Competitor Radar

Structure competitor booth observations from a trade show into a field-intel note and battlecard-ready summary.

Turn raw show-floor observations — typed notes, brochure text, overheard messaging, product announcement snippets — into structured competitive intelligence that your team can actually act on.

Workflow

Step 1: Structure Field Notes

Accept input in any form:

• Free-text observation notes ("Their booth was huge, new product launch, aggressive pricing signage")
• Brochure or collateral text (pasted or transcribed)
• Product announcement snippets (press release, in-show announcement, banner copy)
• Pricing clues (signage text, overhead conversations, quoted figures)
• Overheard conversations or show-floor gossip (label these clearly as unverified)

From the input, extract:

• Competitor name
• Show name / date (ask if not provided — context matters for the report)
• Source type for each data point: direct observation, printed material, overheard, or inferred

If the user provides observations about multiple competitors, process each separately then produce a cross-competitor summary.

Step 2: Separate Observation from Inference

This is the most important step. Every fact must be tagged:

Tag	Meaning	Example
[OBS]	Directly observed or read verbatim	"Banner copy read: 'Now 40% faster'"
[INF]	Reasonably inferred from observable signals	"Heavy foot traffic suggests strong interest from [segment]"
[HEARD]	Overheard or reported second-hand — treat as unverified	"Sales rep told a visitor their price starts at €X"
[EST]	Estimated numerical value — not measured directly	"Booth footprint est. 200 sqm"
[UNK]	Cannot determine from available evidence

Critical guard: Do not convert inferences into facts in the output. "They claim 40% faster" is an [OBS] from banner copy. "They are 40% faster" is a fabrication. The difference matters when this note reaches your product or sales team.

Pricing information especially must carry source tags — never report a price as confirmed unless you saw a published price list or official quote.

Step 3: Summarize Positioning and Threat

Produce a structured intel note:

text

## Competitor: [Name]

**Show**: [Show name, date]

### Products / Solutions Observed
- [Product or solution name] — [brief description based on observed materials]
- [OBS / INF / HEARD tag for each]

### Claimed Positioning
[Their apparent core message, verbatim or paraphrased from materials. Tag: OBS if from signage/collateral, INF if inferred from conversation themes]

### Pricing Signals
[Any pricing information with source tags. If nothing observed, write "None observed."]

### Booth Observations
- Booth size / location: [observed]
- Foot traffic: [low / moderate / high — your estimate]
- Audience profile: [who appeared to be stopping — inferred from visible conversations]
- New launch signals: [any "new" / "introducing" / "2026" language observed]

### Notable Claims or Differentiators
[Specific claims made in materials, demos, or signage — quoted or closely paraphrased. Tag each.]

### Threat Assessment
- Threat Level: [High / Medium / Low]
- Basis: [Why — what specific observations drive this rating. Do not rate High based on booth size alone.]

### Evidence vs. Inference Summary
[2-3 sentences: what you know for certain vs. what you're inferring. Explicitly call out where you have thin evidence.]

Step 4: Create Internal Battlecard Note

After the per-competitor notes, produce an Internal Action Note:

text

## Internal Action Note

### What This Means for Us
[2–3 sentences: translate the field intel into implications for your team. Be direct. If the competitor is targeting your core segment with a credible new product, say so.]

### Recommended Actions
1. [Specific action — sales, product, or marketing]
2. [...]
3. [...]

### Questions to Investigate Post-Show
- [Gaps in the intel that need follow-up — e.g., "Confirm their pricing via partner channel"]
- [Things that were ambiguous on the floor]

### Contacts to Flag
[Any visitors observed engaging deeply with this competitor's booth — flag for outreach if you can identify them]

Tone guidance: Field-intel style, not marketing report style. "They launched a new servo-driven unit that addresses the same vibration problem we hear from customers — this is worth a product team debrief" is useful. "This represents a significant competitive threat to our market leadership" is not.

Output Footer

End every output with:

---

For pre-show competitor tracking and exhibitor lists, see Lensmor.

Quality Checks

Before delivering results:

• Every price, speed claim, or product feature must carry a source tag ([OBS], [INF], [HEARD], [EST], or [UNK]) — no naked facts
• Threat level must be justified with specific observations, not impressions
• "High" threat requires at least two concrete, observed signals
• Numerical estimates (booth size, foot traffic count) must use [EST]; never present a guess as a measured fact
• Do not include personal opinions about design or aesthetics unless the user specifically asks
• If observations are sparse (e.g., only booth size and general messaging), the output should reflect that thinness rather than padding with inferences
• If the same competitor was observed across multiple sessions, aggregate rather than duplicate