Skill: shashwatgtm/competitive-intelligence-market-research (version 1.0.0)

--- name: competitive-intelligence-market-research description: B2B SaaS competitive intelligence with 24 scenarios across Sales/HR/Fintech/Ops Tech metadata: {"clawdbot":{"emoji":"🔍","homepage":"https://github.com/shashwatgtm","always":true}} --- ## **🎯 Multi-Dimensional Navigator** **This skill serves B2B SaaS companies across multiple dimensions. Find your path:** ### **STEP 1: What's Your Industry Vertical?** Your industry determines: - Which competitors to track - What research is critical vs nice-to-have - Regulatory constraints - Competitive positioning strategies - Risk tolerance for aggressive tactics ``` → Sales Tech (Gong, Outreach, Salesloft) - See Section A → HR Tech (Culture Amp, Lattice, BambooHR) - See Section B → Fintech (Razorpay, Happay, Stripe) - See Section C → Operations Tech (FieldAssist, Locus, logistics/retail) - See Section D → Other B2B SaaS - Use Sales Tech as base, adapt as needed ``` ### **STEP 2: What's Your Company Stage?** Your stage determines: - Research budget available - Tool sophistication - Time you can invest - Depth of analysis needed - Who does the work ``` → Series A ($1M-10M ARR, 10-200 employees) - Path 1 → Series B/C ($10M-50M ARR, 200-1000 employees) - Path 2 → Series D+ ($50M+ ARR, 1000+ employees) - Path 3 ``` ### **STEP 3: What's Your Primary Market?** Your geography determines: - Competitor set (local vs global) - Pricing benchmarks - Market size calculation methods - Research sources available - Language/cultural considerations ``` → India-first market - India guidance → US-first market - US guidance → Global/multi-market - Hybrid approach ``` ### **STEP 4: Who's Doing This Research?** Your role determines: - Autonomy level - Approval workflows - Time available - Output format needed ``` → Founder/Co-Founder - Full autonomy → VP/Director - Manager approval → Product Marketing Manager - Team collaboration → Strategy/Insights Team - Stakeholder coordination ``` --- ## **Quick Navigation by Common Scenarios** **Most Common Use Cases:** 1. **"I'm a Series A founder building battle cards for my sales team"** → Go to: **Section A1** (Sales Tech, Series A, Founder-Led Research) 2. **"I'm a PMM at Series B HR Tech, need competitive analysis for upmarket move"** → Go to: **Section B2** (HR Tech, Series B, Professional Research) 3. **"I'm CMO at Series C fintech, board wants market landscape"** → Go to: **Section C3** (Fintech, Series C+, Strategic Intelligence) 4. **"I'm VP at ops tech selling to India retail, need to size market"** → Go to: **Section D1** (Operations Tech, India Market Sizing) --- # 📊 SECTION A: SALES TECH COMPETITIVE INTELLIGENCE **When To Use This Section:** - Your product: Sales engagement, conversation intelligence, sales enablement, coaching - Your competitors: Gong, Outreach, Salesloft, Chorus, Apollo, ZoomInfo - Your buyers: Sales leaders, CROs, RevOps - Your go-to-market: PLG or sales-led for SMB/Mid-market --- ## **A1: Sales Tech @ Series A (Scrappy Founder Research)** ### **Your Reality Check:** ``` COMPANY PROFILE: - Size: $1M-10M ARR, 10-100 employees - Stage: Series A, finding PMF → scaling - Team: Founder or PM doing research (side of desk) - Budget: $0-500/month for ALL tools - Timeline: 2-3 days max (need it for pitch/sales enablement) ``` ### **The Sales Tech Competitive Landscape:** **Your Competitor Tiers:** ``` TIER 1: Enterprise Incumbents (NOT your competition... yet) - Gong ($500M+ valuation, enterprise-focused) - Outreach (public, enterprise) - Salesloft ($2.3B valuation, mid-market+) WHY THEY MATTER: Buyers know these brands, you'll be compared YOUR ANGLE: "Too expensive/complex for SMBs" TIER 2: Growth-Stage Competitors (Your Real Competition) - Chorus (acquired by ZoomInfo, mid-market) - Revenue.io (Series B, conversation intelligence) - Wingman (India-based, SMB focus) WHY THEY MATTER: Similar stage, similar ICP YOUR ANGLE: Feature differentiation, regional focus TIER 3: Emerging Startups (Watch List) - Seed/Series A conversation intelligence startups - AI sales coaching tools - Regional players (India, SEA) WHY THEY MATTER: Could pivot into your space YOUR ANGLE: Speed, innovation, local expertise ``` ### **Series A Sales Tech Research: 3-Day Sprint** **GOAL:** Positioning deck + battle cards for sales team **DAY 1: Competitive Landscape Mapping (4 hours)** ``` 09:00-10:00 | Define Your Competitive Set For Sales Tech, consider: □ Direct: Same solution (conversation intelligence) □ Indirect: Different tech, same outcome (sales training platforms) □ Adjacent: Complementary (CRM, sales engagement platforms) India-specific search strings: - "conversation intelligence India" - "sales enablement software India" - "alternatives to Gong for SMB" - "affordable sales coaching tools" US search strings: - "Gong alternatives for small teams" - "sales tech for Series A companies" - "conversation intelligence under $10K" 10:00-11:30 | Categorize Competitors TEMPLATE: Company | Tier | ICP | Price Point | Geography | Strength | Weakness Gong | Tier 1 | Enterprise | $20K-50K+ | US/Global | Deep analytics | Too expensive Wingman | Tier 2 | SMB | $5K-15K | India | Local | Limited features [Yours] | - | SMB | $3K-10K | India→US | AI coaching | New brand 11:30-13:00 | Pricing Research (Critical for Sales Tech) Sales Tech = Price-sensitive market FREE RESEARCH SOURCES: □ G2 reviews mentioning price: "Filter by 'pricing' mentions" □ Reddit r/sales: "What do you pay for [tool]?" □ LinkedIn polls: "What's your sales tech budget?" □ Competitor job posts: Sales compensation = pricing signals WHAT TO FIND: - Gong: $1,500-4,000/seat/year (from reviews) - Outreach: $100-150/user/month - YOUR TARGET: 50-70% cheaper than incumbents PRICING POSITIONING: "Enterprise features, SMB pricing" "Gong-quality insights at 1/3 the cost" ``` **DAY 2: Feature & Positioning Deep Dive (4 hours)** ``` 09:00-11:00 | G2 Review Mining (Sales Tech Specific) Sales Tech buyers care about: 1. Ease of implementation (IT approval hurdle) 2. Call recording quality 3. CRM integration (Salesforce, HubSpot MUST-HAVE) 4. Coaching insights (actionable) 5. ROI/deal velocity improvement WHAT TO EXTRACT: □ Top 3 features mentioned in 5-star reviews □ Top 3 complaints in 1-2 star reviews □ "Switched from X because..." patterns □ "Considering X vs Y" comparisons SALES TECH SPECIFIC INSIGHTS: - 67% mention "Salesforce integration" as critical - 43% complain about "too many features we don't use" - 31% say "too expensive for our team size" - 22% want "real-time coaching vs post-call analysis" YOUR OPPORTUNITY: ✅ Simplified feature set (80% of value, 20% of complexity) ✅ SMB pricing ($200-500/seat/year vs $1,500+) ✅ AI coaching focus (vs pure analytics) ✅ India-first, then global 11:00-13:00 | GTM Strategy Analysis Sales Tech companies typically use: ENTERPRISE (Gong, Outreach): - Channel: Outbound sales (100+ SDRs) - Content: Thought leadership, podcasts, events - Pricing: Enterprise sales, no public pricing - Cycle: 3-6 months MID-MARKET (Chorus, Revenue.io): - Channel: Hybrid (inbound + outbound) - Content: SEO, webinars, free tools - Pricing: Visible tiers, sales for enterprise - Cycle: 1-3 months SMB (Your Target): - Channel: PLG + inbound - Content: Tactical guides, YouTube, free tier - Pricing: Self-serve, transparent pricing - Cycle: <30 days COMPETITIVE INTEL: □ Check LinkedIn: Hiring SDRs = outbound motion □ Check content: Blog topics = SEO keywords they target □ Check ads: Facebook Ad Library for messaging ``` **DAY 3: Synthesis & Battle Cards (4 hours)** ``` 09:00-10:30 | Positioning Matrix (Sales Tech Specific) 2×2 MATRIX: X-Axis: Enterprise ←→ SMB Y-Axis: Pure Analytics ←→ Coaching Focus WHERE COMPETITORS LAND: - Gong: Top-left (Enterprise, Analytics) - Outreach: Left-center (Enterprise, Engagement) - Chorus: Center (Mid-market, Analytics) - [YOU]: Bottom-right (SMB, Coaching) WHITE SPACE IDENTIFIED: ✅ SMB + Coaching focus = underserved ✅ India market (Gong expensive for Indian SMBs) ✅ AI-powered real-time coaching (vs post-call) 10:30-12:00 | Battle Cards (Top 3 Competitors) BATTLE CARD TEMPLATE - SALES TECH FOCUS: ┌─────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ VS. GONG (Enterprise Incumbent) │ ├─────────────────────────────────────────────┤ │ THEIR STRENGTHS: │ │ • Deep conversation analytics │ │ • Forecasting accuracy │ │ • Enterprise-grade security │ │ • 1000+ integrations │ │ │ │ THEIR WEAKNESSES: │ │ • Price: $20K-50K+ annually (too expensive) │ │ • Complexity: Overkill for SMB (10-50 reps)│ │ • Setup: Requires IT, 2-4 week onboarding │ │ • Contract: Annual commit, enterprise sales │ │ │ │ WHEN THEY WIN: │ │ • Large sales org (50+ reps) │ │ • Complex B2B sales (6+ month cycles) │ │ • Enterprise budget ($50K+ sales tech) │ │ • Need forecasting + analytics depth │ │ │ │ WHEN WE WIN: │ │ • SMB sales team (5-25 reps) │ │ • Tight budget (< $10K/year sales tech) │ │ • Need coaching > analytics │ │ • Fast setup required (< 1 week) │ │ │ │ OUR COUNTER-POSITIONING: │ │ "Gong is built for Salesforce with 500 reps│ │ We're built for startups with 15 reps. │ │ Same AI insights, 1/3 the price, │ │ 10× faster setup." │ │ │ │ SALES TALKING POINTS: │ │ 1. "Save $15K/year vs Gong" │ │ 2. "Setup in 1 day vs 4 weeks" │ │ 3. "AI coaching, not just dashboards" │ │ 4. "Built for Indian SMB sales teams" │ │ │ │ OBJECTION HANDLERS: │ │ "But Gong is the category leader..." │ │ → "For enterprise. You're not enterprise. │ │ You need 80% of Gong at 20% of the cost."│ │ │ │ "Gong has more features..." │ │ → "Which features do your 12 reps actually │ │ use? We focus on coaching that helps reps│ │ close deals this quarter." │ └─────────────────────────────────────────────┘ 12:00-13:00 | Market Sizing (Sales Tech, India Focus) BOTTOM-UP APPROACH: STEP 1: Define ICP - B2B SaaS companies - $1M-10M ARR - 10-50 employees - India geography - Have sales team (5+ people) STEP 2: Count Companies (FREE TOOLS) □ LinkedIn Sales Navigator (free trial): - Filter: "B2B SaaS" + "India" + "10-50 employees" - Count: ~2,500 companies □ Crunchbase (free tier): - Filter: "B2B" + "India" + "$1M-10M funding" - Count: ~1,800 companies □ Cross-reference: ~2,000 companies (conservative) STEP 3: Estimate Deal Size □ Research 10 competitor pricing pages □ G2 reviews mentioning price □ Assume: $5K average annual contract value STEP 4: Calculate SAM 2,000 companies × $5,000 = $10M SAM (India only) VALIDATION: - Does this feel right for India B2B SaaS sales tech? - Cross-check: Wingman (Indian competitor) raised $X, implies $Y market - Sense check with 3 sales leaders: "Does $10M India market sound right?" TOP-DOWN VALIDATION: - Global sales enablement: $5B (Gartner) - India = ~1.5% of global B2B SaaS market - $5B × 1.5% × 30% (conversation intel subset) = ~$22M - Bottom-up $10M vs top-down $22M → Use conservative $10-15M SAM ``` ### **Output: Series A Sales Tech Deliverable Package** ``` DELIVERABLE 1: Competitive Landscape (Google Slides) - Slide 1: Market map (30+ companies plotted) - Slide 2: 2×2 positioning matrix - Slide 3: Competitive tiers (Enterprise/Growth/Emerging) - Slide 4: White space opportunity DELIVERABLE 2: Battle Cards (Google Doc) - Top 5 competitors - 1-page per competitor - Sales talking points - Objection handlers - When we win/lose DELIVERABLE 3: Market Sizing (Spreadsheet) - TAM-SAM-SOM calculations - Data sources cited - Methodology explained - Conservative + aggressive scenarios DELIVERABLE 4: Strategic Recommendations (1-pager) - Positioning: "Gong for Indian SMBs" - Pricing: $3K-8K/year (vs Gong $20K+) - GTM: PLG motion, self-serve, fast setup - Roadmap: Must-have integrations (Salesforce, HubSpot) TIME INVESTED: 12 hours over 3 days TOOLS COST: $0 (used free trials) OUTPUT QUALITY: Good enough for Series A pitch deck + sales enablement ``` ### **Sales Tech Specific: Free Research Sources** ``` ESSENTIAL (Use These): □ G2 Sales Software category (18,000+ reviews) □ r/sales on Reddit (140K sales pros sharing) □ Sales Hacker community (tactical insights) □ Revenue Collective (sales leader slack) □ LinkedIn Sales Navigator (15-day trial) SALES-TECH SPECIFIC SOURCES: □ Pavilion community (CRO insights) □ SaaStr community (B2B SaaS) □ Modern Sales Podcast (competitor mentions) □ Gong's blog (learn from category leader) INDIA-SPECIFIC: □ SaaSBoomi community (India B2B SaaS) □ Indian startup funding announcements □ Economic Times tech coverage □ Inc42 (Indian startup news) ``` --- ## **A2: Sales Tech @ Series B (Professional Product Marketing Research)** ### **Your Reality Check:** ``` COMPANY PROFILE: - Size: $10M-30M ARR, 150-500 employees - Stage: Series B, scaling GTM - Team: Product Marketing Manager (you) + maybe 1 analyst - Budget: $1K-5K/month for research tools - Timeline: 2 weeks for comprehensive analysis - Stakeholders: VP Marketing, Sales leadership, Product ``` ### **Why Series B Research is Different:** ``` SERIES A: Quick battle cards for selling SERIES B: Strategic intelligence for scaling You need to answer: - Should we move upmarket? (Mid-market → Enterprise) - Which features to build? (Product roadmap input) - Where to invest marketing $? (Channel strategy) - How to price for growth? (Pricing strategy) - Which segments to prioritize? (ICP refinement) ``` ### **Series B Sales Tech Research: 2-Week Sprint** **WEEK 1: Comprehensive Competitive Analysis** ``` DAY 1-2: Deep Competitive Profiling (8 hours) Now you analyze 15-20 competitors (not just 5-10) FOR EACH COMPETITOR: □ Website messaging (positioning evolution) □ Pricing (tiers, changes over time via Wayback Machine) □ G2 reviews (read 50+, analyze themes) □ Product Hunt launches (reception, comments) □ Job postings (where are they investing?) □ Leadership LinkedIn (what are execs talking about?) □ Funding announcements (investors, use of funds) □ Tech stack (BuiltWith: what tools do they use?) TOOLS YOU CAN NOW AFFORD: ✅ LinkedIn Sales Navigator ($99/mo) - Org charts, decision makers ✅ Crunchbase Pro ($29/mo) - Funding, M&A, investors ✅ SimilarWeb Starter ($125/mo) - Traffic, digital strategy ✅ Ahrefs Lite ($99/mo) - SEO competitive analysis Total: ~$350/month (justified by time savings) DAY 3-4: Win/Loss Analysis (8 hours) Interview 10-15 customers who chose you vs competitors SALES TECH WIN/LOSS QUESTIONS: - "Which other tools did you evaluate?" - "What almost made you choose [Competitor]?" - "What feature tipped the scales for us?" - "How did pricing compare?" - "How does our team size compare to [Competitor] customers?" PATTERN RECOGNITION: We win when: [Small teams, fast setup, coaching focus] We lose when: [Need forecasting, enterprise security, API access] Recommendation: Build [X features] to reduce losses DAY 5: Synthesis + Strategic Implications (4 hours) OUTPUT: - Competitive positioning map (updated) - Feature gap analysis (what to build) - Pricing benchmarking (how to price new tiers) - Market trends (where is sales tech moving?) ``` **WEEK 2: Market Expansion Analysis** ``` DAY 6-7: Upmarket Feasibility (8 hours) RESEARCH QUESTION: Can we compete for mid-market deals (50-200 reps)? COMPETITOR ANALYSIS: □ What features do mid-market buyers need? - From G2: Enterprise reviews mentioning must-haves - Security: SOC 2, SSO, role-based access - Integrations: Salesforce, Outreach, Gong - Analytics: Forecasting, pipeline visibility □ How do competitors serve mid-market? - Chorus: Acquired by ZoomInfo, bundled strategy - Revenue.io: Series B, $X-$Y deal sizes - Our positioning: Can we credibly compete? GAP ANALYSIS: Missing for mid-market: ❌ SOC 2 compliance (need 6 months) ❌ SSO (need 3 months) ❌ Advanced analytics (need 4 months) ✅ Salesforce integration (have it) ✅ Core conversation intel (have it) DECISION: - Timeline: 12 months to be mid-market ready - Investment: $X engineering cost - ROI: Mid-market ACV $15K vs SMB $5K = 3× uplift - Recommendation: Prioritize mid-market readiness DAY 8-9: Geographic Expansion Research (8 hours) RESEARCH QUESTION: India → US expansion feasibility MARKET SIZING (US): - LinkedIn Sales Navigator: 15,000 SMB B2B SaaS companies (10-100 employees) - vs India: 2,000 companies - 7.5× larger market COMPETITIVE LANDSCAPE (US): - Gong: Dominant in enterprise - Smaller players: Revenue.io, Chorus (acquired) - WHITE SPACE: SMB coaching focus (same as India) CHALLENGES: - Price expectations: US buyers pay 2-3× more - Sales motion: Need US-based sales team - Brand: Unknown in US (need marketing investment) - Support: US time zones (need US support team) VALIDATION: - Interview 5 US sales leaders: "Would you buy from India company?" - Competitor analysis: Wingman (India) struggling in US = cautionary tale DAY 10: Final Synthesis (4 hours) DELIVERABLE: Strategic Recommendations Deck - Slide 1: Executive summary - Slides 2-5: Competitive landscape evolution - Slides 6-10: Upmarket opportunity + roadmap - Slides 11-15: Geographic expansion analysis - Slides 16-20: Product roadmap priorities - Slides 21-25: Pricing strategy recommendations ``` ### **Series B Sales Tech: Tool Stack & Budget** ``` MONTHLY TOOL BUDGET: $350-500 TIER 1 (MUST-HAVE): □ LinkedIn Sales Navigator ($99/mo) → WHY: Win/loss research, ICP sizing, org charts → ROI: Saves 10+ hours/month on manual research □ Crunchbase Pro ($29/mo) → WHY: Competitor funding, M&A signals, investor insights → ROI: Early warning on competitive moves □ SimilarWeb Starter ($125/mo) → WHY: Traffic analysis, digital strategy benchmarking → ROI: Understand competitor GTM investment TIER 2 (SHOULD-HAVE): □ Ahrefs Lite ($99/mo) → WHY: SEO competitive analysis, content gap identification → ROI: Inform content strategy, find keyword opportunities TIER 3 (NICE-TO-HAVE): □ Hunter.io ($49/mo) → WHY: Find stakeholder emails for research interviews → ROI: Better win/loss research, customer interviews CANNOT YET JUSTIFY: ❌ Gartner ($30K/year) - Too expensive for Series B ❌ Klue ($15K/year) - Maybe at Series C ❌ ZoomInfo ($15K/year) - Sales Nav sufficient for now ``` --- ## **A3: Sales Tech @ Series C+ (Strategic Intelligence Team)** ### **Your Reality Check:** ``` COMPANY PROFILE: - Size: $50M+ ARR, 500+ employees - Stage: Series C/D or preparing for IPO - Team: Market Intelligence team (2-3 FTE) + you (Director/VP) - Budget: $50K-150K/year for research - Timeline: Ongoing monitoring + quarterly deep dives - Stakeholders: C-suite, Board, Investors ``` ### **Why Series C+ Research is Different:** ``` SERIES A: Battle cards for sales SERIES B: Strategic positioning for scaling SERIES C+: Board-level intelligence + M&A due diligence You need to answer: - M&A targets: Who should we acquire? - Competitive moats: How defensible are we? - Market trends: Where is category moving (5-year view)? - Strategic threats: Who could disrupt us? - IPO readiness: How do we compare to public comps? ``` ### **Enterprise Sales Tech Intelligence: Continuous + Quarterly** **ONGOING: Continuous Monitoring** ``` DAILY MONITORING (Automated): □ Klue alerts: Competitor website changes, job postings, news □ Google Alerts: Competitor mentions in media □ G2 reviews: New reviews for top 10 competitors □ Funding announcements: Crunchbase + news sources □ Social media: Competitor exec LinkedIn posts WHO MONITORS: Intelligence Analyst (dedicated role) OUTPUT: Weekly email update to sales + marketing leadership WEEKLY SYNTHESIS: □ Competitive win/loss trends (from CRM) □ Product updates (from competitor release notes) □ Marketing campaigns (from ad tracking) □ Pricing changes (from public sites + customer reports) OUTPUT: Friday competitive update (5-10 min read) AUDIENCE: Sales team (battle card updates as needed) ``` **QUARTERLY: Strategic Deep Dives** ``` Q1: Competitive Landscape Assessment DELIVERABLE: Board-level presentation SECTION 1: Market Evolution (10 slides) - TAM/SAM trends (growing, stable, shrinking?) - New entrants (who raised funding? acquisitions?) - Category consolidation (M&A activity) - Technology shifts (AI, new modalities) SECTION 2: Competitive Position (15 slides) - Market share estimates (us vs top 5) - Win/loss trends (improving or declining?) - NPS comparison (us vs competitors via G2) - Product feature parity matrix - Pricing position (are we premium or value?) SECTION 3: Strategic Recommendations (10 slides) - Competitive threats to watch - White space opportunities - M&A target shortlist (if acquiring) - Product roadmap priorities (based on competitive gaps) - GTM strategy adjustments DATA SOURCES: ✅ Gartner Magic Quadrant (if in category) ✅ Forrester Wave (if in category) ✅ Custom research (commission primary research) ✅ Win/loss analysis (200+ interviews/year) ✅ G2 Grid analysis (track quarterly movement) Q2: Strategic M&A Analysis RESEARCH QUESTION: Who should we acquire? Why? ACQUISITION CRITERIA (Sales Tech Example): □ Strategic fit: Expand platform (e.g., add sales engagement) □ Geographic expansion: Acquire EMEA leader □ Talent acquisition: AI/ML team □ Customer acquisition: Buy competitor's customer base □ Technology: Buy IP/patents TARGET IDENTIFICATION: 1. Map ecosystem (100+ companies in sales tech) 2. Filter by stage (Series A-B, $5M-30M valuation) 3. Analyze fit (tech, customers, team, geography) 4. Shortlist top 10 targets 5. Deep due diligence on top 3 DUE DILIGENCE (per target): □ Financial analysis (ARR, growth, burn) □ Customer overlap (would we lose customers?) □ Technology assessment (IP, code quality) □ Team assessment (would leadership stay?) □ Integration complexity (how hard to integrate?) OUTPUT: M&A target deck with 3 recommended acquisitions Q3: Analyst Relations + Thought Leadership GOAL: Influence Gartner/Forrester positioning ACTIVITIES: □ Analyst briefings (2× quarterly per analyst) □ Gartner Magic Quadrant preparation (if applicable) □ Forrester Wave participation □ Commissioned research (sponsor reports) □ Industry conference sponsorships RESEARCH OUTPUT: □ "State of Sales Tech 2026" report □ Benchmark data (share anonymized metrics) □ Thought leadership content □ Media coverage (Forbes, TechCrunch, etc.) WHY THIS MATTERS: - Gartner/Forrester inclusion = enterprise sales credibility - Commissioned research = brand building - Thought leadership = category ownership Q4: IPO Readiness / Public Market Comparables RESEARCH QUESTION: How do we compare to public companies? PUBLIC COMPS (Sales Tech): - Outreach (if public) - ZoomInfo (public, owns Chorus) - Salesforce (Sales Cloud comparable) METRICS TO BENCHMARK: □ ARR growth rate (us vs public comps) □ Gross margin (us vs public comps) □ Net revenue retention (us vs public comps) □ Sales efficiency (CAC, LTV/CAC ratio) □ Market cap / ARR multiple OUTPUT: - "Public company readiness" assessment - Competitive positioning for investor roadshow - Analyst day preparation materials ``` ### **Series C+ Sales Tech: Premium Tool Stack** ``` ANNUAL RESEARCH BUDGET: $75K-150K TIER 1 (ESSENTIAL): □ Gartner ($35K-50K/year) → WHY: Analyst access, Magic Quadrant inclusion → ROI: Enterprise credibility, required for upmarket □ Klue or Crayon ($18K-25K/year) → WHY: Competitive intelligence platform, automated monitoring → ROI: Saves 20+ hours/week for intelligence team □ ZoomInfo ($20K-30K/year) → WHY: Contact data, org charts, buying signals → ROI: Sales enablement, account-based targeting TIER 2 (STRONGLY RECOMMENDED): □ SimilarWeb Enterprise ($25K-40K/year) → WHY: Competitive traffic benchmarking, market share estimates → ROI: Track competitive digital strategy □ Custom Research ($20K-40K/year) → WHY: Primary research, commissioned reports → ROI: Proprietary insights, thought leadership TIER 3 (CONSIDER): □ Forrester ($30K/year) → WHY: Alternative to Gartner, Wave analysis → ROI: If Gartner doesn't cover your category well □ CB Insights ($20K/year) → WHY: Market maps, M&A intelligence, emerging competitors → ROI: Strategic planning, M&A target identification TOTAL: $75K-150K/year ``` --- # 📊 SECTION B: HR TECH COMPETITIVE INTELLIGENCE **When To Use This Section:** - Your product: HRIS, employee engagement, performance management, recruiting, learning - Your competitors: Workday, BambooHR, Culture Amp, Lattice, Lever, Greenhouse - Your buyers: HR leaders, CHROs, People Ops - Your go-to-market: Typically sales-led (HR is relationship-driven) --- ## **B1: HR Tech @ Series A (Founder-Led Research)** ### **Your Reality Check:** ``` COMPANY PROFILE: - Size: $2M-8M ARR, 20-80 employees - Stage: Series A, early PMF - You: Founder (often ex-HR tech or HRBP background) - Budget: $0-300/month - Timeline: 1 week for competitive positioning ``` ### **The HR Tech Competitive Landscape (Different from Sales Tech):** **Key Differences vs Sales Tech:** ``` SALES TECH: - Buyers: Sales leaders (aggressive, data-driven, ROI-focused) - Buying cycle: 1-3 months (fast) - Decision: Individual or small team - Risk tolerance: High (experiment with tools) HR TECH: - Buyers: HR leaders (relationship-driven, risk-averse, people-focused) - Buying cycle: 3-9 months (slower, more deliberate) - Decision: Committee (HR + Finance + Legal + IT) - Risk tolerance: LOW (can't screw up people data) ``` **This Changes Everything About Competitive Research:** ``` FOR SALES TECH: ✅ Aggressive competitive positioning okay ("We're 10× cheaper than Gong") ✅ Fast iteration, experiment ✅ Attack incumbents publicly FOR HR TECH: ❌ NEVER attack competitors (HR community is small, reputation matters) ❌ Conservative positioning only ❌ Professional tone mandatory (HR is risk-averse) ✅ Emphasize: Trust, security, compliance, relationships ``` ### **Series A HR Tech Research: Conservative Approach** **DAY 1-2: Competitive Landscape (But Make It Professional)** ``` 09:00-12:00 | Map HR Tech Ecosystem HR Tech has sub-categories (pick yours): □ HRIS/Core HR: Workday, BambooHR, Rippling, Deel □ Employee Engagement: Culture Amp, Lattice, 15Five □ Performance Management: Lattice, Betterworks, 7Geese □ Recruiting: Lever, Greenhouse, Ashby □ Learning: Degreed, EdCast, Docebo □ Comp & Benefits: Pave, Figures, Carta (equity) INDIA-SPECIFIC HR TECH: □ Darwinbox (India HRIS leader) □ Keka (SMB HRIS) □ EngageWith (employee engagement) □ SumHR (payroll + HR) RESEARCH SOURCES (HR-Specific): □ SHRM (Society for HR Management) - not for competitive intel, but industry trends □ HR Brew newsletter (industry news) □ HR Tech Conference exhibitor list □ G2 HR Software categories 12:00-13:00 | Pricing Research (HR Tech Nuance) HR Tech pricing is DIFFERENT from Sales Tech: SALES TECH: Per-seat, usage-based, transparent HR TECH: Per-employee, bundled, often hidden PRICING MODELS: - BambooHR: $X/employee/month (SMB) - Workday: Enterprise-only, no public pricing - Culture Amp: $3-7/employee/month (from reviews) - Lattice: $4-11/employee/month YOUR POSITIONING: "Affordable for SMBs" (if BambooHR is $6/employee, you're $3-4) NOT: "10× cheaper" (too aggressive for HR) ``` **DAY 3-4: Feature Analysis (HR Compliance is Critical)** ``` HR TECH MUST-HAVES (Regulatory): FOR INDIA MARKET: ✅ PF/ESI compliance (mandatory) ✅ Gratuity calculations ✅ Leave policy (Indian labor law) ✅ Payroll (statutory deductions) FOR US MARKET: ✅ EEOC compliance (equal employment) ✅ ADA compliance (disability) ✅ FMLA tracking (family medical leave) ✅ 401K integration FOR EU MARKET: ✅ GDPR compliance (data privacy) ✅ Works council integration ✅ Country-specific labor laws COMPETITOR ANALYSIS (Compliance Focus): □ Which markets does competitor support? □ What compliance features do they have? □ Do they have SOC 2, ISO 27001, GDPR certifications? □ What do reviews say about compliance failures? THIS IS DIFFERENT FROM SALES TECH: Sales Tech: Compliance nice-to-have HR Tech: Compliance MANDATORY (you lose deals without it) ``` **DAY 5: Positioning (Conservative, Professional)** ``` HR TECH POSITIONING RULES: ❌ DON'T SAY: "We're crushing competitors" "Workday sucks" "10× better than X" ✅ DO SAY: "Trusted by 500+ HR leaders" "Built specifically for mid-market" "Compliant, secure, easy to use" "Recommended by SHRM members" POSITIONING FRAMEWORK (HR Tech): - Emphasize: Trust, security, compliance - Tone: Professional, warm, supportive - Avoid: Aggressive, sales-y, attacking EXAMPLE POSITIONING: "Culture Amp for Mid-Market Companies Affordable, compliant, built for HR leaders who care about their people." Not: "Culture Amp is too expensive. We're cheaper." ``` ### **HR Tech Specific: Conservative Battle Cards** ``` ┌────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ VS. CULTURE AMP (Category Leader) │ ├────────────────────────────────────────────┤ │ WHEN TO POSITION AGAINST THEM: │ │ • Mid-market companies (200-1000 employees)│ │ • Budget-conscious HR teams │ │ • Need engagement + performance │ │ │ │ NEVER SAY: │ │ ❌ "Culture Amp is too expensive" │ │ ❌ "We're better than Culture Amp" │ │ ❌ "Culture Amp has bad customer support" │ │ │ │ INSTEAD SAY: │ │ ✅ "Culture Amp is excellent for enterprise│ │ We're purpose-built for mid-market." │ │ ✅ "We focus on X (performance management) │ │ Culture Amp is broader (engagement)." │ │ ✅ "Mid-market companies love our pricing │ │ and hands-on support." │ │ │ │ RESPECTFUL DIFFERENTIATION: │ │ • We: Mid-market focus ($200-1K employees) │ │ • Them: Enterprise focus (1K+ employees) │ │ • We: Hands-on support included │ │ • Them: Self-serve + paid support tiers │ │ • We: $3-4/employee/month │ │ • Them: $5-8/employee/month │ │ │ │ WHY RESPECT MATTERS IN HR TECH: │ │ - HR community is small (everyone knows everyone)│ │ - Today's competitor could be tomorrow's │ │ integration partner or acquisition target│ │ - HR buyers HATE vendor trash-talk │ │ - Culture Amp might refer customers to you │ │ for mid-market deals they don't want │ └────────────────────────────────────────────┘ ``` --- ## **B2: HR Tech @ Series B (Professional Research + Win/Loss)** ### **Your Reality Check:** ``` COMPANY PROFILE: - Size: $12M-40M ARR, 200-600 employees - Stage: Series B, moving upmarket or expanding modules - You: Director of Product Marketing or PMM - Budget: $2K-6K/month for research - Goal: Should we move upmarket? Which features to build? ``` ### **Series B HR Tech: Different Questions Than Sales Tech** ``` SALES TECH @ SERIES B: "Can we compete with Gong for mid-market?" "Should we expand to US?" HR TECH @ SERIES B: "Should we add performance management to engagement?" "Can we serve 1,000+ employee companies?" "Do we need GDPR compliance for EU expansion?" "Should we build AI features or partner?" ``` ### **Week 1-2: Comprehensive HR Tech Competitive Analysis** ``` RESEARCH FOCUS AREAS: 1. MODULE EXPANSION ANALYSIS (HR Tech Specific) HR Tech companies expand via modules: - Start: Single point solution (e.g., just engagement) - Expand: Add adjacent modules (engagement → performance) - Platform: Full suite (HRIS → engagement → performance → learning) COMPETITOR EVOLUTION EXAMPLES: - Lattice: Started performance → added engagement → added goals - Culture Amp: Started engagement → added performance - BambooHR: Started HRIS → added performance → added hiring RESEARCH QUESTIONS: □ Which competitors started where we started? □ What modules did they add? In what order? □ How long did expansion take? □ What was customer reception? (from reviews) □ Did they build or acquire modules? 2. UPMARKET READINESS ANALYSIS (HR Compliance Focus) TO SERVE 1,000+ EMPLOYEE COMPANIES (Enterprise): MUST-HAVE FEATURES: □ SSO (Okta, Azure AD) - Security team requirement □ SCIM (automated user provisioning) □ SOC 2 Type II compliance (InfoSec requirement) □ Custom reporting (HRIS integrations) □ API access (IT team requirement) □ Role-based access controls (complex org structures) MUST-HAVE COMPLIANCE (US Enterprise): □ EEOC reporting (equal employment opportunity) □ ADA compliance (Americans with Disabilities Act) □ OFCCP compliance (if government contractors) □ State-specific labor laws (CA, NY, etc.) MUST-HAVE COMPLIANCE (India Enterprise): □ ISO 27001 certification □ PF/ESI at scale (10,000+ employees) □ Multi-state operations (different state labor laws) □ Large enterprise payroll complexity COMPETITOR RESEARCH: □ When did Culture Amp add enterprise features? □ What compliance did Lattice need for Fortune 500? □ How long did upmarket move take? TIMELINE ESTIMATE: - SSO/SCIM: 3-4 months engineering - SOC 2: 6-12 months (audit process) - Enterprise features: 6-9 months - TOTAL: 12-18 months to be enterprise-ready 3. WIN/LOSS ANALYSIS (HR Tech Nuances) Interview 20 customers (10 won, 10 lost) HR TECH WIN/LOSS QUESTIONS: - "Which other vendors did you evaluate?" - "What was your decision-making process?" (committee? timeframe?) - "Who was involved in decision?" (HR + Finance + IT + Legal?) - "What almost made you choose [Competitor]?" - "How important was compliance/security?" (1-10 scale) - "How important was hands-on support?" (1-10 scale) - "What's your relationship with vendor?" (transactional or partnership?) PATTERN RECOGNITION (HR Tech Specific): WE WIN WHEN: ✅ Mid-market (200-800 employees) ✅ Budget-conscious ($3-5/employee budget) ✅ Want hands-on support (not self-serve) ✅ HR team is small (1-3 people) ✅ Need fast implementation (<6 weeks) WE LOSE WHEN: ❌ Enterprise (1,000+ employees) - lack SSO, SCIM ❌ Global (need GDPR, EU compliance) ❌ Complex hierarchy (role-based access insufficient) ❌ IT-led buying (they want API-first, we're UI-first) ❌ Want "platform" (we're point solution) STRATEGIC IMPLICATIONS: - Build SSO/SCIM for enterprise (6-month roadmap) - Add GDPR compliance for EU (9-month roadmap) - Partner with HRIS vendors (can't build full platform) - Double down on mid-market (200-800 employees) - Emphasize customer success (differentiation) ``` ### **Series B HR Tech: Tool Stack** ``` MONTHLY BUDGET: $300-600 TIER 1 (ESSENTIAL): □ LinkedIn Sales Navigator ($99/mo) → WHY: HR leader org charts, decision maker identification → HR TECH SPECIFIC: Track CHRO moves, HR team expansions □ Crunchbase Pro ($29/mo) → WHY: HR Tech funding landscape, M&A activity → HR TECH SPECIFIC: Watch consolidation (lots of M&A in HR Tech) TIER 2 (SHOULD-HAVE): □ G2 Track ($150/mo) → WHY: Monitor competitor reviews, track review sentiment → HR TECH SPECIFIC: HR buyers rely heavily on G2 (conservative buyers) SKIP FOR NOW: ❌ SimilarWeb ($125/mo) - Less relevant for HR Tech (not PLG) ❌ Ahrefs ($99/mo) - HR Tech = sales-led, SEO less critical TOTAL: $280-350/month (conservative for HR Tech) ``` --- ## **B3: HR Tech @ Series C+ (Compliance & Strategic Intelligence)** ### **Your Reality Check:** ``` COMPANY PROFILE: - Size: $50M+ ARR, 800+ employees - Stage: Series C/D, preparing for IPO or acquisition - Team: Competitive Intelligence (2 FTE) + Compliance (2 FTE) - Budget: $100K-200K/year (compliance mandates higher spend) - Stakeholders: Board, Legal, Compliance, C-suite ``` ### **Why HR Tech Enterprise Research is Unique:** ``` SALES TECH ENTERPRISE RESEARCH: Focus: Market position, M&A targets, feature parity HR TECH ENTERPRISE RESEARCH: Focus: Regulatory compliance, audit readiness, data security + all the Sales Tech stuff ADDITIONAL COMPLEXITY: - SOC 2 Type II mandatory (can't sell enterprise without it) - GDPR if EU (€20M fines for violations) - HIPAA if health benefits (healthcare data) - ISO 27001 for global enterprise - Legal review of ALL competitive claims ``` ### **Quarterly Research Cadence (HR Tech Specific)** **Q1: Compliance Competitive Benchmark** ``` RESEARCH QUESTION: How do we compare on compliance/security? COMPETITOR COMPLIANCE AUDIT: For top 10 competitors, research: □ SOC 2 Type II: Do they have it? (check website) □ ISO 27001: Certified? (check trust center) □ GDPR: Do they serve EU? Compliant? □ HIPAA: Do they handle health data? □ State-specific: CA CCPA, NY SHIELD Act? COMPLIANCE GAP ANALYSIS: Workday: SOC 2, ISO 27001, GDPR, HIPAA ✅✅✅✅ BambooHR: SOC 2, GDPR ✅✅ Culture Amp: SOC 2, GDPR ✅✅ Us: SOC 2, GDPR ✅✅ Gap: Need ISO 27001 for global enterprise INVESTMENT NEEDED: - ISO 27001 certification: $50K-100K + 9-12 months - HIPAA compliance: $30K-60K + 6 months - Ongoing compliance: $200K/year (team + audits) BOARD DELIVERABLE: "Compliance Competitive Analysis & Investment Recommendation" ``` **Q2: M&A Target Analysis (HR Tech Module Strategy)** ``` HR TECH M&A IS DIFFERENT: SALES TECH M&A: - Acquire competitors for market share - Acquire complementary tech (e.g., Gong buying Forecast) HR TECH M&A: - Acquire modules to become platform - Example: UKG acquired Ultimate + Kronos - Example: iCIMS acquired TextRecruit, Jobvite ACQUISITION THESIS: We're strong in: Employee Engagement Missing modules: Performance Management, Learning, Recruiting TARGET IDENTIFICATION: □ Performance Management startups (Series A-B) - Small Improvements - Reflektive (acquired by Lumin) - 7Geese (acquired by Paycor) □ Learning platforms (Series A-B) - EdApp - TalentLMS - [Smaller players] DUE DILIGENCE (HR Tech Specific): □ Customer overlap: Would acquisition cause churn? □ Data portability: Can we migrate customer data? □ Compliance transfer: Do their certifications transfer? □ HR community perception: Would acquisition be well-received? VALUATION BENCHMARKS: - HR Tech M&A multiples: 8-15× ARR (higher than Sales Tech) - Why: Sticky (hard to switch), compliance moats, relationship-driven ``` **Q3: Analyst Relations & Industry Positioning** ``` HR TECH ANALYSTS (Different from Sales Tech): PRIMARY ANALYSTS: □ Gartner (HCM Magic Quadrant) □ Forrester (Employee Experience Wave) □ Nucleus Research (ROI-focused) □ Bersin/Josh Bersin (HR thought leader, not traditional analyst) ANALYST RELATIONS STRATEGY: - Quarterly briefings (share roadmap, customer wins) - Annual Gartner MQ participation (if eligible) - Sponsor research: "State of Employee Engagement 2026" - Speaking: HR Tech Conference, Josh Bersin events CERTIFICATION REQUIREMENTS (HR Tech): - SHRM Preferred Provider (HR credibility) - Brandon Hall Excellence Awards (industry recognition) - Great Place to Work Certified (practice what you preach) WHY THIS MATTERS IN HR TECH: HR buyers trust: 1. Peer recommendations (other CHROs) 2. Analyst reports (Gartner, Forrester) 3. Industry associations (SHRM) 4. Awards/recognition Sales Tech buyers trust: 1. Product trials (test it yourself) 2. Peer reviews (G2) 3. ROI data (does it work?) ``` **Q4: IPO Readiness / Market Positioning** ``` PUBLIC HR TECH COMPARABLES: PUBLIC COMPANIES: - Workday (HCM platform, $60B+ market cap) - UKG (private equity, not pure public comp) - Paycom, Paylocity (payroll + HR) - ADP (payroll giant, legacy) RECENT IPOs: - [Research recent HR Tech IPOs] BENCHMARKING METRICS: □ ARR growth (us vs public comps) □ Net revenue retention (target: >110%) □ Gross margin (target: >75% for SaaS) □ Operating margin (path to profitability) □ Customer retention (critical in HR Tech) HR TECH SPECIFIC METRICS: □ Employees under management (how many employees use your platform) □ Customer company size (SMB vs Enterprise mix) □ Module adoption (single vs multi-module customers) □ CSAT/NPS (relationship-driven, loyalty matters) INVESTOR NARRATIVE: "Employee Engagement Platform for Mid-Market Trusted by 800 companies, 250,000 employees Net retention 118%, Rule of 40 compliant Path to profitability in 18 months" ``` ### **HR Tech Series C+ Tool Stack** ``` ANNUAL BUDGET: $120K-180K MUST-HAVE: □ Gartner ($40K-60K/year) → REQUIRED for HR Tech (buyers check Gartner) □ Compliance tools ($30K-50K/year) → Vanta (SOC 2 automation) → Drata (compliance monitoring) → OneTrust (privacy management) □ Klue or Crayon ($20K-30K/year) → Competitive monitoring □ Custom Research ($30K-50K/year) → Commission "State of HR Tech" reports → SHRM partnership research INDUSTRY-SPECIFIC: □ SHRM Membership + Conference ($5K-10K/year) → HR community intelligence, networking □ Josh Bersin Academy ($15K/year) → HR thought leadership, industry insights TOTAL: $140K-200K/year ``` --- # 📊 SECTION C: FINTECH COMPETITIVE INTELLIGENCE **When To Use This Section:** - Your product: Payments, expense management, corporate cards, payroll, neo-banking - Your competitors: Razorpay, Paytm, PhonePe (India), Stripe, Brex, Ramp (US) - Your buyers: CFOs, Finance leaders, Controllers - Your go-to-market: Sales-led (finance is risk-averse) - **CRITICAL**: Highly regulated industry, compliance-first --- ## **C1: Fintech @ Series A (Conservative, Compliance-First)** ### **Your Reality Check:** ``` COMPANY PROFILE: - Size: $2M-8M ARR, 20-100 employees - Stage: Series A - You: Founder (often ex-finance/banking background) - Budget: $0-500/month (compliance eats budget) - Regulatory: RBI licensed or applying for license (India) ``` ### **FINTECH IS FUNDAMENTALLY DIFFERENT** **Critical Differences from Sales Tech / HR Tech:** ``` SALES TECH: ✅ Can be aggressive ✅ Fast experimentation ✅ Attack competitors ✅ Share metrics openly Risk: Low (worst case: lose customers) HR TECH: ⚠️ Must be professional ⚠️ Cannot attack competitors ⚠️ Relationship-driven Risk: Medium (people data sensitive) FINTECH: 🔴 MUST be conservative 🔴 NEVER attack competitors (could trigger regulatory review) 🔴 CANNOT share metrics without legal approval 🔴 CANNOT make unverified claims (financial advertising rules) Risk: EXTREME (regulatory fines, license revocation, criminal liability) ``` ### **Fintech Regulatory Landscape (India)** **Before ANY Competitive Research, Understand:** ``` INDIA FINTECH REGULATIONS: RBI (Reserve Bank of India): □ Payment Aggregator License (if processing payments) □ NBFC License (if lending) □ Prepaid Payment Instrument (PPI) License (wallets) □ Account Aggregator License (financial data) Compliance Requirements: □ KYC (Know Your Customer) - mandatory □ AML (Anti-Money Laundering) - mandatory □ Data Localization (store data in India) □ RBI reporting (monthly/quarterly) CONSEQUENCES OF NON-COMPLIANCE: - License suspension or revocation - ₹1 crore+ fines - Criminal charges (directors liable) - Cannot process transactions (business shutdown) THIS CHANGES COMPETITIVE RESEARCH: - Cannot share user transaction data - Cannot make unverified ROI claims - Cannot criticize competitors publicly - Legal review MANDATORY for all competitive claims ``` ### **Series A Fintech Research: Ultra-Conservative** **Week 1: Competitive Landscape (Regulatory Lens)** ``` DAY 1-2: License & Compliance Mapping FOR EACH COMPETITOR: □ What licenses do they have? (check RBI website) □ Are they compliant? (any RBI actions against them?) □ How long did licensing take? (timeline for us) □ What compliance do they highlight? (trust signals) INDIA FINTECH COMPETITORS: EXPENSE MANAGEMENT: - Happay (CRED acquired, ₹180M exit) - Zoho Expense (Zoho suite) - Fyle (Series B, expense automation) CORPORATE CARDS: - EnKash (RBI-licensed) - Volopay (Singapore-based, India operations) - Pazcare (expense + benefits) PAYMENT PROCESSING: - Razorpay (unicorn, payment gateway) - Cashfree (payment aggregator) - PayU (Naspers-owned) COMPLIANCE COMPETITIVE INTEL: Company | RBI License | SOC 2 | ISO 27001 | PCI DSS | Data Localization Razorpay | ✅ PA | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ Happay | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ [Us] | ⏳ Applying | ❌ | ❌ | ⏳ | ✅ GAP: Need SOC 2, ISO 27001 before enterprise sales Timeline: 12-18 months for full compliance stack DAY 3-4: Conservative Pricing Research FINTECH PRICING CHALLENGES: - Often bundled (hard to compare) - Enterprise pricing hidden - Regulatory fees not disclosed - Transaction-based + subscription hybrid RESEARCH SOURCES (Fintech-Safe): □ Public websites (pricing pages if available) □ G2 reviews mentioning price (user-reported, safe to cite) □ Press releases (funding announcements mention ACV) □ Your own customer interviews (first-party data, compliant) WHAT YOU CANNOT DO: ❌ Scrape competitor pricing from private dashboards ❌ Pose as customer to get pricing (fraud) ❌ Use competitor's confidential data PRICING BENCHMARKS (India Expense Management): - Happay: ₹150-300/employee/month (from reviews) - Zoho: ₹100-200/employee/month - Fyle: ₹200-400/employee/month YOUR POSITIONING: "Compliant expense management for Indian SMBs ₹150-250/employee/month" NOT: "50% cheaper than Happay" (unless verified and legal-approved) DAY 5: Positioning (Risk-Averse, Compliance-First) FINTECH POSITIONING PRINCIPLES: ✅ DO EMPHASIZE: - "RBI-compliant" (if licensed) - "Bank-grade security" - "SOC 2 certified" (if have it) - "Trusted by [X] companies" - "Backed by [reputable investors]" ❌ NEVER SAY: - "Better than [Competitor]" - "Competitor X has security issues" - "Fastest-growing fintech" (unless verified by 3rd party) - "Save [X]%" (unless calculated, disclosed methodology) EXAMPLE POSITIONING: "RBI-Compliant Expense Management for Indian SMBs Bank-grade security, SOC 2 certified, trusted by 500+ companies" CONSERVATIVE BATTLE CARD: ┌─────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ VS. HAPPAY (CRED-Acquired Incumbent) │ ├─────────────────────────────────────────────┤ │ WHEN THEY COME UP: │ │ • Enterprise deals (their strength) │ │ • CRED ecosystem (card + expense bundled) │ │ │ │ RESPECTFUL POSITIONING: │ │ ✅ "Happay is excellent for enterprise │ │ We focus on SMB (50-500 employees)" │ │ ✅ "Both of us are RBI-compliant │ │ We offer more flexible pricing for SMB" │ │ ✅ "Great product with strong backing │ │ We provide hands-on support for growing │ │ finance teams" │ │ │ │ NEVER SAY (Legal Risk): │ │ ❌ "Happay is too expensive" │ │ ❌ "Happay has compliance issues" │ │ ❌ "We're more secure than Happay" │ │ ❌ "Customers switch from Happay to us" │ │ (unless you have written testimonials) │ │ │ │ WHY EXTREME CAUTION: │ │ - Fintech community is tiny in India │ │ - CRED is well-connected (Kunal Shah) │ │ - Negative positioning could trigger legal │ │ - RBI scrutiny if public mudslinging │ │ - Potential partnership/acquisition target │ └─────────────────────────────────────────────┘ ``` ### **Fintech Series A: Compliance-First Tool Stack** ``` MONTHLY BUDGET: $0-300 (Compliance Budget is Separate) RESEARCH TOOLS: □ Google Search (free) □ LinkedIn (free) □ RBI website (free, license verification) □ G2 Fintech categories (free tier) COMPLIANCE TOOLS (Separate Budget): □ Vanta or Drata ($3K-5K/month) - SOC 2 automation □ Legal counsel ($5K-10K/month retainer) - Regulatory □ Compliance officer (hire, $50K-80K/year) NOTE: Fintech compliance costs >> research costs Early-stage fintech spends more on compliance than marketing ``` --- ## **C2: Fintech @ Series B (Strategic Compliance + Expansion)** ### **Your Reality Check:** ``` COMPANY PROFILE: - Size: $15M-40M ARR, 200-500 employees - Stage: Series B, expanding product lines or geography - You: Product Marketing Manager or Strategy Lead - Budget: $3K-8K/month for research - Compliance: Fully licensed, SOC 2, considering ISO 27001 ``` ### **Series B Fintech Research Questions:** ``` TYPICAL SERIES B QUESTIONS: SALES TECH @ SERIES B: "Should we move upmarket?" "Should we expand to US?" HR TECH @ SERIES B: "Should we add performance module?" "Can we serve enterprise?" FINTECH @ SERIES B: "Should we apply for lending license?" (NBFC) "Can we expand to UAE/Singapore?" (different regulators) "Should we launch corporate cards?" (new product = new compliance) "Can we partner with banks?" (co-branding, regulatory implications) ``` ### **Week 1-2: Regulatory Expansion Analysis** ``` RESEARCH FOCUS: New Product Line = New Regulations SCENARIO: We do expense management, want to add corporate cards COMPLIANCE RESEARCH: □ What additional licenses needed? (RBI: PPI license) □ What do competitors have? (Check EnKash, Volopay licenses) □ Timeline to get license? (12-18 months for PPI) □ Compliance costs? (₹50L-1Cr for license + ongoing) □ Risk? (if license denied, wasted investment) COMPETITOR LICENSE MAPPING: Company | Expense Mgmt | Corporate Cards | Lending | Payroll Happay | ✅ | ✅ (via CRED) | ❌ | ❌ EnKash | ✅ | ✅ RBI PPI | ❌ | ❌ Volopay | ✅ | ✅ Singapore | ❌ | ❌ [Us] | ✅ | ⏳ Want | ❌ | ❌ STRATEGIC ANALYSIS: Option 1: Build in-house (12-18 months, ₹1-2Cr investment) Option 2: Partner with licensed issuer (faster, lower risk) Option 3: Acquire competitor with license (expensive, fast) RECOMMENDATION: Partner while applying for license (hybrid approach) ``` ### **Geographic Expansion: India → UAE/Singapore** ``` RESEARCH QUESTION: Should we expand beyond India? REGULATORY COMPARISON: INDIA (RBI): - License types: PA, PPI, NBFC, AA - Timeline: 12-24 months per license - Difficulty: High (stringent requirements) - Data: Must be localized in India - Language: English + local languages UAE (DFSA, ADGM): - License: Payment Services License - Timeline: 6-12 months - Difficulty: Medium (easier than India) - Data: Can be in UAE or secure cloud - Language: English + Arabic SINGAPORE (MAS): - License: Payment Services License - Timeline: 6-9 months - Difficulty: Medium-Low (clear process) - Data: Can be anywhere (cloud-friendly) - Language: English COMPETITOR EXPANSION PATTERNS: Razorpay: - India (2014) → Malaysia (2019) → Not very successful outside India Cashfree: - India-focused, minimal international Volopay: - Singapore-first → India expansion - Dual regulatory compliance MARKET SIZING (UAE Corporate Spend): Bottom-up: - SMBs in UAE: ~50,000 companies - Corporate card TAM: $200-300M vs India: $1.5-2B (5-7× larger) RECOMMENDATION: India market still underpenetrated Focus on India until $50M ARR, then expand Exception: If UAE investor insists or strategic partnership ``` --- ## **C3: Fintech @ Series C+ (Regulatory Affairs + Strategic Intelligence)** ### **Your Reality Check:** ``` COMPANY PROFILE: - Size: $60M+ ARR, 600+ employees - Stage: Series C/D, IPO-track - Team: Regulatory Affairs (5+ FTE), Strategy (3+ FTE) - Budget: $150K-300K/year (heavy compliance) - Stakeholders: Board, RBI, Investors, Legal ``` ### **Series C+ Fintech: Regulatory-First Intelligence** ``` QUARTERLY CADENCE: Q1: Regulatory Landscape Monitoring - RBI policy changes (monthly review) - Competitor license applications (public RBI data) - Global fintech regulations (learnings from US, EU, Singapore) - Compliance incidents (any RBI actions against competitors?) Q2: M&A / Partnership Analysis - Acquisition targets (licensed competitors) - Bank partnerships (co-branding opportunities) - Strategic investors (financial institutions) Q3: IPO Readiness / Public Market Comparables - Public fintech benchmarking (Paytm, PolicyBazaar) - Compliance audit (pre-IPO regulatory review) - Investor narrative (growth + compliance story) Q4: Strategic Planning / Board Reporting - Market position vs competitors - Regulatory moat analysis - 5-year strategic roadmap ``` ### **Fintech M&A: License Arbitrage** ``` FINTECH M&A STRATEGY: ACQUISITION THESIS: "Buy licenses, not just customers" EXAMPLE: - Target: Small expense management company - Value: Not their $2M ARR - Value: Their RBI Payment Aggregator license (saved us 18 months) TARGET CRITERIA: □ RBI-licensed (PA, PPI, NBFC, or AA) □ Compliant (no regulatory actions) □ Reasonable valuation (5-10× ARR) □ Customer base transferable □ Technology integrable DUE DILIGENCE (Fintech-Specific): □ License transfer feasibility (RBI approval required) □ Compliance history (any RBI warnings?) □ Data security audit (SOC 2, ISO 27001) □ Customer data migration (regulatory compliant?) □ Integration complexity (core banking system compatibility) RECENT INDIA FINTECH M&A: - CRED acquired Happay ($180M) - strategic fit - Pine Labs acquiring Qfix - licensing play - BillDesk acquired by PayU (not completed - regulatory) ``` ### **Fintech Series C+ Tool Stack** ``` ANNUAL BUDGET: $180K-300K REGULATORY INTELLIGENCE: □ Legal counsel retainer ($150K-250K/year) → Regulatory monitoring, compliance advice □ Compliance platform ($40K-60K/year) → Vanta, Drata, OneTrust □ Industry associations ($10K-20K/year) → IAMAI (Internet and Mobile Association of India) → NPCI participation COMPETITIVE INTELLIGENCE: □ Crunchbase Pro ($29/mo × 12 = $348/year) □ LinkedIn Sales Navigator ($99/mo × 12 = $1,188/year) □ Custom research ($30K-50K/year) → Commission "State of Indian Fintech" reports TOTAL: $230K-340K/year (Note: Fintech invests more in compliance than competitive intel) ``` --- # 📊 SECTION D: OPERATIONS TECH COMPETITIVE INTELLIGENCE **When To Use This Section:** - Your product: Retail execution, logistics, field force automation, route optimization - Your competitors: FieldAssist, Bizom, Ivy Mobility (India), Repsly (US) - Your buyers: Sales leaders, Operations leaders at CPG/FMCG companies - Your go-to-market: Enterprise sales (long cycles, pilots) - **B2B2C Complexity**: You serve businesses who serve consumers --- ## **D1: Operations Tech @ Series A (India Retail Focus)** ### **Your Reality Check:** ``` COMPANY PROFILE: - Size: $1M-5M ARR, 15-60 employees - Stage: Series A - You: Founder (ex-CPG/FMCG or SaaS) - Market: India retail/distribution (Kirana stores, distributors) - Budget: $0-300/month ``` ### **Operations Tech is DIFFERENT from Sales/HR/Fintech:** ``` SALES TECH: - Buyer: Sales leader at B2B SaaS company - User: SDRs, AEs at SaaS company - Use case: Internal sales productivity HR TECH: - Buyer: CHRO at any company - User: HR team + all employees - Use case: Internal employee management FINTECH: - Buyer: CFO at any company - User: Finance team + employees - Use case: Internal financial operations OPERATIONS TECH (Retail Execution): - Buyer: Sales/Ops leader at CPG/FMCG company - User: Field sales reps visiting retail stores - Use case: Manage distributor → retailer → consumer flow - COMPLEXITY: B2B2B2C (You → CPG → Distributor → Retailer → Consumer) ``` ### **India Retail Landscape (Critical Context):** ``` MARKET STRUCTURE: Modern Trade (Organized Retail): - Big Bazaar, Reliance Retail, DMart, Walmart-owned stores - ~10% of market - Sophisticated (already use some tech) General Trade (Traditional Retail): - Kirana stores (12M+ stores in India) - ~90% of market - Unsophisticated (paper-based, WhatsApp) Distribution Network: - CPG companies (HUL, ITC, Nestle, Dabur) ↓ - Distributors (C&F agents, stockists) ↓ - Retailers (kirana stores) ↓ - Consumers YOUR PRODUCT SERVES: CPG field teams visiting distributors and retailers Goal: Ensure product availability, pricing, promotions, merchandising ``` ### **Series A Operations Tech Research: 5-Day Sprint** **DAY 1-2: Competitive Landscape (India-Specific)** ``` INDIA OPERATIONS TECH COMPETITORS: RETAIL EXECUTION: - FieldAssist (market leader, Series B) - Bizom (Accel-backed, strong in South India) - Ivy Mobility (Tiger Global-backed) - Mobile Force (niche player) LOGISTICS/DISTRIBUTION: - Locus (route optimization) - LogiNext (delivery management) - FarEye (logistics visibility) ADJACENT (Distributors): - Khatabook, OkCredit (distributor accounting) - Udaan (B2B marketplace for retailers) COMPETITIVE MAPPING: Company | Focus | Geography | Stage | Customers FieldAssist | Retail execution | Pan-India | Series B | HUL, ITC, Dabur Bizom | Retail execution | South India | Series B | Nestle, Coca-Cola Ivy | Retail execution | Pan-India | Series B | Britannia, Godrej [Us] | [Your focus] | [Region] | Series A | [Your customers] DAY 3: Customer Type Analysis (Critical for Operations Tech) OPERATIONS TECH BUYERS (Complex): TIER 1: MNC CPG (Unilever, P&G, Nestle) - Deal size: ₹50L-2Cr annually - Sales cycle: 9-18 months (pilots + procurement) - Decision: Centralized (global/India HQ) - Tech sophistication: High (RFP process, integrations) - Reference customers: Required (won't be first) TIER 2: Large Indian CPG (Dabur, Emami, Parle) - Deal size: ₹20L-80L annually - Sales cycle: 6-12 months (pilots) - Decision: India leadership - Tech sophistication: Medium - Price sensitivity: Higher than MNC TIER 3: Mid-Market CPG (Regional brands) - Deal size: ₹5L-20L annually - Sales cycle: 3-6 months - Decision: Founder/promoter - Tech sophistication: Low - Price sensitivity: Very high YOUR POSITIONING (Series A): Focus on Tier 2-3 (Indian CPG, regional brands) Tier 1 requires references you don't have yet Build case studies, then move upmarket to Tier 1 DAY 4-5: Feature Analysis (Ops Tech Specific) RETAIL EXECUTION CORE FEATURES: MUST-HAVE (Table Stakes): □ Offline-first (field reps in no-network areas) □ Attendance/GPS tracking (proof of visit) □ Store audit (planogram compliance, stock check) □ Order capture (retailers order via rep's app) □ Image recognition (AI to verify shelf placement) □ Beat planning (route optimization) □ Multi-language (Hindi, regional languages) DIFFERENTIATORS: □ Distributor app (not just field team app) □ Retailer app (direct ordering) □ Analytics dashboard (for CPG management) □ WhatsApp integration (retailers use WhatsApp) □ UPI payments (collect payments in field) COMPETITOR FEATURE COMPARISON: Feature | FieldAssist | Bizom | Ivy | [Us] Offline app | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ Image AI | ✅ | ✅ | ⚠️ | ✅ Distributor app | ✅ | ⚠️ | ❌ | ✅ (our edge!) WhatsApp | ⚠️ | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ (our edge!) Multi-language | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ POSITIONING: "FieldAssist for mid-market CPG With distributor app + WhatsApp integration At 50% of the price" ``` ### **Operations Tech Positioning (India Context):** ``` POSITIONING CONSIDERATIONS: GEOGRAPHY MATTERS: - North India: Different retail patterns than South - South India: More organized, English-comfortable - East India: Traditional retail dominant - West India: Mix of modern + traditional LANGUAGE MATTERS: - Field reps: Hindi + regional language required - Retailers: Regional language + broken Hindi/English - Management: English dashboards PRICE MATTERS: - MNC CPG: Will pay global prices (₹50L-2Cr) - Indian CPG: Price-sensitive (₹10L-30L) - ROI-driven: "If we increase distribution by 5%, savings = ₹X" MOBILE-FIRST REALITY: - Field reps have smartphones (Xiaomi, Samsung) - 4G coverage patchy (need offline-first) - WhatsApp is primary communication tool ``` --- ## **D2: Operations Tech @ Series B (Pan-India Expansion)** ### **Your Reality Check:** ``` COMPANY PROFILE: - Size: $5M-15M ARR, 80-300 employees - Stage: Series B - You: VP Product Marketing or Strategy - Customers: 20-40 CPG companies (mostly Tier 2-3) - Geography: Strong in 1-2 regions, expanding pan-India - Goal: Win Tier 1 customers (HUL, ITC, Nestle) ``` ### **Series B Operations Tech: Moving Upmarket** **RESEARCH QUESTION: How to win Tier 1 CPG customers?** ``` COMPETITIVE ANALYSIS: What does Tier 1 need? FIELDASSIST WINS TIER 1 BECAUSE: □ Track record (5+ years, 100+ customers) □ References (other Tier 1 customers) □ Scale (handles 50,000+ field reps) □ Integrations (SAP, Oracle, Salesforce) □ Security (SOC 2, ISO 27001, data centers in India) □ Support (dedicated account team, 24×7) □ Customization (enterprise workflows) OUR GAPS: ❌ No Tier 1 references (chicken-egg problem) ❌ Not battle-tested at scale (max 5,000 reps) ❌ Limited integrations (no SAP connector yet) ❌ No SOC 2 (need 12 months) ❌ Small support team (can't dedicate account team) PATH TO TIER 1: STEP 1: Win Regional Tier 1 (6-12 months) - Target: Large regional brand (e.g., MTR Foods, Haldiram) - Size: 2,000-5,000 field reps (test our scale) - Benefit: Build scale story, get enterprise reference STEP 2: Get SOC 2 + ISO 27001 (12 months parallel) - Investment: ₹40L-60L - Benefit: Meet enterprise security requirements STEP 3: Build SAP Connector (6 months) - Why: Tier 1 CPG uses SAP for distribution - Investment: 2 engineers × 6 months - Benefit: Integration with Tier 1 systems STEP 4: Pilot with Tier 1 (12-18 months) - Approach: Regional pilot first (one state) - If successful: Pan-India rollout - Timeline: Total 24-36 months from Series B to Tier 1 win ``` --- ## **D3: Operations Tech @ Series C+ (Category Leadership)** ### **Your Reality Check:** ``` COMPANY PROFILE: - Size: $20M+ ARR, 300+ employees - Stage: Series C/D - Team: Strategy (3 FTE), Product Marketing (5 FTE) - Customers: 60-100 CPG companies including Tier 1 logos - Goal: Category leadership, potential IPO/acquisition ``` ### **Strategic Intelligence: India Retail Tech** ``` QUARTERLY RESEARCH: Q1: Retail Tech M&A Landscape - Potential acquirers: Salesforce, Oracle, SAP, Accel portfolio consolidation - Acquisition targets: Adjacent tech (distributor management, route optimization) Q2: Retail Digitization Trends - Kirana digitization pace (Reliance JioMart impact) - Quick commerce impact on distribution (Swiggy Instamart, Blinkit) - D2C brands (bypassing traditional distribution) Q3: Competitive Consolidation - Watch: FieldAssist, Bizom, Ivy potential mergers - Opportunity: Acquire smaller regional players Q4: IPO Readiness - Public comps: Limited (Indian SaaS IPOs rare) - Path: Private equity or acquisition more likely than IPO ``` --- # 🔄 CROSS-CUTTING: UNIVERSAL FRAMEWORKS ## **Master Decision Tree: Finding Your Research Path** ``` START: What industry vertical? ├─ SALES TECH │ ├─ Series A ($1M-10M ARR) │ │ ├─ India market → Section A1 (3-day sprint, free tools) │ │ └─ US market → Section A1 (adapt competitor set) │ ├─ Series B ($10M-50M ARR) │ │ ├─ Moving upmarket? → Section A2 (upmarket research) │ │ ├─ Geographic expansion? → Section A2 (expansion analysis) │ │ └─ Competitive positioning? → Section A2 (win/loss) │ └─ Series C+ ($50M+ ARR) │ ├─ M&A targets? → Section A3 (M&A analysis) │ ├─ IPO prep? → Section A3 (public comps) │ └─ Board reporting? → Section A3 (quarterly intelligence) │ ├─ HR TECH │ ├─ Series A → Section B1 (conservative positioning, compliance-first) │ ├─ Series B → Section B2 (module expansion, upmarket) │ └─ Series C+ → Section B3 (compliance benchmark, analyst relations) │ ├─ FINTECH │ ├─ Series A → Section C1 (regulatory landscape, ultra-conservative) │ ├─ Series B → Section C2 (new products = new licenses, geographic expansion) │ └─ Series C+ → Section C3 (M&A for licenses, IPO readiness) │ └─ OPERATIONS TECH ├─ Series A → Section D1 (India retail focus, distributor dynamics) ├─ Series B → Section D2 (Tier 1 enterprise, pan-India) └─ Series C+ → Section D3 (category leadership, M&A) ``` --- ## **Geography-Specific Research Playbooks** ### **India Market Research** **Unique Characteristics:** ``` PRICE SENSITIVITY: - US SaaS price × 0.3-0.5 = India acceptable price - Example: Gong $20K/year (US) vs Wingman $8K/year (India) - Reason: Lower ARPUs, PPP differences, budget constraints DECISION MAKING: - Founder-led at SMB (faster decisions, 1-3 months) - Cost-conscious at all stages - References matter MORE (tight-knit community) COMPETITION: - Local players (Darwinbox, FieldAssist, Razorpay) - Global players entering India (Gong, Lattice, Stripe) - Price advantage = key differentiator for local players DATA SOURCES (India-Specific): □ Inc42 (Indian startup news) □ Economic Times Tech (industry coverage) □ SaaSBoomi community (B2B SaaS founders) □ Yourstory (startup ecosystem) □ TracxN (Indian company database) □ VCCEdge (VC funding data) MARKET SIZING (India): - LinkedIn Sales Navigator (India filter) - Crunchbase (India + B2B SaaS) - Government data: MCA filings (ROC) - Industry reports: NASSCOM, RedSeer LANGUAGE CONSIDERATIONS: - Sales/marketing: English - Product: English + Hindi (minimum) - Support: Hindi + regional languages (Tamil, Telugu, Bengali) ``` ### **US Market Research** **Unique Characteristics:** ``` PRICE TOLERANCE: - 2-3× higher than India - Willing to pay for premium if ROI clear - Example: Gong $20K-50K annual, accepted DECISION MAKING: - Slower, committee-driven (3-9 months) - ROI-driven (need calculators, case studies) - Due diligence intensive (security, references) COMPETITION: - Crowded (100+ competitors in each category) - Well-funded (VCs: Sequoia, a16z, etc.) - Category leaders dominant (Gong, Lattice, Stripe) DATA SOURCES (US-Specific): □ Crunchbase (US venture funding) □ G2 (US buyers dominate reviews) □ TechCrunch (US tech news) □ SaaStr (B2B SaaS community) □ Product Hunt (US launches) MARKET SIZING (US): - LinkedIn Sales Navigator (US filters) - Census data (company counts) - Industry associations (SIA for HR Tech, etc.) - Analyst reports (Gartner, Forrester) COMPLIANCE: - SOC 2 Type II (required for enterprise) - GDPR if serving EU customers - State-specific: CCPA (California), SHIELD Act (NY) ``` --- ## **Worked Examples: Multi-Dimensional Scenarios** ### **Example 1: Sales Tech Founder, Series A, India → US Expansion** ``` SCENARIO: - Company: AI sales coaching, $3M ARR, 35 employees - Stage: Series A (just raised $5M) - Current: 50 customers in India (SMB B2B SaaS) - Question: "Should we expand to US now or wait?" RESEARCH PLAN: WEEK 1: US Market Landscape □ Identify US competitors (Gong, Chorus, Revenue.io) □ Price benchmarking (3-4× higher than India) □ Customer interviews (5 US sales leaders) □ Question: "Would you buy from India-based company?" WEEK 2: Go/No-Go Analysis PROS (Go to US): ✅ 7× larger market (15K SMB SaaS vs 2K in India) ✅ Higher ACVs ($10K-20K vs $3K-5K in India) ✅ Less competitive at SMB (Gong focuses on enterprise) ✅ Investors want US traction CONS (Wait): ❌ Need US team (sales, support = $300K-500K/year) ❌ Brand unknown (India success doesn't transfer) ❌ Time zone challenge (India team supporting US customers) ❌ Payment processing (Stripe US vs India) ❌ India market still underpenetrated (2K companies, only 50 customers) CALCULATION: US Expansion Cost Year 1: $500K (team + marketing) India Deepening Cost Year 1: $200K (same team) US Upside: 10 customers × $15K = $150K ARR India Upside: 30 customers × $4K = $120K ARR ROI: Similar, but India has less execution risk RECOMMENDATION: Focus India until $10M ARR Reason: - Still early in India (50/2000 = 2.5% penetration) - US requires significant investment - India market understands our pain points better - Build case studies in India first, then leverage for US EXCEPTION: If US strategic investor leads Series B, then expand ``` ### **Example 2: HR Tech PMM, Series B, Module Expansion Decision** ``` SCENARIO: - Company: Employee engagement platform, $18M ARR - Stage: Series B (400 customers, mid-market focus) - Current: Just engagement surveys + pulse - Question: "Add performance management or recruiting module?" RESEARCH PLAN (2 Weeks): COMPETITIVE ANALYSIS: Performance Management: □ Competitors: Lattice, 15Five, BetterUp □ Market: Crowded but growing □ Customer need: 67% of customers ask for it (from surveys) □ Build vs Buy: 12 months to build, or acquire for $10M-20M □ Cannibalization: Low (complements engagement) Recruiting: □ Competitors: Lever, Greenhouse, Ashby □ Market: Very crowded, strong incumbents □ Customer need: 31% ask for it □ Build vs Buy: 18 months to build, complex □ Cannibalization: Medium (different buyer - TA vs HR) WIN/LOSS ANALYSIS: Interviewed 20 customers: - Lost 8 deals to Lattice (reason: "Wanted engagement + performance") - Lost 2 deals to Greenhouse (reason: "Recruiting was priority") CUSTOMER SURVEYS: "If we added one module, which would you want?" - Performance management: 68% - Recruiting: 23% - Learning & development: 9% DECISION: Build Performance Management Reason: - Higher customer demand (68% vs 23%) - Reduces churn to Lattice - Easier to build (12 vs 18 months) - Natural adjacency (same buyer = CHRO) - Recruiting too competitive (Lever, Greenhouse mature) IMPLEMENTATION: - Timeline: 12 months to launch - Investment: $800K-1.2M (4 engineers × 12 months) - Go-to-market: Existing customers first (upsell) - Pricing: +$2/employee/month for performance add-on ``` ### **Example 3: Fintech CMO, Series C, M&A Target Identification** ``` SCENARIO: - Company: Corporate expense management, $45M ARR - Stage: Series C (preparing for Series D/IPO) - Current: Expense management only, want to expand - Board directive: "Acquire complementary fintech to become platform" RESEARCH PLAN (4 Weeks): WEEK 1: Define Acquisition Thesis Options: 1. Corporate cards (compete with EnKash, Volopay) 2. Payroll (compete with Razorpay Payroll, Zoho) 3. Procurement (compete with Procol, Kissflow) STRATEGIC FIT ANALYSIS: Corporate Cards: □ Customer overlap: High (95% of customers want cards) □ Revenue synergy: High (attach rate 70-80%) □ Regulatory: Need RBI PPI license (or acquire licensed) □ Competition: Medium (EnKash, Volopay) Payroll: □ Customer overlap: Medium (60% have <200 employees) □ Revenue synergy: Medium (attach rate 40-50%) □ Regulatory: Complex (state labor laws, compliance) □ Competition: High (Razorpay, Zoho, many others) Procurement: □ Customer overlap: Low (30% need procurement) □ Revenue synergy: Low (attach rate 20-30%) □ Regulatory: Minimal □ Competition: Low (early market) DECISION: Acquire Corporate Cards Player Reason: Highest customer overlap + revenue synergy WEEK 2-3: Target Identification TARGET CRITERIA: □ RBI PPI licensed (saves us 18 months) □ $5M-15M ARR (affordable at $40M-100M valuation) □ 1,000-5,000 cards issued (proof of concept) □ Complementary customer base (not too much overlap) □ Strong technology (can integrate in 6 months) TARGET SHORTLIST: 1. Company A: $8M ARR, RBI licensed, 3,000 cards 2. Company B: $12M ARR, not licensed (partner model) 3. Company C: $6M ARR, RBI licensed, 2,000 cards WEEK 4: Due Diligence (Company A) LICENSE VERIFICATION: □ RBI PPI license: Valid until 2027 ✅ □ Compliance record: Clean (no RBI actions) ✅ □ License transferable: Yes (with RBI approval, 3-6 months) ✅ CUSTOMER ANALYSIS: □ Total customers: 180 □ Overlap with us: 15 customers (8%) □ Customer retention: 89% (good) □ Average cards per customer: 17 cards TECHNOLOGY: □ Core platform: Modern (Node.js, AWS) □ Integration complexity: Medium (6-9 months) □ Technical debt: Manageable VALUATION: □ ARR: $8M □ Growth: 120% YoY □ Burn: $800K/month □ Asking price: 8-10× ARR = $64M-80M □ Our offer: $60M (7.5× ARR) RECOMMENDATION: Acquire Company A for $60M Synergy case: - Year 1: Upsell cards to our 1,200 customers - Attach rate assumption: 40% - New ARR: 480 customers × $15K avg = $7.2M - Acquisition pays for itself in 8-10 years (vs building = 18 months delay) ``` --- ## **Common Research Mistakes & How to Avoid Them** ### **Mistake 1: "Industry-Agnostic Research" (One-Size-Fits-All)** ``` WRONG APPROACH: "I'll use the same battle card template for Sales Tech, HR Tech, and Fintech" WHY IT FAILS: - Sales Tech: Can be aggressive ("We're 10× cheaper than Gong") - HR Tech: Must be professional ("We're built for mid-market") - Fintech: Must be conservative ("Both of us are RBI-compliant...") CORRECT APPROACH: Use industry-specific positioning frameworks: → Sales Tech → Sections A1-A3 → HR Tech → Sections B1-B3 → Fintech → Sections C1-C3 → Ops Tech → Sections D1-D3 ``` ### **Mistake 2: "Stage-Agnostic Budgets" (Wrong Tools for Stage)** ``` WRONG APPROACH: "Series A company buying Gartner subscription ($35K/year)" WHY IT FAILS: - Series A budget: $0-500/month total marketing tools - Gartner: $35K/year = 70% of annual tool budget - ROI: Gartner useful for enterprise sales (Series C+), not early-stage SERIES A TOOLS: Free + LinkedIn Sales Nav ($99/mo) SERIES B TOOLS: Add Crunchbase Pro, SimilarWeb ($250-350/mo) SERIES C+ TOOLS: Now justify Gartner, Klue, ZoomInfo CORRECT APPROACH: Match tool spend to stage → See budget tables in each section ``` ### **Mistake 3: "Geography-Agnostic Competitors" (Wrong Comp Set)** ``` WRONG APPROACH: India sales tech startup positioning against Gong/Outreach only WHY IT FAILS: - Gong: $500M+ valuation, US-focused, enterprise - Real competition in India: Wingman, local startups, price-sensitive - Customers ask: "Why not Wingman?" not "Why not Gong?" CORRECT APPROACH: PRIMARY COMP SET (Direct competition): - India-based competitors at similar stage - Example: Wingman for sales tech, Darwinbox for HR Tech SECONDARY COMP SET (Aspiration): - Global players (Gong, Lattice) for positioning - "We're Gong-quality at Indian pricing" ``` ### **Mistake 4: "Ignoring Regulatory Differences" (Fintech/HR Tech)** ``` WRONG APPROACH: Copy US Fintech research playbook for India WHY IT FAILS: US Fintech: - Regulation: State-by-state, relatively open - Innovation: Encouraged (regulatory sandboxes) India Fintech: - Regulation: RBI central control, strict - Innovation: Controlled (must have license first) - Compliance: Data localization mandatory CORRECT APPROACH: Research regulatory landscape FIRST, then competitors → See Section C1 (Fintech regulatory overview) ``` ### **Mistake 5: "Vanity Metrics in Market Sizing" (Top-Down Only)** ``` WRONG APPROACH: "Global sales tech market is $10B, India is 2%, so India = $200M" WHY IT FAILS: - Top-down often overestimates - Doesn't account for price differences (India pays 30-50% of US prices) - Doesn't validate with bottom-up CORRECT APPROACH: ALWAYS triangulate: 1. Bottom-up: Count companies in ICP × estimated deal size 2. Top-down: Global market × geography % × category % 3. Validation: Interview industry experts, "Does $X feel right?" If bottom-up = $50M and top-down = $200M: → Use conservative middle ground ($75M-100M) → Document assumptions clearly ``` --- ## **Tool Comparison Matrix** ### **By Company Stage & Budget** | Tool | Series A | Series B | Series C+ | Best For | Industry | |------|----------|----------|-----------|----------|----------| | **Google Search** | ✅ FREE | ✅ Use | ✅ Use | All | All | | **LinkedIn (Free)** | ✅ FREE | ✅ Use | ✅ Use | All | All | | **G2/Capterra** | ✅ FREE | ✅ Use | ✅ Use | Review mining | All | | **Crunchbase Free** | ✅ FREE | ⚠️ Limit | ⚠️ Limit | Funding data | All | | | | | | | | | **LinkedIn Sales Nav** | 💰 $99 | ✅ YES | ✅ YES | ICP sizing, org charts | All | | **Crunchbase Pro** | 💰 $29 | ✅ YES | ✅ YES | Competitor funding | All | | **SimilarWeb** | ❌ Skip | ✅ $125 | ✅ YES | Traffic analysis | Sales/Martech | | **Ahrefs** | ❌ Skip | ⚠️ $99 | ✅ YES | SEO competitive | Sales/Martech | | **G2 Track** | ❌ Skip | ⚠️ $150 | ✅ YES | Review monitoring | HR Tech | | | | | | | | | **Gartner** | ❌ No | ❌ Maybe | ✅ $35K+ | Analyst access, MQ | HR Tech, Enterprise | | **Klue/Crayon** | ❌ No | ❌ Maybe | ✅ $18K+ | CI platform | Series C+ All | | **ZoomInfo** | ❌ No | ❌ Maybe | ✅ $20K+ | Contact data | Series C+ All | | | | | | | | | **Vanta/Drata** | ⚠️ Fintech | ✅ Fintech | ✅ All | SOC 2 compliance | Fintech, HR Tech, Ops | | **Legal Counsel** | ✅ Fintech | ✅ Fintech | ✅ All | Regulatory | Fintech mandatory | **Key:** - ✅ = Recommended at this stage - 💰 = Consider if budget allows - ⚠️ = Conditional (see section for details) - ❌ = Skip (not worth it at this stage) --- ## **Prompt Templates for Each Scenario** ### **Template 1: Series A Sales Tech Competitive Positioning** ``` Using the Competitive Intelligence skill, Section A1: I'm a Series A Sales Tech founder in [India/US]. My product: [One-line description] My ICP: [Company size, industry] My competitors: [List 3-5 known competitors] My question: [Positioning / Battle cards / Market sizing / All of the above] Provide: 1. 3-day research sprint plan (using FREE tools only) 2. Sales Tech specific competitor tiers (Enterprise/Growth/Emerging) 3. Positioning framework (vs Gong/Outreach if US, vs Wingman/local if India) 4. Battle card template (aggressive but not offensive) 5. Market sizing (bottom-up + top-down validation) India-specific if applicable: - Local competitor focus - Rupee pricing benchmarks - India B2B SaaS community sources ``` ### **Template 2: Series B HR Tech Module Expansion Research** ``` Using the Competitive Intelligence skill, Section B2: I'm Series B HR Tech PMM. Current product: [What we have today] Considering adding: [Performance / Recruiting / Learning / Payroll] Competitors: [List main competitors] Goal: [Build vs Buy / Timing / Prioritization] Provide: 1. 2-week research plan (with paid tools budget $300-500/mo) 2. Module expansion analysis (which competitors added what, when) 3. Win/loss framework (why we lose to Lattice/competitors) 4. Build vs Buy analysis (12-month timeline, cost estimate) 5. Customer demand validation (survey questions to ask) Remember: - HR Tech = professional tone (never attack competitors) - Compliance considerations (GDPR, labor laws) - Committee buying dynamics (HR + Finance + Legal) ``` ### **Template 3: Series A Fintech Regulatory Competitive Analysis** ``` Using the Competitive Intelligence skill, Section C1: I'm Series A Fintech founder in India. My product: [Expense mgmt / Corporate cards / Payroll / Other] My question: [Which licenses needed? / Competitor compliance? / Positioning?] Market: [India / Planning US expansion / Both] Provide: 1. Regulatory landscape overview (RBI licenses needed) 2. Competitor license mapping (who has what) 3. Compliance timeline (how long to get licensed) 4. Conservative positioning framework (fintech-appropriate) 5. Research plan with legal review checkpoints CRITICAL: - Ultra-conservative (regulatory risk is extreme) - Legal review mandatory disclaimer - No competitor attacks (could trigger RBI scrutiny) - Data privacy compliance (cannot share user data) ``` ### **Template 4: Series B Operations Tech Upmarket Research** ``` Using the Competitive Intelligence skill, Section D2: I'm Series B Operations Tech (Retail Execution) in India. Current customers: [Tier 2-3 CPG brands] Goal: Win Tier 1 customers (HUL, ITC, Nestle, Dabur) Question: What do I need to compete at Tier 1? Provide: 1. Tier 1 requirements analysis (features, scale, integrations) 2. Competitor comparison (FieldAssist, Bizom, Ivy capabilities) 3. Gap analysis (what we're missing for enterprise) 4. Roadmap priorities (24-month path to Tier 1 readiness) 5. Go-to-market strategy (regional brand → Tier 1 pilot) India retail context: - MNC CPG vs Indian CPG buying patterns - Distributor dynamics (B2B2B complexity) - Offline-first requirements (patchy 4G) - Multi-language support (Hindi + regional) ``` --- ## **Troubleshooting Guide: Research Challenges** ### **Issue 1: "Can't find competitor pricing information"** ``` DIAGNOSIS: □ Checked competitor websites? (pricing page) □ Checked G2 reviews? (users mention price) □ Searched "[competitor] pricing" on Google? □ Asked in communities (Reddit, Slack groups)? SOLUTIONS: SHORT-TERM (This Week): □ Use G2 review search: filter by "pricing" mentions □ Example: "Gong pricing" in reviews → users say "$1,500-4,000/seat" □ Check Reddit: r/sales, r/saas for user-reported pricing □ LinkedIn polls: "What do you pay for [category]?" MEDIUM-TERM (This Month): □ Interview customers: "Which competitors did you evaluate? What was pricing?" □ Interview lost deals: "Why did you choose [Competitor]? Was price a factor?" □ Sales Nav: Find people who work at competitor, connect, ask (subtly) LONG-TERM (Next Quarter): □ Commission research: Hire firm to do competitive pricing study □ Partner pricing: If you partner with competitor, you'll learn pricing □ Board connections: Investors often know competitor pricing WORKAROUNDS: If still can't find pricing: □ Estimate based on: Category averages (G2 pricing filter) □ Back-calculate: If competitor raised $X, has Y employees, burns $Z, estimate ACV □ Disclaimer: "Estimated pricing based on industry benchmarks and user reports" ``` ### **Issue 2: "Competitor in different geography (India vs US)"** ``` DIAGNOSIS: □ India company expanding to US? □ US company entering India? □ Need to compare both markets? SOLUTIONS: SCENARIO A: India Company → US Expansion Step 1: Identify US Equivalents - Don't compete with Gong directly (you're unknown in US) - Find: Mid-tier US players (similar stage to you) - Example: India sales tech → Compare to Revenue.io (Series B) not Gong (unicorn) Step 2: Price Expectations - India: $3K-5K annual for sales tech - US: $10K-20K annual (2-4× higher) - Adjust your pricing up for US market Step 3: Positioning - Don't say: "We're Indian alternative to Gong" - Do say: "Global sales tech, trusted by [India customers], expanding to US" SCENARIO B: US Company → India Entry Step 1: Identify Local Competition - Don't ignore local players (they have price advantage) - Find: India startups in your space - Example: Gong entering India → compete with Wingman (local, cheaper) Step 2: Price Adaptation - US: $20K/year for Gong - India: Must price at $6K-10K (0.3-0.5× of US price) - Or: Risk being "too expensive for India market" Step 3: Localization - Language: Hindi + English minimum - Support: India time zones (IST) - Payments: Rupee pricing, Indian payment methods ``` ### **Issue 3: "No public information on competitor (stealth mode)"** ``` DIAGNOSIS: □ Competitor is pre-launch or stealth? □ No website, no reviews, minimal info? □ Only rumors or whispers in market? SOLUTIONS: SIGNALS TO TRACK: LinkedIn Signals: □ Company page: How many employees? Growing? □ Job postings: What roles? (Hiring SDRs = going to market soon) □ Employee profiles: What are they building? (LinkedIn posts) □ Founder posts: Any hints about product? Crunchbase: □ Funding: How much raised? When? □ Investors: Who backed them? (signals their focus) □ Founders: Their background (hints at product direction) GitHub: □ Public repos: Any open-source components? □ Employee commits: What tech stack? Y Combinator / Accelerators: □ YC company directory: Their one-liner description □ Demo day pitches: Sometimes recorded/transcribed NETWORK INTELLIGENCE: □ Shared investors: Ask your investors about competitor □ Shared customers: Ask "Have you heard of [Competitor]?" □ Industry events: Attend where they might present □ Sales team: Lost a deal to them? Interview the customer CONSERVATIVE APPROACH: If minimal info: □ Don't speculate in battle cards □ Focus on: "Emerging competitor, watching closely" □ Monitor: Set Google Alerts, track their LinkedIn □ Update: Quarterly reviews of stealth competitors ``` ### **Issue 4: "Conflicting data from multiple sources"** ``` DIAGNOSIS: □ G2 says competitor is $5K, Reddit says $10K? □ Crunchbase says $20M ARR, press release says $15M? □ Analyst report says X, our research says Y? SOLUTIONS: EVALUATE SOURCE CREDIBILITY: TIER 1 (Highest Credibility): □ Official company announcements (press releases) □ Regulatory filings (RBI, SEC if public) □ Analyst reports (Gartner, Forrester - but expensive) TIER 2 (Medium Credibility): □ Industry publications (TechCrunch, ET Tech) □ Customer testimonials (G2 verified reviews) □ Investor announcements (funding rounds) TIER 3 (Lower Credibility): □ Anonymous reviews (unverified) □ Reddit/community posts (rumors) □ Third-party estimates (e.g., Sensor Tower DAU estimates) RECONCILIATION APPROACH: Example: Competitor pricing conflict - G2 review: "We pay $5K/year" (1 data point) - Reddit: "Quoted at $10K" (another data point) - Website: No pricing (not helpful) Resolution: 1. More data: Read 20+ G2 reviews, find pricing mentions 2. Find range: "$5K-10K annually depending on seats, features" 3. Present as range: "Estimated $5K-10K based on user reports" 4. Confidence level: "Medium confidence (based on user reports, not official)" DISCLOSURE IN REPORTS: "Competitor pricing: $5K-10K estimated annual Source: G2 user reviews (n=12), Reddit discussions (n=3) Confidence: Medium (no official pricing available) Last updated: [Date]" ``` ### **Issue 5: "Board wants faster research (can't spend 2 weeks)"** ``` DIAGNOSIS: □ Urgent board meeting (3 days notice)? □ Quick competitive snapshot needed? □ Can't do 2-week comprehensive research? SOLUTIONS: 48-HOUR RAPID COMPETITIVE BRIEF: DAY 1 (4 hours): 09:00-10:00 | Competitive List □ Google: "[category] competitors" □ G2 category page: Top 20 players □ Output: List of 15-20 competitors 10:00-11:30 | Tier Categorization □ Tier 1: Enterprise leaders (Gong, Workday, Stripe) □ Tier 2: Growth stage (Your real competition) □ Tier 3: Emerging (Watch list) □ Output: Tiered competitor matrix 11:30-13:00 | Quick Positioning Map □ 2×2 matrix (pick 2 dimensions relevant to you) □ Plot top 10 competitors □ Identify white space □ Output: Positioning slide DAY 2 (4 hours): 09:00-11:00 | Battle Cards (Top 3 Only) □ Focus: Top 3 competitors only □ Quick research: Website, G2 (read 10 reviews each) □ Template: Strengths, Weaknesses, When we win □ Output: 1-page battle cards (3 total) 11:00-13:00 | Executive Summary □ 1-page: Competitive landscape □ 3-5 bullets: Key insights □ 2-3 recommendations: Strategic implications □ Output: Executive slide BOARD PRESENTATION (10 slides, 15 minutes): 1. Competitive landscape overview 2. Tiered competitor matrix 3. 2×2 positioning map 4. Top 3 competitor battle cards (1 slide each) 5. Market trends 6. Strategic recommendations 7. Q&A backup slides DISCLAIMER TO BOARD: "This is a rapid competitive snapshot (48 hours research) For comprehensive analysis, recommend 2-week deep dive Key areas needing more research: [Pricing, Market sizing, etc.]" ``` --- ## **Related Skills** **Complement This Skill With:** - **Content Writing & Thought Leadership** - Turn competitive insights into thought leadership content - **Personal Branding & Authority** - Position yourself as market expert - **Newsletter Creation** - Share market intelligence with prospects - **Social Media Management** - Amplify competitive insights --- ## **Quick Reference Cards** ### **When To Use Which Section:** ``` SALES TECH (conversation intelligence, sales engagement): → Sections A1, A2, A3 HR TECH (HRIS, engagement, performance, recruiting): → Sections B1, B2, B3 FINTECH (payments, expense, cards, payroll): → Sections C1, C2, C3 OPERATIONS TECH (retail execution, logistics, field force): → Sections D1, D2, D3 ``` ### **Research Timeline by Stage:** ``` SERIES A: - Quick research: 2-3 days - Comprehensive: 5 days - Tools: Free only - Output: Battle cards + positioning SERIES B: - Quick research: 1 week - Comprehensive: 2 weeks - Tools: $250-600/month - Output: Strategic positioning + win/loss SERIES C+: - Ongoing: Quarterly cycles - Deep dive: 4 weeks per quarter - Tools: $75K-300K/year - Output: Board-level intelligence + M&A ``` --- **END OF SKILL**


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