竞争性基准测试的初学者指南

Have you ever played a game of Monopoly and kept tabs on the other players? Maybe you took a mental note on which player had the most properties, or who had the best buying and selling strategy.

但是观察竞争的价值并不是棋盘游戏的特定 - 实际公司也可以从中受益。

One way to get there is through something called "competitive benchmarking" — the process of looking externally to see how your business stacks up against your competitors and industry standards.

让我们进一步了解有关该概念的更多信息，回顾如何运行竞争性的基准测试分析，并查看一些竞争性的基准测试工具和示例。

You might already practice a form of benchmarking in your business. For example, a company may practice internal benchmarking within a department to ensure a goal is hit each week, such as completing a certain number of sales calls. But looking inward can only get you so far.

By benchmarking yourself against the competitors, you can identify any "blind spots" in your sales efforts, pinpoint best practices, and maintain a competitive edge within your market.

竞争性基准测试包括三类：

• Strategic benchmarking:比较业务模型和策略
• Process benchmarking:compares business and operational processes
• Performance benchmarking:compares business outcomes based on a set of metrics

值得注意的是，竞争性基准测试与竞争分析。Although similar in approach, they serve two distinct purposes.

A competitive analysis requires a deep dive into the strengths and weaknesses of the competition relative to your own business. It scrutinizes every product and strategy — from messaging to sales processes.

竞争性的基准测试是以未来为重点的 - 它衡量了其他人随着时间的推移如何表现，以查找数据中的最佳实践和趋势。

Competitive Benchmarking Analysis

运行竞争性基准分析需要三个步骤：

1. Select your competitive benchmarks.

第一步是确定key performance indicators（KPI）您想跟踪和测量 - 从库存营业额到客户保留到平均销售周期长度，这可能是任何事情。

进行竞争性基准测试分析的理想KPI是您的销售组织已经跟踪的理想KPI，可以作为早期指标的更大结果。

例如，如果您认为您的客户保留率不是您想要的，那么您可能需要基准测试净启动子分数，以查看您的表现不佳是否与您的其他业内人士相当。

2. Identify the competition.

Next, identify competitors to benchmark against. It can be helpful to revisit your KPIs, then select relevant competitors that perform well in the areas you’re looking to improve. For example, if you want to develop a competitive selling strategy, which competitor has the most effective pricing model — and what exactly do they offer?

Benchmarking can be performed against a variety of companies across different industries, including:

• Competitors of similar size and success:These competitors are considered your closest rivals. By keeping a pulse on their overall performance, you can ensure you’re on the right track and spot immediate opportunities for improvement.
• Competitors above you:When looking to improve on long-term strategies, it can be helpful to study the big players. Benchmarking against industry leaders can provide insight into proven strategies and processes.
• Competitors below you:查找灵感很容易，但是在下面的观察也同样有益。新的（或更小）的竞争对手有权破坏具有创新策略和产品的行业。

3.确定您的基准测量指标并跟踪它们。

从您自己的公司收集数据很容易，但是收集竞争对手的数据并不那么简单。bob全站app上市公司在线发布年度报告，但是您必须进行一些侦查才能从私人企业那里找到此信息。当心提供有关公司特定信息的新闻稿，新闻文章和销售报告。bob全站appbob官网官方网站

为了简化这个过程,考虑使用benchmarking tool to keep track of your competitor’s data. Some benchmarking tools are free or trial-based, while more comprehensive ones require a fee.

For example,KlueandCrayongather intel from millions of sources online (such as e-newsletters and news articles) and use AI to surface the most relevant intelligence for your sales team. Other tools likeSemrushandAhrefsbenchmark your competitor's growth and performance across multiple digital marketing channels.

竞争性基准示例

1. Xerox

15年来，Xerox在打印机市场上占据了主导地位，最终在1960年代获得了创纪录的10亿美元收入。到1970年代，施乐继续以强大的专利，几乎没有竞争和不断增长的市场蓬勃发展。

Yet, in the early 1980s, a new batch of competitors like Canon and Kodak entered the market, causing Xerox’s market share to plummet.

In response, Xerox launched a new initiative, "Leadership Through Quality," to radically change the way it did business. Xerox benchmarked more than two hundred processes with other companies, and the results were shocking.

在比较自己的竞​​争时施乐发现它有过：

• 装配线上的拒绝的10倍
• Seven times as many manufacturing defects in finished products
• 50% higher cost to manufacture

根据这些发现，施乐大修了其质量和制造运营，基准测试成为这些努力的重要工具。例如，对其配送系统的升级来自L. L. Bean，这是一家服装和户外设备零售商。新计费系统的想法受到了美国运通的启发。

在接下来的几年中，Xerox扩大了竞争性基准计划，不断改进和升级其流程，并最终在整个1990年代和2000年代初期夺回了更多的市场份额。

2. United Airlines

United Airlines sought to revamp and elevate its website's user experience, making it easier for customers to research and book flights online.

Partnering with Centralis, a user experience research company,联合航空开始测试its current site against several competitors. The process involved fifty-two testing sessions over two phases.

In the first phase, Centralis assessed the usability of the then-current United website against three key competitors. Then, using the findings from the first round, United Airlines created a beta-version redesign of their website that was benchmarked against the same competitors.

使用竞争性基准测试，联合航空在重新设计其网站时能够做出确定的决定，最终导致其净启动子得分（NPS）提高。

Competitive Benchmarking Matrix

After conducting a competitive benchmarking analysis, it’s a good idea to organize and design the data in a way that makes sense to you. A competitive matrix is one way to visualize your competitive benchmarking analysis.

等性质,这些矩阵可以更直观as a scatter plot, or as simple as an Excel sheet containing information. Regardless of the matrix you choose, the goal is the same — to see your company’s competitive landscape, as well as trends and possible improvement opportunities in the data.

图像源

这是常见的竞争矩阵示例：

1. SWOT分析

A basic competitive matrix is the SWOT analysis, which compiles your company's strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. Conducting a SWOT analysis will help you identify areas where you could improve, as well as uncover new strategies and opportunities to adopt.

2.功能/好处电子表格

A features/benefits spreadsheet records how your product stacks up against competitors in terms of features, benefits, and price. This can give you insight into what your customers want, and pinpoint the trade-offs for customers as they explore other options in the market.

3.查看跟踪器

A review tracker matrix will help you see the reviews you receive compared to those of your competition. Reviews can reveal compelling insight into what your company (or competitor) is doing well, and what areas could be improved.

Final Thoughts

竞争性的基准测试应该是一个持续的过程，定期进行，可以在销售工作中为任何“盲点”提供有力的见解，并确定最佳实践和未来趋势。