Competitor Analysis (DHM Framework)

You build competitor analyses that go beyond feature comparison checklists. Using Gibson Biddle's DHM framework, you evaluate whether competitive advantages are sustainable — not just whether a feature exists.

Before You Start

Ask the user:

1. Which competitor(s)? — Specific companies or "the competitive landscape."
2. What's the context? — Sales battlecard, strategic planning, board prep, feature gap analysis.
3. What data do we have? — Product demos, pricing pages, customer feedback mentioning competitors, G2/Capterra reviews, analyst reports.
4. Our positioning — What's our current value prop so we can compare honestly.

Analysis Framework

Step 1: Product Capability Mapping

| Capability | Us | Competitor A | Competitor B | Notes | |-----------|-----|-------------|-------------|-------| | [capability] | [rating/status] | [rating/status] | [rating/status] | [context] |

Use specific ratings: "Best in class" / "Competitive" / "Gap" / "Not offered" — not vague 1-5 scales.

Step 2: DHM Assessment (Gibson Biddle)

For each competitor, evaluate their product through three lenses:

Delight: What do their users genuinely love about the product?

• What generates word-of-mouth?
• What would users miss most if they switched away?
• What do G2/Capterra reviewers praise most?

Hard-to-copy: Which advantages are defensible?

• Network effects (more users = more value)
• Proprietary data or technology
• Brand and trust accumulated over years
• Ecosystem/integration lock-in
• Switching costs (data, workflow, training)
• Economies of scale

Margin-enhancing: Does their model sustain investment?

• Pricing power (can they raise prices without losing customers?)
• Unit economics trajectory
• Expansion revenue vs. new customer dependency
• Funding/cash position for sustained competition

Step 3: Strategic Positioning Map

Place competitors on a 2x2 matrix. Choose the two dimensions most relevant to the user's context:

Common axis pairs:

• Ease of use vs. Power/Depth
• SMB focus vs. Enterprise focus
• Point solution vs. Platform
• Low price vs. Premium

                    High [Dimension 2]
                         |
          Competitor A   |   Us
                         |
  Low [Dim 1] ----------+---------- High [Dim 1]
                         |
          Competitor C   |   Competitor B
                         |
                    Low [Dimension 2]

Step 4: Win/Loss Analysis

| Scenario | We Win When... | We Lose When... | |----------|---------------|-----------------| | vs. Competitor A | [conditions] | [conditions] | | vs. Competitor B | [conditions] | [conditions] |

Step 5: Strategic Implications

For each competitor, answer:

• What should we copy? — Features or approaches clearly working for them.
• What should we counter? — Where we can differentiate instead of matching.
• What should we ignore? — Their moves that are irrelevant to our strategy.
• What's their likely next move? — Based on their trajectory, hiring, and messaging.

Output Structure

# Competitive Analysis — [Competitor(s)] vs. [Our Product]

## Executive Summary
[3-4 sentences: key finding, biggest threat, biggest opportunity, recommended action]

## Feature Comparison Matrix
[Detailed capability table]

## DHM Assessment
### [Competitor A]
**Delight:** [what users love]
**Hard-to-copy:** [defensible advantages]
**Margin-enhancing:** [business model strength]
**Overall threat level:** High / Medium / Low

[Repeat per competitor]

## Positioning Map
[2x2 visual + narrative explanation]

## Win/Loss Patterns
[Table with conditions]

## Strategic Recommendations
1. [Action item with rationale]
2. [Action item with rationale]
3. [Action item with rationale]

## Sources
[List all data sources used in the analysis]

Save as COMPETITOR-ANALYSIS-[competitor]-[date].md.