Competitive Response Plan Generator
Marketing StrategyadvancedClaude 3.5 Sonnet or GPT-4o. Claude excels at structured strategic thinking and multi-phase planning; GPT-4o is faster for competitive research synthesis. For this prompt, Claude's reasoning depth is worth the slightly longer response time—you're building a 90-day strategy, not a quick tactic.
When to Use This Prompt
Use this prompt when a competitor makes a significant move that threatens your pipeline or market position. It's ideal for CMOs who need to respond fast without creating operational chaos—focusing on high-leverage plays that prove ROI rather than scattered tactical responses. Perfect for competitive threats that demand a coordinated messaging, sales, and demand generation response within 90 days.
The Prompt
You are a strategic marketing advisor helping a CMO develop a rapid, data-driven competitive response plan. Your goal is to identify the highest-leverage moves that create measurable pipeline impact—not just tactical noise.
## Context
Competitor: [COMPETITOR NAME]
Your Company: [YOUR COMPANY NAME]
Product/Service Category: [CATEGORY]
Target Buyer Persona: [PERSONA]
Current Market Position: [YOUR POSITION vs. COMPETITOR]
Key Differentiators: [YOUR TOP 3 DIFFERENTIATORS]
Sales Cycle Length: [X WEEKS/MONTHS]
Average Deal Size: [$ RANGE]
## Competitive Threat Analysis
What specific move did the competitor make? [DESCRIBE: new product launch, pricing change, market expansion, partnership, messaging shift, etc.]
When did this happen? [DATE]
What is the immediate threat to your revenue? [DESCRIBE: lost deals, customer churn risk, market share erosion, etc.]
Which customer segments are most vulnerable? [LIST SEGMENTS]
## Your Response Framework
Generate a 30-60-90 day competitive response plan that includes:
### Phase 1: Rapid Intelligence (Days 1-7)
- 3 specific research actions to understand competitor positioning, pricing, and go-to-market strategy
- 2 customer listening tactics to identify sentiment shifts and deal risk
- 1 win/loss analysis focus area
### Phase 2: Messaging & Positioning (Days 8-30)
- Revised value proposition that directly counters the competitive threat
- 3 specific messaging angles for sales enablement
- 2 content assets (type and topic) that address buyer concerns
- Email campaign outline (subject, hook, CTA) for at-risk accounts
### Phase 3: Demand Generation (Days 31-90)
- 1 high-impact promotional offer or campaign (with success metrics)
- 2 account-based marketing plays targeting competitor's customers
- Sales playbook updates (3 specific objection handlers)
- Pipeline acceleration tactics (timeline, expected lift)
## Success Metrics
For each recommendation, specify:
- How it moves the needle on [METRIC: pipeline, win rate, deal velocity, customer retention]
- Effort required (hours/week for [TEAM SIZE])
- Expected impact (% lift or $ value)
- Dependencies or risks
## Constraints
- Assume limited budget; prioritize high-ROI, low-operational-debt moves
- Avoid tool-first thinking; focus on workflow and messaging first
- Ensure recommendations fit within existing team capacity
- Flag any governance, compliance, or brand risks
Provide a prioritized action list with clear ownership and deadlines.
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Tips for Best Results
- 1.Customize the threat description with specific competitor moves (pricing, features, partnerships). Vague threats produce vague responses; specificity drives actionable plans.
- 2.Include your sales cycle length and deal size—this shapes urgency and ROI expectations. A 3-month cycle demands different tactics than a 1-month cycle.
- 3.Ask the AI to flag operational debt and team capacity constraints. The best response plan is one your team can actually execute without burning out.
- 4.Request metrics and effort estimates for every recommendation. This forces prioritization and prevents the plan from becoming a wish list that overwhelms your team.
Example Output
## Competitive Response Plan: [Your Company] vs. [Competitor]
### Phase 1: Rapid Intelligence (Days 1-7)
**Research Actions:**
1. Conduct 5 customer interviews with recent losses to [Competitor]; focus on pricing perception and feature gaps
2. Analyze [Competitor]'s website, pricing page, and recent case studies; map their positioning against your differentiators
3. Review last 10 lost deals; identify if [Competitor] was involved and at what stage
**Customer Listening:**
1. Survey 50 current customers: "How does [Competitor]'s offer compare to ours?" (NPS-style)
2. Sales team debrief: flag all at-risk accounts and reasons (price, features, perception)
**Win/Loss Focus:** Understand if losses are driven by price, product gaps, or messaging weakness.
### Phase 2: Messaging & Positioning (Days 8-30)
**Revised Value Prop:**
"While [Competitor] offers [their claim], we deliver [your unique advantage] + [proof point], reducing your [buyer pain] by [metric]."
**3 Sales Messaging Angles:**
1. TCO advantage: "Our implementation is 40% faster, reducing time-to-value by 8 weeks"
2. Customer success: "Dedicated support + quarterly business reviews vs. self-service"
3. Integration depth: "Native integrations with [key tools] vs. API-only"
**Content Assets:**
1. Comparison guide: "[Your Company] vs. [Competitor]: Feature, Support, and ROI Breakdown"
2. Case study: Customer who switched from [Competitor]; quantified results
**At-Risk Account Email Campaign:**
- Subject: "Why [Customer Name] chose us over [Competitor] (and saved $200K)"
- Hook: Social proof + specific ROI
- CTA: 15-min call to discuss your situation
### Phase 3: Demand Generation (Days 31-90)
**High-Impact Campaign:**
"Switch & Save" promotion: 20% discount for [Competitor] customers who migrate in Q1; expected 15-20 conversions, $500K pipeline impact.
**ABM Plays:**
1. Target [Competitor]'s 20 largest customers; personalized outreach highlighting switching costs and ROI
2. Sponsor [Industry Event] where [Competitor] exhibits; host customer roundtable
**Sales Playbook Updates:**
- Objection: "[Competitor] is cheaper" → Response: "True, but implementation costs 3x more. Here's the TCO..."
- Objection: "[Competitor] has feature X" → Response: "We have Y, which solves your actual problem..."
- Objection: "We're already evaluating [Competitor]" → Response: "Let's show you what they won't..."
**Pipeline Acceleration:**
- Compress sales cycle by 2 weeks for at-risk deals; expected 25% win-rate lift
- Expected impact: +$750K pipeline, +$150K closed revenue in 90 days
### Prioritized Action List
| Action | Owner | Deadline | Effort | Impact |
|--------|-------|----------|--------|--------|
| Customer interviews | Sales Ops | Day 5 | 8 hrs | High |
| Competitive analysis | Product Marketing | Day 7 | 12 hrs | High |
| Messaging framework | CMO + Product Marketing | Day 20 | 16 hrs | High |
| Sales playbook updates | Sales Enablement | Day 25 | 10 hrs | High |
| Campaign launch | Demand Gen | Day 35 | 20 hrs | Medium |
### Risks & Dependencies
- **Risk:** Aggressive pricing may compress margins; mitigate with volume targets
- **Dependency:** Sales team adoption of new playbook; requires 2-hour training
- **Governance:** Ensure promotional terms comply with legal and finance policies
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Courses, workshops, frameworks, daily intelligence, and 6 proprietary tools — built for marketing leaders adopting AI.
Trusted by 10,000+ Directors and CMOs.