Your competitive set has four names. Your customer’s shortlist had two of them and a spreadsheet.

Most competitor lists are drawn from the supply side: firms that look like yours. Buyers draw theirs differently, and the gap shows up in your pricing.

By Steve 5 min read
Abstract bridge artwork for Your competitive set has four names. Your customer’s shortlist had two of them and a spreadsheet.

Ask a management team to name their competitors and you will usually get a clean list: three or four firms of similar size, selling something recognisably similar, encountered at the same trade shows and in the same tenders. Ask the buyer who chose you what else they considered, and the answer is frequently messier. A rival, yes. But also an internal build, a half-measure using software they already own, a decision to live with the problem for another year, or a supplier from an adjacent category who offered to fold…

Keep reading for free

Create an account to read the rest.

The whole library is free. No card, no subscription, no trial that quietly ends. An account simply lets us know who we are writing for, and opens every article from here on.

  • Every article, in full, at no cost
  • New articles published every weekday
  • Takes about twenty seconds
Create a free account I already have one

Free means free. We will not charge you for the library, and you can read as much of it as you like.

Important: General information only. Rialto Bridge articles describe patterns and considerations that may apply to a business; they are not financial, legal, tax or accounting advice, and they take no account of your particular circumstances. Consider your own situation and seek advice from a qualified professional before acting.

More on Market analysis

Scroll to Top