Understand the decision
Your competitive set is defined by the customer’s decision. It may include another application, a spreadsheet, an agency, asking a colleague, or leaving the problem unsolved. A competitor matrix limited to products with the same feature names can miss the alternative that wins most often.
The status quo has advantages: familiarity, no migration, existing permission, and sometimes no new expense. A new product needs enough relevant value to overcome those costs. “More features” does not answer why someone should interrupt a working routine.
Put it to work
Complete the sentence: when suitable customers do not choose us, they usually do what? Ask about a recent instance and the actual sequence of actions. Record what worked well in the alternative, not only its weaknesses. That is the standard the new experience must meet.
Use the comparison to design a demonstration. Show the same task completed through your product, identify the difference, and leave limitations visible. The result can narrow your audience or reveal that the proposed advantage is not valuable enough yet.
Common mistake
Confusing the products you admire with the alternatives customers actually choose.
Put this to work
Record the primary alternative and one reason it is attractive.
Sources and further study
Original teaching informed by public material. These authors do not teach, endorse, or certify the RevStart course.
- April Dunford: Positioning book introduction ↗Author article, not the full book