--- name: benchmark-methodology description: >- Use after competitive-platform-analysis has produced a tiered competitor set. Scores each competitor across nine weighted dimensions (positioning, voice, visual craft, offer packaging, evidence, enterprise-readiness, thought leadership, pricing, client's strategic tension) with explicit 1–5 rubrics and a tension-plot. Precedes competitive-report-structure. --- # Benchmark Methodology Use this skill to turn a scoped competitor set into **comparable, defensible scores**. Each competitor is assessed on the same nine dimensions, with explicit 1–5 rubrics, then captured in a uniform profile card. Consistency is the point: scores are only useful if the same evidence would earn the same number for any competitor. ## When to Activate - A scoped, tiered competitor set from competitive-platform-analysis is ready to score. - Need comparable, evidence-anchored scores across competitors — not gut-feel rankings. - Client's strategic tension (the paired axes defining their target white-space) has been established. - Preparing to produce profile cards for assembly in competitive-report-structure. ## Client positioning brief (establish first) Before scoring, establish the client's positioning brief. It supplies: - **Strategic tension** — the two axes (e.g., memorability × hireability) whose intersection marks the client's target white-space. Dimension 9 is always the client's named tension; report both poles separately, never averaged. - **Differentiator** — what makes the client's moat. This informs which dimensions matter most for the client's positioning argument. - **Brand balance** — the intended mix of distinct strategic emphases. Strategic recommendations must not break this balance without flagging it. ## Why these dimensions The client competes on a **specific tension held across two poles**, not on service breadth. The dimensions are weighted to reflect that moat. Two dimensions — the tension poles — are scored **separately and never averaged together**, because the client's strategic question is precisely whether a rival achieves both simultaneously. ## The nine dimensions (with weights) Weights guide synthesis emphasis, not a single blended score (avoid a false composite — see Bias controls). Sum = 100%. 1. **Positioning clarity & distinctiveness** (18%) — Is the studio's position sharp, ownable, and instantly legible? Or generic? 2. **Brand voice / verbal distinctiveness** (15%) — Does the copy have an ownable register, or is it interchangeable agency-speak? 3. **Visual identity & site craft** (15%) — Quality and ownership of the visual system; site as proof-of-craft. 4. **Service offer & packaging** (12%) — Productized and legible (named sprints/audits) vs vague. Packaging maturity. 5. **Evidence & credibility** (12%) — Named clients, quantified outcomes, case-study depth. Proof beyond assertion. 6. **Enterprise-readiness / commercial maturity** (10%) — Signals they can land and hold SaaS/fintech/B2B/enterprise work (process, logos, scale, contracts). 7. **Thought leadership / content presence** (8%) — Owned POV: writing, talks, newsletters, frameworks. Depth over volume. 8. **Pricing transparency & engagement model** (5%) — Is pricing/engagement legible? Productized vs bespoke vs opaque. 9. **[Client's strategic tension]** (5% as a flag; **score BOTH poles, report separately**) — Read the tension name and axis descriptions from the client's positioning brief. Plot both; the gap is the insight. The client's target quadrant is the single most important finding: who else is already there? ## Scoring rubric (1–5, applies to dimensions 1–8) Anchor every score to observable evidence. Generic descriptors below; adapt the specifics per dimension but keep the level meaning constant. - **1 — Absent / generic.** No discernible position or craft; indistinguishable from a template. Active liability. - **2 — Below par.** Some intent but inconsistent, derivative, or unconvincing. Wouldn't survive a side-by-side. - **3 — Competent / table-stakes.** Solid, professional, unremarkable. Meets expectation, ownable by nobody. - **4 — Strong / distinctive.** Clearly above peers; a real strength a buyer would notice and cite. - **5 — Category-defining.** Best-in-class, ownable, hard to imitate. Sets the bar others react to. ### Tension axes (dimension 9) — score each 1–5 Read the axis labels and their 1/3/5 anchors from the client's positioning brief. Example anchors for a memorability × credibility tension: - **Memorability** — 1: forgotten instantly · 3: recognizable in context · 5: unforgettable, talked-about, distinctively owned. - **Credibility** — 1: feels risky/amateur · 3: safe, competent, unexciting · 5: enterprise-trusted, obvious safe choice. Plot competitors on the tension 2×2. The client's target quadrant is named in the positioning brief. Who else occupies that quadrant is the single most important finding of the benchmark. ## How to collect the data For each competitor, work the dimensions in this order (cheapest signal first): 1. **Competitor's own site** — positioning, voice, offer packaging, pricing posture, named clients, manifesto/POV. Screenshot the homepage + one case study. 2. **Case studies / work** — evidence depth, quantified outcomes, client names. Distinguish *asserted* ("we delivered X") from *proven* (metrics, named, verifiable). 3. **Review directories** — corroborate clients, project size, engagement model → credibility & enterprise-readiness (e.g. Clutch.co or the niche equivalent). 4. **LinkedIn** — team size/model, founder narrative, content cadence → thought leadership, model. 5. **Portfolio / craft platforms** — craft register (use the showcase native to the niche: design boards, showreels, published samples, etc.). 6. **Content channels** — newsletter/talks/writing → thought-leadership depth. **What to record per dimension:** the score, one-line justification, and the source link/screenshot that earned it. No score without evidence. ## Bias controls - **No single composite score.** Report dimension scores and the tension plot separately. A weighted average hides the asymmetry that matters. - **Asserted vs proven.** Downgrade credibility/evidence scores for self-reported claims with no corroboration. Site copy is marketing, not fact. - **Aesthetic affinity bias.** Reviewers may over-score studios whose aesthetic they share and under-score rivals' commercial strength. Score craft and credibility independently; a "boring" site may be winning bigger clients. - **Recency / flashiness bias.** Award-winning, showpiece work dazzles but may lack commercial depth — verify with directories/clients before scoring credibility. - **Survivorship.** The visible, well-marketed studios aren't the whole market; note strong-but-quiet operators found via directories/reviews. - **Calibrate across the set, not in isolation.** Before finalizing, re-read scores side-by-side — a "4" must mean the same thing for every competitor. Adjust outliers. ## Competitor profile card (output format) Produce one card per profiled competitor — the atomic unit the report assembles from: ``` ## - **Profile / Tier:** / - **One-liner:** - **Model / size / geography:** · · - **Notable clients / evidence:** ### Dimension scores | Dimension | Score (1–5) | Justification (1 line) | Source | |---|---|---|---| | Positioning clarity & distinctiveness | | | | | Brand voice / verbal distinctiveness | | | | | Visual identity & site craft | | | | | Service offer & packaging | | | | | Evidence & credibility | | | | | Enterprise-readiness / commercial maturity | | | | | Thought leadership / content presence | | | | | Pricing transparency & engagement model | | | | ### Tension plot - **[Axis 1 from positioning brief]:** <1–5> — - **[Axis 2 from positioning brief]:** <1–5> — - **Quadrant:** ### Read for [client] - **Strength to learn from:** <…> - **Weakness to exploit / white-space it exposes:** <…> - **Threat to [client]:** <…> ``` Hand the completed cards plus the tension plot to `competitive-report-structure`. ## Anti-Patterns - **Averaging the tension axes.** The two poles of the client's strategic tension must be scored and reported separately. Averaging destroys the insight — the gap between poles is the finding. - **Scoring without evidence.** Every score requires a one-line justification and a source link. A score without evidence is an opinion, not a benchmark. - **Creating a single composite score.** Report dimension scores individually. A weighted average hides the asymmetric strengths that matter for positioning. - **Applying generic rubric anchors without adapting.** The 1–5 anchors must be calibrated to the specific dimension and competitor set. The generic descriptions are a starting point, not a fixed standard. - **Running before the competitor set is scoped.** Use competitive-platform-analysis first to produce a tiered, pruned set. Scoring an unscoped list wastes effort on irrelevant competitors. ## Related Skills - `competitive-platform-analysis` — the prerequisite; produces the tiered competitor set this skill scores. - `competitive-report-structure` — the next step; assembles the scored profile cards into a client-deliverable report.