If the basic tier made you realize just how dangerous it is to ignore your competition, you’re ready for what the pros actually do to turn the market in their favor. Underestimating competitors isn’t just a beginner’s mistake, it’s the fastest way to become irrelevant. The most profitable hustlers and sales killers out there treat competitive analysis as a regular workout, not a one-time exercise. In the Pro tier, you’re about to learn how to break down your rivals, position yourself with fucking precision, and outmaneuver even the big dogs, no matter how small you’re starting.
Let’s kill the ego first. Nobody’s product or service is so perfect it can’t be outdone. Someone out there is already solving the same problem you are, and even if their solution sucks, someone will buy it because of price, speed, trust, sexier branding, or just dumb luck. So take a breath, drop the “I’m the only one” fantasy, and let’s get surgical.
Step one, Create a competitor hit list. Write down every business or person offering something remotely similar. Don’t just focus on the obvious giants, look at the scrappy freelancers, the new kids on Instagram, and anyone your prospects might consider as an alternative. The market doesn’t give a shit about how big or flashy your competitors are, it cares about choice.
Next, become a stalker. Follow their social media, sign up for their email lists, and check out their reviews. What are customers raving about? What are they bitching about? Where does the competition get tons of engagement, and where are they ignored? If your competitor gets repeat complaints about their slow response, that’s your cue to flex fast, friendly service in your messaging. If their followers love their detailed tutorials, you better have some fire content of your own.
Now, analyze their offer and pricing structure. Don’t just guess, go to their website, check their sign-up flow, even buy their lowest-priced product if you have to. See what bonuses, guarantees, or unique features they leverage. This gives you both points of inspiration and, more importantly, gaps you can exploit. Are they slow to deliver? Build speed into your offer. Are they generic? Double down on personality and niching down.
Here’s a move almost nobody does, run a SWOT analysis (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats) on your main competitors. Take 10 minutes per rival. List where they absolutely crush it, where they suck, what macro trends they might surf, and where they’re exposed to risk (like a bad reputation, high prices, or limited product range). Doing this rips away your bias and shows you the real lay of the land.
Let’s talk positioning. The average beginner tries to “be better.” That’s vague as hell and means nothing. What you want is to be different in a way that matters to the buyer. Maybe you’re the fastest. Maybe you’re the best at one hyper-specific thing. Maybe you’re the only one who offers a money-back guarantee or 24/7 support or a no-questions-asked return policy. Plant your flag so that, when buyers compare, the value is fucking obvious.
Use your competitor research every time you talk to a prospect. When someone says, “I’m also talking to XYZ,” don’t panic. Hit them with, “Totally get it, and they’re legit for [X reason]. What a lot of their customers tell me, though, is they wish they had [your differentiator]. That’s exactly why I do it this way.” You’re not trashing anyone, you’re showing you understand the game and because you’re honest, you build trust.
Don’t be afraid to repurpose what’s working for others. If a competitor’s onboarding experience is super smooth, learn from it and make yours even better. If their Instagram stories are getting tons of engagement, study their format and one-up it. Smart sellers know how to model, not just mimic, and add their own flavor so it’s fresh.
The best hustlers use competitors as fuel. When you see someone win a deal over you, don’t sulk, find out why. Reach out and ask for feedback (“Totally cool you went another direction, anything I could’ve done differently?”). Most people won’t respond, but the ones who do give you gold. This is how you get sharper, faster than everyone else stuck in denial.
Track your findings. Build a simple doc where you update what you notice, new offers, price changes, new customer complaints, killer marketing moves. Become obsessed. The market shifts fast, and the only way you stay ahead is by never, ever thinking you’re “done” with competitor research.
When you lead a team, make competitive analysis a recurring habit. Share insights in group chats, brainstorm as a crew on how to counter a new offer, and celebrate wins where you stole market share by being smarter, not just louder.
Watch your ego on social channels, too. If you go around bashing competitors or pretending they don’t exist, you look insecure and desperate. Real confidence is talking openly about the competition, showing respect for what they do well, and making it clear exactly where you deliver more value or solve problems better.
And finally, the best positioning comes from knowing your customer even better than your competitor knows theirs. Combine your competitor data with ongoing customer research. Interview buyers, run quick polls, read reviews, not just for your stuff, but for everyone in your field. Learn the phrases prospects use, the pain points that keep coming up, and the real reasons people switch from one provider to another.
Competitive awareness isn’t something you outgrow. The second you stop studying the field is the second someone eats your lunch. Stay hungry, stay sharp, and never let your assumptions replace cold, hard research.
Stay in the Pro tier and you’ll get competitor analysis templates, battle-tested questions to ask buyers, case studies of upstarts who crushed industry giants by finding and exploiting the smallest gaps, and scripts for using your competitive edge on sales calls and in your marketing. This is where you stop getting blindsided, and start stealing the show.
