Key takeaways
- Fixed questions for every rival make the answers comparable.
- A citation on every finding lets you check the claims your decisions rest on.
- Rivals you have never heard of show up when you search by what they do, not by name.
- A dated, one-page summary per rival is what sellers actually read.
What should a competitive intelligence brief cover
A competitive intelligence brief should cover the few things that change how you sell against a rival: who they target, the problem they lead with, how they package and charge, and where they are clearly stronger. A full feature list is rarely read and goes stale fastest.
Be fair about their strengths. A brief that pretends a rival has none is ignored by the sellers who have just lost a deal to them.
A competitor research template you can reuse
A reusable competitor research template is a fixed set of headings you fill for every rival, so a reader can compare two briefs line by line.
- Who they sell to, in their own words.
- The problem their home page leads with.
- How they package and charge, such as per seat or by usage, with a link to their pricing page.
- Their main claims, and the evidence they give for each.
- What changed recently: launches, new markets, new messaging.
- When we tend to win against them, and when we tend to lose.
How do you do competitive analysis with AI without trusting it blindly
Do competitive analysis with AI by asking for a citation on each claim and opening the sources behind anything you will repeat to a buyer. Websites change, old pages linger in search results and a summary can blend two products into one.
Date every brief. A finding from last year about a rival's packaging may be wrong today, and the date tells the reader how far to trust it.
Where do you find competitors you have not heard of
Find unfamiliar competitors by searching for companies that describe the same problem, because buyers compare you with anything that solves it. A spreadsheet, an agency or an internal team can be the real alternative.
Your own records help too. Lost-deal notes, call notes and replies that mention another tool are the most reliable list of who you actually compete with.
How do you turn the research into something sellers use
Turn the research into one page per rival with three parts: when we win, when we lose and the question that helps a buyer see the difference. Sellers open it minutes before a call, so it has to be short.
Keep the language respectful. Buyers often like the rival they are leaving, and a seller who mocks it loses credibility.
How to research competitors with AI, step by step
Run it for the rivals you meet most, then repeat each quarter.
- List the three to five rivals your buyers mention most, from lost deals, call notes and replies.
- Write the same questions for each one: target buyer, lead problem, packaging, main claims and recent changes.
- Ask the assistant to research each rival from its public pages, with a citation for every finding.
- Open the sources behind the findings you will act on, and correct anything out of date.
- Turn the findings into a dated page per rival for sellers, covering when you win and when you lose.
Where Pebbles Ai fits
- CapabilityResearch & analysisResearch comes back with inline numbered citations and a source list. The researcher is instructed to back key claims with two independent sources where possible and to flag claims that rest on one.
- CapabilityProspecting & customer recordsThe Marketing and Strategy assistants can search companies by keyword, country or region, industry and headcount, which surfaces rivals that describe the same problem.
- FoundationAgent memoryAsk an assistant to remember short facts, such as which rival you meet most in a segment, and Company memory carries them into colleagues' chats.
Common questions
How often should competitor research be refreshed?
Whenever a rival launches, repositions or changes its packaging, and at least once a quarter for the rivals you meet most.
Should a competitor brief include their prices?
Describe how they charge, such as per seat or by usage, and link to their own pricing page. Copied figures go stale quickly and mislead sellers.
Is it fair to research competitors this way?
Yes, when you read what they publish and describe it fairly. Avoid posing as a buyer to get information they keep private.
About this page. Written by the Pebbles Ai team for people who run sales, marketing and growth. Last updated .
