The problem
Competitor analysis is one of the most frequently requested deliverables in consulting, and one of the most time-consuming to do properly. A client asks you to map the competitive landscape in their sector. You spend two days reading reports, trawling company websites, cross-referencing LinkedIn for headcount signals, and trying to synthesise it all into something coherent. By the time you finish, you have a sprawling document that took far longer than it should have.
The deeper problem is that the research phase is largely a commodity task. Gathering publicly available information about competitors is mechanical work. The value you add as a consultant is in the interpretation: what does this mean for your client's positioning, where are the gaps, what should they do about it.
This workflow compresses the research phase so you can spend more time on the analysis that actually matters.
The system
Step 1: Define your research scope (Claude)
Before researching, use Claude to help you structure your analysis framework. This sounds backwards, but it prevents you from gathering the wrong information:
"I am a consultant preparing a competitive landscape analysis for a client in the [sector] sector. They are specifically interested in understanding [key business question — e.g., pricing models, go-to-market strategies, product positioning]. Help me define: the right set of competitors to include, the key dimensions to analyse for each competitor, and the framework I should use to present the findings. Suggest specific things to look for and where to find them."
Adjust the output based on what you already know about the client's priorities.
Step 2: Research each competitor systematically (Perplexity)
Use Perplexity to research each competitor in turn. A structured prompt works better than a general one:
"Give me a detailed profile of [Competitor Name] covering: their core products or services and how they are positioned, their pricing model (where publicly known), their recent news and strategic direction, their apparent target customer segments, their key strengths and weaknesses based on public information, and any recent customer feedback themes from review sites. UK context where relevant."
Run this for each of your four to six key competitors. Save each output into a document.
Step 3: Synthesise and analyse (Claude)
Paste all your competitor profiles into Claude and ask for synthesis:
"Here are profiles of six competitors in the [sector] market. Analyse them and produce:
- A competitive landscape overview describing how the market is structured
- A comparison table showing each competitor against the key dimensions
- An identification of any white space or underserved segments
- Three to five strategic insights for a new entrant or an existing player looking to differentiate
Focus on insight, not just summary. Tell me what is interesting and what it means."
Step 4: Build the presentation (Gamma)
Take Claude's analysis and paste it into Gamma with the prompt:
"Create a professional consultant-style presentation on this competitive landscape analysis. Include a title slide, an executive summary, a section for each major finding, a comparison framework, and a strategic implications section."
Gamma will generate a slide deck that you can refine in minutes rather than building from scratch.
The results
Before: 12 to 16 hours to produce a competitive analysis, with the research phase taking the majority of the time.
After: 4 to 5 hours for a comprehensive analysis with a presentation-ready output.
The quality of the strategic insights is often better because you are spending your analytical energy on interpretation rather than information gathering. One consultant used this system on a retail banking competitive analysis and delivered a deck to the client 48 hours after the brief, when the client had expected to wait a week. That responsiveness alone was cited in the post-project feedback as exceptional.
The Gamma deck is a starting point, not a finished product. Budget 30 to 45 minutes to refine the design and ensure your firm's formatting standards are met.