Course in Strategic Analysis Techniques for Competition and Customer Understanding

In an increasingly competitive and complex market environment, the ability to analyze competitors and deeply understand customer behavior is a critical success factor for any organization. Developing an insightful perspective on industry dynamics and consumer motivations enables businesses to anticipate changes, design winning strategies, and maintain long-term relevance.

This specialized course Strategic Analysis Techniques for Competition and Customer Understanding, offered by Geneve Institute of Business Management, provides a comprehensive and practical framework that equips participants with analytical tools and strategic thinking skills. The program is designed to help professionals collect, interpret, and apply market intelligence in order to strengthen their organization’s position, create added value for customers, and drive strategic decisions based on solid evidence. Over five intensive days, participants will learn how to transform data into actionable insights through proven models and approaches.

Target Audience

• Executive leaders and strategy professionals seeking to enhance their organization’s competitive positioning based on real market dynamics.

• Marketing and product development professionals aiming to better understand what motivates customers and drives loyalty.

• Sales and customer service managers interested in refining their approaches using market and customer insights.

• Market researchers and business analysts who require robust tools to interpret competitive landscapes and consumer trends.

• Entrepreneurs and consultants who need to base business strategies on accurate analysis of internal capabilities and external threats.

Objectives

• Equip participants with effective methodologies to analyze competitors in fast-evolving markets.

• Enhance skills in gathering and interpreting customer and competitor-related data for strategic use.

• Enable participants to apply strategic tools such as SWOT, PESTEL, and Porter’s Five Forces effectively.

• Build a deeper understanding of customer attraction, segmentation, and retention from a strategic standpoint.

• Support strategic decision-making by using analytical insights to optimize performance and adapt to market shifts.

Course Outline 

• Introduction to Strategic Analytical Thinking

  • Distinguishing between operational and strategic analysis.

  • Key steps in applying analytical thinking to business strategy.

  • The importance of deep environmental scanning.

  • Foundations of decision-making driven by competitive insights.

• Industry Structure and Competition Mapping

  • Identifying key players and industry boundaries.

  • Applying Porter’s Five Forces to assess competition.

  • Understanding competitors’ approaches and market behavior.

  • Evaluating substitute threats and new entrants’ impact.

• External Market Analysis using PESTEL Framework

  • Assessing political and economic influences on competition.

  • Understanding social and cultural trends shaping customer behavior.

  • Evaluating technological developments and their market impact.

  • Considering legal and environmental constraints in strategy.

• SWOT Analysis for Strategic Positioning

  • Identifying internal strengths and weaknesses objectively.

  • Detecting external opportunities and threats in real time.

  • Using SWOT to guide planning and differentiation efforts.

  • Integrating SWOT findings into strategy formulation.

• Customer Behavior and Motivations

  • Exploring psychological and social drivers of purchasing decisions.

  • Mapping consumption patterns and preferences.

  • Classifying customer types based on needs and behaviors.

  • Tracking the customer journey and its impact on engagement.

• Segmentation, Targeting & Value Proposition Design

  • Principles of dividing the market into actionable segments.

  • Selecting high-potential targets using analytical criteria.

  • Developing compelling value propositions for each segment.

  • Assessing targeting impact on market share and positioning.

• Customer Data and Insight Generation

  • Identifying reliable sources for customer information.

  • Analyzing purchasing behavior using qualitative and quantitative tools.

  • Creating dashboards to monitor customer interaction.

  • Extracting insight from customer data for strategic advantage.

• Advanced Competitive Analysis

  • Monitoring competitor pricing, branding, and distribution strategies.

  • Evaluating promotional campaigns and their effectiveness.

  • Identifying weaknesses in competitors’ approaches.

  • Tracking market share movements and strategic shifts.

• Market Forecasting and Scenario Building

  • Leveraging predictive tools to anticipate future demand.

  • Combining competitive and customer data for forecasting.

  • Developing strategic scenarios for planning purposes.

  • Using insights to inform long-term strategy and innovation.

• Translating Analysis into Organizational Impact

  • Converting findings into concrete strategic decisions.

  • Aligning product development and marketing with analysis results.

  • Enhancing internal communication with insight-driven narratives.

  • Tracking performance based on strategic analytical indicators.