EP 153 - Competitive Research Tools with Ran Erez

On this episode of the Product for Product Podcast, we’re joined by Ran Erez, product leader, podcaster, and founder of Re.focus, for a highly practical episode on competitive intelligence tools and tactics for product managers.With over a decade in B2B, B2C, and cyber (including three years on the mobile pod at monday.com), Ran has seen the same pattern repeat: teams either copy competitors blindly or ignore them entirely. He argues there’s a better way, treating competitors as a massive time‑saver for validation and strategy, without letting them drive your roadmap.Join Matt and Moshe as they explore with Ran:How Ran went from QA manager in cyber to owning product and driving millions in salesThe biggest mistakes PMs make with competition: copying feature lists, believing marketing at face value, and doing “one‑and‑done” competitive intelligence Why focusing only on direct “budget competitors” misses the real job‑to‑be‑doneThe Competitive Intelligence Pyramid:Feature level – how others solve the same problemProduct capabilities – pros/cons at whole‑product levelMessaging – how value is communicated and evolvesProduct strategy – what bets they’re makingCompany strategy – where the business is actually headingConcrete methods and tools at each level, including:Finding real users of competitors through screeners, communities, and support/KB pagesRunning “SUSHI” competitive user research: side‑by‑side tests of your product vs. theirs over timeTalking to integration partners and freelancers who implement multiple competing toolsUsing Wayback Machine, screenshots + Gemini, and Perplexity to track how sites, pricing, and positioning changeMining public earnings calls for strategic signals in the language leaders useHow to systematically identify your true competitors (and what it means if you can’t find any)Treating CI as a muscle: what “small start” looks like and how to keep learning over timeUsing competitors to validate your ideas by putting their products in front of your usersAnd much more!Want to connect with Ran or learn more?LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ran-erezYou can also connect with us and find more episodes:Product for Product Podcast: http://linkedin.com/company/product-for-product-podcastMatt Green: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mattgreenproductMoshe Mikanovsky: http://www.linkedin.com/in/mikanovskyNote: Any views mentioned in the podcast are the sole views of our hosts and guests, and do not represent the products mentioned in any way.Please leave us a review and feedback ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️