Competitive assessment template

What if you could map out the competitive landscape at any point in time, on autopilot?

Start building smart questionnaires and convince your stakeholders. How? With auto-generated PDF reports and actionable feedback – based on individual respondents’ input, and your own expertise, of course.

Pointerpro is the 2-in-1 software that combines assessment building with personalized PDF report generation.

How to build an effective competitive assessment

A competitive assessment can vary depending on the industry you work for. If you’re a business consultant who takes on advisory services for companies in different industries, it’s a great idea to develop your own methodology and translate it into a competitive assessment. One that you either fill out yourself each time, or one that you have new customers or prospects fill out for you.

To build an effective competitive assessment template that applies across various industries, focus on key areas such as market positioning, strengths and weaknesses, and strategic initiatives.

The key is of course to come up with the right questions. Here are five key tips to ensure you retrieve valuable insights:

Focus on specific metrics: Design questions that capture quantifiable data such as market share, revenue growth, and customer acquisition costs. For instance, ask, "What is the estimated market share of the competitor in your industry segment?" This helps in comparing competitors objectively.
Include comparative analysis: Compare their competitors across various dimensions like product quality, pricing strategies, and customer service. A question like, "How does your competitor’s pricing compare to your own in terms of value for money?" will provide direct insights into competitive positioning.
Evaluate strengths and weaknesses: Identify perceived strengths and weaknesses of each competitor. A question like, "What are the top three strengths and weaknesses of this competitor from your perspective?" provides a balanced view of how competitors are perceived.
Gather qualitative insights: Incorporate multiple choice questions that capture qualitative insights and subjective opinions. For example, "What do customers often say about your competitor’s products or services in online reviews?" This can reveal deeper insights that numbers alone may not show. That said, we encourage you to come up with a score-based system so that you do make the insights measurable, based on the chosen answer options.

In the video below, Pointerpro’s Product Director, Bruno, briefly introduces the principal of custom scoring.

3 reasons to use Pointerpro as a competitive assessment tool

Interactive user experience

With the Questionnaire Builder, you get to create an engaging assessment. How? With numerous design and layout options, useful widgets, and countless question types.

Refined, score-based analysis

Our custom scoring engine helps you quantify and categorize diverse answers. The result? An objective and nuanced assessment of the competitiveness.

Automated feedback in PDF

Thanks to your setup in the Report Builder, respondents instantly get a detailed PDF report: with personalized responses, useful information, and your brand design.

Interactive user experience

Numerous design options, useful widgets, and countless question types.

Refined, score-based analysis

The custom scoring engine helps you quantify answers for easier decision making.

Automated feedback in PDF

For each respondent or stakeholder! With personalized responses, useful information, and your brand design.

1.500+ businesses worldwide build assessments with Pointerpro

Deducing competitor levels or quadrants from your competitive assessment

In your competitive assessment you can choose to focus on one competitor at a time or several competitors at once. Whatever your approach, using a scored assessment tool (like Pointerpro) will allow you to categorize competitors into different groups. Imagine for example these four categories:

Level 1 - Emerging competitor: These will generally be smaller or newer players in the market who are still developing their presence and impact. They are not yet a significant threat but could grow in influence over time.
Level 2 - Challenging competitor: These competitors are more established and pose a moderate threat. They actively compete for market share and are visible in the industry but have not yet achieved dominant status.
Level 3 - Major competitor: These players have a significant market presence and strong capabilities. They are well-established and competitive, exerting considerable pressure on other market participants.
Level 4 - Market leader/dominator: These are the dominant players in the industry, commanding a large share of the market and setting trends. They have substantial resources and influence, making them the most formidable competitors.

Your assessment scores can just as well evaluate each competitor based on interdependent quadrants, hence allowing you to visualize it with a competitor quadrant. Take this one for example, that would have been derived from scored questions around brand strategy and pricing strategies of the different competitors.

So why use a questionnaire? To auto-generate competitive analysis reports!

You may feel like these competitor categorizations are possible to achieve based on a sensible mix of gut-feeling and data you’ve gathered here and there. So why bother formalizing it all in a questionnaire-based assessment?

The answer: Don’t just build a questionnaire. Use our platform so that the collected answers are scored and automatically converted into prefedefined textual and visual feedback – with a variety of chart types, for instance.

Competitive assessment or analysis vs competitor analysis

There’s a subtle but quite important difference between a competitive assessment and a competitor assessment, though the terms are often used interchangeably. A competitor assessment is typically more granular and focused on understanding the ways individual competitors operate, while a competitive analysis provides a wider view of the entire competitive environment.

Here’s a breakdown of each:

Competitor assessment

Focus: An examination of individual competitors. It involves a detailed evaluation of specific competitors' strengths, weaknesses, strategies, and performance metrics.
Purpose: The goal is to understand how a particular competitor operates, their market position, and their impact on your business. It’s often used to make tactical decisions related to positioning, marketing, and strategy against specific rivals.
Scope: Generally narrower, concentrating on specific details about one or a few competitors.
Example: Analyzing a single competitor's recent product launch, their pricing strategy, and customer feedback to understand how their new product might affect your own offerings.

Competitive assessment

Focus: This is a broader examination of the competitive landscape as a whole. It involves assessing the overall market environment, identifying key competitors, and understanding broader market trends and dynamics.
Purpose: The goal is to gain a comprehensive view of the market and identify opportunities and threats across the entire competitive environment. This analysis helps in strategic planning and understanding market dynamics.
Scope: Broader, often covering multiple competitors and industry trends.
Example: Evaluating the overall competitive landscape in a market, including trends, emerging competitors, market share distribution, and general industry dynamics

30 competitive assessment example questions

Here are 30 competitive assessment example questions divided into 3 categories:

10 competitive assessment example questions for the tech industry

What is the primary target market for the competitor’s software product?
How would you rate the user interface of the competitor’s software?
How frequently does the competitor release software updates?
Rank the following features of the competitor’s software in order of importance: Security - user-friendliness - customizability - integration capabilities
What is the pricing model of the competitor’s software?
How would you rate the competitor’s customer service?
How many integrations with other platforms does the competitor’s software offer?
How would you describe the competitor’s marketing strategy?
What is the level of innovation in the competitor’s software?
How well does the competitor’s software meet industry standards and regulations?

The selection of these competitive assessment template questions rather comprehensively covers critical aspects such as target market, user interface quality, update frequency, pricing models, customer service, and innovation levels. They help identify the competitor’s strengths and weaknesses, market positioning, and technological advancements, providing a detailed understanding of how they operate and compete. By assessing integration capabilities and adherence to industry standards, businesses can gauge the competitor’s compatibility and reliability.

Tip: Regularly update the assessment questionnaire to keep pace with rapid technological advancements and market shifts in the software industry.

10 competitive assessment example questions for the retail industry

What is the average delivery time offered by the competitor?
What is the average delivery time offered by the competitor?
How frequently does the competitor offer discounts and promotions?
Rank the following aspects of the competitor’s service in order of importance: Price, product variety, customer service, delivery speed.
What payment options does the competitor provide?
How would you rate the competitor’s return and refund policy?
How many product categories does the competitor offer?
How would you describe the competitor’s brand presence?
What is the quality of customer reviews for the competitor’s products?
How well does the competitor’s e-commerce platform handle peak traffic times?

These competitive assessment template questions for the retail industry effectively address key areas such as delivery times, user experience, discount frequency, product variety, payment options, return policies, and brand presence. This holistic approach allows for a thorough analysis of how competitors manage their operations, attract customers, and handle peak shopping periods.

By evaluating customer reviews and the platform’s performance during high traffic, businesses can better understand competitor strengths and weaknesses in service delivery and customer satisfaction.

Tip: Incorporate questions about the competitor’s use of technology (E.g., AI, AR) to enhance the shopping experience, as this can be a significant differentiator in the e-commerce space.

10 competitive assessment example questions for healthcare (pharma)

What is the main therapeutic area of the competitor’s leading drug?
How would you rate the efficacy of the competitor’s drugs?
How often does the competitor publish research findings in peer-reviewed journals?
Rank the following aspects of the competitor’s drugs in order of importance: Efficacy, safety, availability, cost.
What type of partnerships does the competitor engage in?
How would you rate the competitor’s compliance with regulatory requirements?
How many drugs does the competitor have in its pipeline?
How would you describe the competitor’s investment in research and development?
What is the level of customer (patient) satisfaction with the competitor’s products?
How effective are the competitor’s marketing and educational campaigns for healthcare professionals?

These competitive assessment template questions for the healthcare (pharmaceuticals) industry cover essential aspects like therapeutic areas, drug efficacy, research publication frequency, regulatory compliance, and partnerships.

An assessment based on these questions should provide insights into the competitor’s R&D efforts, market focus, and strategic alliances, which are crucial for understanding their market influence and future potential. By assessing customer satisfaction and marketing effectiveness, businesses can evaluate how well competitors engage with both patients and healthcare professionals.

Tip: Include questions about the competitor’s patient engagement initiatives, as these are becoming increasingly important in the healthcare sector.

What Pointerpro clients are saying

"We use Pointerpro for all types of surveys and assessments across our global business, and employees love its ease of use and flexible reporting."

“It’s a great advantage to have formulas. There could be hundreds of formulas, but the customer only sees the easy-to-read report. If you’re looking for something like that, it’s really nice to work with Pointerpro.”

"You guys have done a great job making this as easy to use as possible and still robust in functionality."

"I give the new report builder 5 stars for its easy of use. Anyone without coding experience can start creating automated personalized reports quickly."

How to use a competitive assessment to boost your consulting business

If you’re a marketing specialist in the business of advising customers, building a competitive assessment template is your key to non-linear growth. You’ll be able to put it to use in different moments of each of your customers’ journey with you. Here are only a few examples:

Lead generation: You could embed a short version of the assessment on your website (using targeted landing pages) to attract potential customers. The questionnaire can assess their current marketing performance and identify areas for improvement. A free initial competitive assessment report will give the prospects an incentive for filling out the questionnaire, because you provide immediate value to the lead.
Lead nurturing: Once the questionnaire and the prospect receives an immediate, personalized feedback report, you have different ways to keep the lead engaged. For instance, with follow-up emails: Set up automated follow-up emails to provide additional insights, tips, and information about your services based on their initial report.
In-depth assessment: During the onboarding phase, use a more in depth version based your competitive assessment template to more deeply analyze your customer’s needs. You can also use the insights from the automated reports to create customized proposals that address the specific needs and goals of the customer. This tailored approach demonstrates your understanding of their challenges and opportunities.
Regular check-ins: Schedule periodic assessments using updated questionnaires. The assessment tool can generate new reports to track progress and adjust strategies as needed. With Pointerpro you can use a Report Builder for PDF reports or develop customized performance dashboards for various stakeholders with a Dashboard Builder.
Post-project surveys: After completing any project, send a follow-up questionnaire to gather feedback. That way you can generate a report or results dashboard for yourself, summarizing the customer’s satisfaction and areas for improvement.

Must-haves for an effective competitive analysis report

There are different ways to go about your assessment process. Often marketing specialists distribute various assessments to people who’re able to provide them with very specific input.

Then they translate that input in one or more aggregate reports to paint a complete picture the competitive landscape.

Here are 10 important tips, yet often overlooked, to make such a report effective. 10 commandments, if you will:

Start with a clear executive summary that provides a concise overview, highlighting the key findings and insights. This helps stakeholders quickly grasp the main points without delving into the details initially.
Use visuals and infographics to enhance data presentation. Data visualization techniques, such as charts, graphs, and infographics, make complex information more digestible and visually appealing. This approach helps convey key messages quickly and effectively.
Ensure the report maintains a logical structure with a well-organized flow. Clear headings and subheadings guide the reader through the report, making it easy to navigate and ensuring that information is presented coherently.
Highlight key takeaways at the end of each section to reinforce critical points and provide actionable insights. Summarizing main takeaways helps readers understand the most important aspects without sifting through all the details.
Incorporate quotes and anecdotes to bring the data to life. Real-world examples, quotes from industry experts, or customer testimonials add context and make the report more engaging and relatable.
Write in a clear, concise, and professional tone. Avoid jargon and overly technical language that might confuse readers. The goal is to communicate findings effectively to a broad audience, including those who may not have a deep understanding of the subject.
Use consistent formatting throughout the report. This includes using the same font, font size, and color scheme to ensure a professional appearance. Consistency in formatting enhances readability and makes the report look polished.
Include a detailed methodology section to explain how the data was collected and analyzed. Transparency in your methods adds credibility to your findings and helps readers trust the insights provided.
Provide a well-rounded analysis by acknowledging limitations and potential biases in your data. This demonstrates thoroughness and honesty in your approach, which can increase the report's credibility.
End with clear recommendations based on the analysis. Providing actionable steps that the company can take based on the competitive landscape ensures that the report is not just informative but also practical and useful for strategic decision-making.

Create your first competitive assessment today