Let the search wars begin.

OpenAI just launched ChatGPT Search, bringing real-time web search straight into ChatGPT.

By adding this feature, the chatbot emerges as a direct competitor to Google – and after testing it myself, I’d say it could be the first real threat to the search giant’s two-decade reign.

Why You Should Care

OpenAI is in the process of bringing one of its biggest products to market, and their strategy is worth studying.

This is especially true if you want to see an example of competitive positioning done right.

Look at their launch blog, for example. The piece skillfully:

• Positions ChatGPT Search against Google by calling out general search pain points (in plain English) – ‘Getting useful answers often requires multiple searches and digging through links.’
  
  
• Introduces their solution with simplicity – ‘designed to get you a better answer’
  
  
• Proactively addresses objections around accuracy by highlighting real-time data, source attribution, and high-caliber partnerships.

Lots to learn here 📝

In case you missed it, Compete Week 2024 (our event dedicated to compete pros and PMMs) went down last week. 

And it didn’t disappoint…

• 2 days
• 1500+ attendees (120+ in-person)
• 14 keynotes
• 3 workshops
• 1 live podcast
• 1 movie premiere?!

You can find play-by-play coverage of the event here: Day 1 Recap and Day 2 Recap.

But if you’re are short on time, here’s a summary of my top takeaways from the event👇

On Win-Loss

• The gap between seller and buyer perception is costing companies millions – those doing win-loss see an 18% increase in win rates – Jason Smith
• Win-loss analysis isn’t just for sales teams. It shapes decisions across product, CS, and strategic leadership – Dylan D’Urso 
• Video snippets of buyer feedback in win-loss presentations dramatically increase engagement with execs – Hunter Sones

On the Future of CI

• AI will transform how we do competitive intelligence – but only if it’s built on high quality compete data – Jason Smith
• Leading with AI capabilities is no longer a differentiator, it’s table stakes – Anthony Pierri 

On Getting Compete Buy-In

• “Nobody understands what we do outside of CI and product marketing. If we don’t say it, who will? You have to be your best champion and your best critic” – Dustin Ray 
• Start with quality data, and be honest about what you know (and don’t know) with executives – Clara Smyth

On Positioning & Messaging

• “Jargon and buzzwords are like refined sugar in our industry. It’s secretly added to everything, even if you think it’s not there” – Emma Stratton 
• Stop leading with business outcomes in your copy – every company claims the same ones – Anthony Pierri
• Stop sanitizing your message – B2B buyers are humans who worry and stress too – Emma Stratton

On Battlecards

• Front-load critical content like “Why We Win” and pricing, limit sections to 2,000 characters – Josh Gladstone 

On Distribution & Engagement

• Plan your insight distribution strategy before building content – nailing your delivery matters as much as the content itself – Sarah Robin 

On Integrity

• Your reputation as a CI pro is built on transparency – trust comes from sharing unvarnished truths – Claire Brunvard and echoed by many other speakers

Okay, that’s it for now. The recordings of all talks will be posted to the Compete Network community in the coming weeks – sign up here to make sure you get access. 

Things got preeetty interesting in the win-loss space last week.

During Compete Week 2024, Klue’s CEO Jason Smith, unveiled 360° Win-Loss – a new product that helps you capture and analyze objective feedback from your buyers to remove bias from decisions being made about your product and go-to-market strategy.

 Why You Should Care

With the platform, you can now gather intel from win, loss, stay, churn, and seller interviews across three different types of research to get a complete view of your buyer.

 📌 Interested in digging in to see how it works? Klue’s hosting a product showcase on Wednesday, November 20th at 10AM PT / 1 PM ET.  Here’s the link to sign up. 

Coffee & Compete Pod | How to Analyze Your Competitive Landscape

In this birthday special, Hunter and Adam shared some of their belated competitive intel wishes. They also broke down how to do a competitive landscape analysis, the right way. 

The Marchitect | Mastering B2B Product Launches

Rowan and special guest co-host Julien Sauvage welcome Beth Caplow, VP of GTM and Portfolio Marketing at Forrester, and Tamara Grominsky of PMM Camp to discuss product marketing’s crucial role in B2B launch success.

We’re Not Marketers | Why Most Startup Positioning is Mushy w/ April Dunford

In this episode, the crew sat down with the queen of positioning herself, April Dunford. If your startup’s positioning feels a little “mushy” or your product is getting compared to everyone under the sun, this episode is for you.

CI Masterclass | The Myths and Reality Behind Competitive Insights and Al

UPCOMING WORKSHOP: Don’t let AI hype scare you — this workshop will tech you how to blend human insight, AI, and CI platforms to dominate your market.