoted to an enterprise buyer for the same product? (multi-vendor pricing benchmark)
10. What is the real cost of leaving, including data export, migration and any early-termination clause? (vendor lock-in assessment)
11. Which competitor does the rep undercut on purpose, and by how much? (competitive pricing analysis)
12. What payment terms and billing frequency do they push, and what flexibility exists? (enterprise procurement review)
13. How transparent is the pricing page, and what has to be unlocked by talking to sales? (martech pricing transparency study)

Sales motion and how they sell against rivals

1. How does a sales rep convince a prospect to switch from an incumbent, and which objections do they raise first? (martech competitor analysis)
2. How do they position themselves against named competitors when a buyer brings those names up? (SaaS competitor mystery shop)
3. How long is the sales cycle from first contact to a written quote, and where does it stall? (B2B vendor evaluation)
4. What does the rep promise on support, onboarding and response times during the pitch? (customer-service software review)
5. At what point does a technical specialist or solutions engineer enter the conversation? (enterprise platform evaluation)
6. What qualifying questions does the rep ask, and what does that reveal about their ideal customer? (SaaS sales-motion study)
7. Which claims does the rep make that the product cannot yet support? (martech vendor review)
8. How quickly does a first response arrive after a web enquiry, and through which channel? (B2B mystery shopping programme)
9. What collateral does the rep send unprompted, and what does it reveal about their priorities? (sales-process study)
10. How does the rep handle a direct question about a known product weakness? (competitor mystery shop)
11. What case studies or reference customers do they reach for, and in which sectors? (vendor credibility review)
12. How hard do they push for a demo before they will share any pricing? (SaaS sales-motion study)
13. What does the rep concede when a buyer says the budget is tight? (negotiation-behaviour study)
14. Who signs off the deal on their side, and how many people are involved in approving a discount? (enterprise sales review)

Product, roadmap and technology

1. What is the real product roadmap, as described by sales, versus what is shipping today? (SaaS vendor evaluation)
2. What is their underlying tech stack, and is it cloud-native, microservices, or a mix carried over from older systems? (PropTech CRM assessment)
3. How quickly can the product be deployed, and what does a realistic go-live timeline look like? (core banking platform review)
4. Which integrations are genuinely live, and which are described as coming soon? (martech platform analysis)
5. What can the platform not do that a buyer would reasonably expect it to? (B2B software evaluation)
6. How configurable is the product without professional services, and where do you hit a wall? (enterprise SaaS review)
7. What are the global product trends shaping this category, and where does the vendor sit against them? (financial software market scan)
8. How does the product handle data security and where is customer data actually hosted? (enterprise platform due diligence)
9. What does the AI or automation feature really do, beyond the marketing claim? (customer-service software review)
10. How often does the product ship updates, and how disruptive are they to a live deployment? (SaaS reliability study)
11. What third-party tools does the product depend on, and what breaks if one of them changes? (technology-risk assessment)
12. How well does the product scale from a pilot team to the whole organisation? (enterprise rollout review)
13. What does the onboarding and implementation process actually involve, step by step? (deployment-experience study)
14. Which features are most used by existing customers, and which are quietly ignored? (product-usage research)

Market position and growth strategy

1. What is the vendor’s current and future market growth strategy, and which segments are they moving into next? (SaaS market analysis)
2. Who else might be trying to move into that same market, and how soon? (vendor landscape review)
3. Which strategic partners give them scale or reach they could not build alone? (channel partner analysis)
4. What niche do they genuinely own, versus the niche their marketing claims? (competitor positioning study)
5. What would we need to offer in that market to become the leader rather than a follower? (market entry assessment)
6. What makes this vendor better than us, stated plainly and without flattery? (competitive benchmark)
7. What are they likely to do next, based on hiring, partnerships and recent announcements? (forward-looking competitor study)
8. Which geographies are they investing in, and which are they quietly pulling back from? (international expansion review)
9. What does their funding history suggest about the pressure they are under to grow or exit? (investor-backed competitor study)
10. How concentrated is their revenue, and how exposed are they if one large customer leaves? (competitor resilience review)
11. What share of the market do they realistically hold, as opposed to the share they claim? (market-sizing study)
12. Which adjacent categories are they likely to expand into, based on recent hires and acquisitions? (competitor trajectory analysis)
13. How dependent is their growth on a single channel or partner? (channel-risk assessment)

Customer experience and retention

1. What is the vendor’s approach to customer engagement and retention once the deal is signed? (customer-service platform review)
2. What are the key pain points the product claims to solve, and does it hold up in a real buyer conversation? (B2B mystery shop)
3. How does the buying experience feel from the first web enquiry to the follow-up, and where does it break down? (B2B mystery shopping programme)
4. What happens after a demo if you go quiet, and how persistent and well-judged is the follow-up? (SaaS sales-experience study)
5. How do real customers describe the gap between the sales promise and the delivered service? (vendor reference research)
6. What do recent reviews and support forums reveal that the sales conversation does not? (customer-sentiment study)
7. How responsive is support once you are a paying customer rather than a prospect? (post-sale service review)
8. What is the most common reason customers give for leaving, and where do they go? (churn-driver research)
9. How does the renewal conversation feel, and how hard do they work to keep an account? (retention-behaviour study)
10. What does the onboarding experience tell a new customer about how much the vendor values them? (customer-journey review)

Due diligence and the people behind the business

1. Who are the people running this company, and what is their track record across previous ventures? (pre-deal due diligence)
2. What other investments or businesses have the founders been involved in, and how did those end? (investor due diligence)
3. Why does the business really need the investment it is seeking? (pre-deal screening)
4. Is the requested raise realistic for the plan, or too small to deliver it? (investment screening)
5. Where does the genuine risk sit in this investment, beyond what the deck presents? (acquisition due diligence)
6. How dependent is the business on a small number of key customers or contracts? (acquisition target review)
7. What does the leadership team’s background suggest about how they will behave under pressure? (management due diligence)
8. Are there past disputes, litigation or failed ventures that the founders have not volunteered? (background screening)
9. How stable is the senior team, and who has left in the last eighteen months? (organisational due diligence)
10. What do former employees and partners say about how the business is actually run? (reputational due diligence)
11. How real are the customer logos on the website, and which are pilots rather than paying accounts? (revenue-quality review)
12. Does the financial story told to investors match the one told to customers and staff? (consistency check)

Regulatory and compliance signals

1. Which regulations govern this market, and how prepared is the target to meet them? (regulated-sector due diligence)
2. How does the competitor handle data protection and privacy in practice, not just in policy? (compliance review)
3. What certifications or accreditations do they hold, and which have lapsed? (vendor compliance assessment)
4. How exposed is the business to a change in the rules of its sector? (regulatory-risk study)
5. What compliance claims appear in their sales materials, and can they be verified? (vendor credibility review)
6. How does the product handle audit, reporting and record-keeping requirements? (regulated-software evaluation)
7. Which regulatory bodies have an interest in this market, and what is the direction of travel? (policy-landscape scan)

Hiring and organisational signals

1. What do recent job postings reveal about where the competitor is investing? (hiring-signal analysis)
2. Which roles are they hiring repeatedly, and what does that say about turnover or growth? (organisational-signal study)
3. Where are they building teams geographically, and what does that hint about expansion? (footprint analysis)
4. What seniority of hire are they making, and is the leadership bench being deepened? (management-signal review)
5. Which skills and technologies appear in their job specs that are not yet in their product? (roadmap-signal study)
6. How does staff sentiment on review sites compare with the employer brand they project? (culture-signal research)
7. What recent departures or arrivals among senior staff might reshape their strategy? (leadership-movement study)