Global

From market analysis to marketing plan: Competitor intelligence for practical decisions

A ready-made course you customise for your organisation, with a live session deck and two surveys. You only add the 10 details that are specific to your organisation.

See the live deckSee the full outline
Try the coursePreview the survey
Length
40 min
Lessons
6 lessons
Frequency
Before the annual planning cycle
Last reviewed
21 Oct 2026
From SWOT to segments, targets and positioning
What would you do?

A) A rival cuts prices without warning

Try it: this is one of 16 interactive activities in the course.

What's included

Three pieces that work together

Copy once, get everything. Learners prepare on their own, you answer questions live, and the surveys tell you what stuck.

Self-paced course

Short lessons with real workplace scenarios, not walls of text.

  • 6 lessons, about 40 minutes
  • Sorting activity, tabs, process, scenario and quizzes

Live session deck

An AhaSlides presentation to run after the course, in person or online.

  • 10 slides
  • Quiz, word cloud, poll, ranking slides
  • A closing slide for your contacts

Two surveys

Find out what landed, and whether people use it on the job.

  • Post-course feedback, about 2 minutes
  • 30-day check-in
  • Anonymous by default
  • Results feed your next refresher

Learning objectives

At the end of this course, learners can

Each objective and the lesson that covers it.

IDObjectiveSourceWhere it's covered
TO 279.0Achieve ≥ 80% on the final assessment-Whole course
SO 279.1Explain why situation analysis comes before objectives, budget and tactics in a marketing planBest practiceWhole course
SO 279.2Sort external findings into PESTEL factors and estimate market demand from stated assumptionsPESTEL framework (classic strategy tool)Whole course
SO 279.3Profile direct, indirect and emerging competitors and rank them by threatBest practiceWhole course
SO 279.4Turn a SWOT into segmentation, targeting and positioning choicesSWOT and STP frameworks (classic marketing tools)Whole course
SO 279.5Set objectives, priorities, budget and metrics that follow from the analysis, using only ethical sources of competitor information + your infoBest practice; organisation's competitive-intelligence policyWhole course

Your part: what a template can't do for you

  • Your workplace details: fill in the 10 highlighted fields so the course describes your own policies, contacts and locations.
  • Records: record completion in your own LMS or record system.

Course outline

6 lessons, about 40 minutes

Minutes per lesson are an estimate, shared out by page count.

ContentInteractiveVideoYou customise
1

Why plans built on opinion fail

3 pages

8 min
Before you beginNoteList
The plan that ignored the neighboursTextImage
What was missing?ChecklistKey factQuiz
2

Scanning the environment and sizing demand

3 pages

8 min
PESTEL in briefTabs
Which factor is it?Sorting activity
Size itProcessMatching quiz
3

Profiling competitors

3 pages

7 min
Three kinds of rivalAccordion
Rank the threatSorting activityText
Gather it fairlyChecklistNoteMulti-select quiz
4

From SWOT to segments, targets and positioning

3 pages

7 min
Honest SWOTTabs
Three branching scenariosScenario
STP checkSorting activityMatching quiz
5

Setting objectives, budget and metrics

2 pages

5 min
Build the plan on one pageProcessYour info
Does the plan follow?ScenarioQuiz
6

Build and defend a plan outline + final assessment

2 pages

5 min
PracticeTextChecklistNote
PracticeQuizKey factNoteButtonYour info

Live deck and surveys

10 slides to run live, two surveys to close the loop

Pink slides are interactive. Both surveys are anonymous; pink questions are written for this course.

ContentTitle, agenda, "bring one plan you are working on
Word cloudOne word for your biggest competitor right now
PollHow often does your team do a structured situation analysis?
ContentPESTEL, three kinds of rival and SWOT on one visual
QuizA new packaging rule is which PESTEL factor? ✔ Legal
QuizA rival halves its price. First step? ✔ Check which segments the move affects
RankingRank these three rivals by threat" (invented snapshots); trainer compares the room's order
Content · customiseCustomise: our plan template {{PLAN_TEMPLATE_LINK}}, competitive-intelligence rules {{POLICY_LINK}}, contact {{HELP_CONTACT}}
Open-ended / Q&AOne finding from outside the business that should change our plan
Content · customiseClosing {{HELP_CONTACT}}, {{SURVEY_2_URL}}, {{COURSE_URL}}
Post-course feedback: 11 questions, about 2 min
  1. Overall rating 5 stars
  2. Relevant, realistic, right length, helpful activities agree/disagree grid
  3. What was most useful? multi-select
  4. Confidence before this course, and now 1-5 scale
  5. How confident are you analysing competitors? 1-5 scale
  6. How often do you use a structured situation analysis? multiple choice
  7. What most limits your planning today? multiple choice
  8. I feel able to challenge an assumption in our plan. 1-5 scale
  9. One thing we should change or add open text
  10. Would you recommend this course? NPS
30-day check-in
  1. Have you used what you learned since the course? multiple choice
  2. How confident are you today? Compare with day 1 1-5 scale
  3. Do you know where to find the plan template and the competitive-intelligence rules? yes / no / not sure
  4. A moment where the training helped, or where you weren't sure open text
  5. Which topics should the next refresher focus on? ranking

Results show whether people use the training on the job, not just whether they finished it.

Make it yours

10 fields to fill in, and you're ready

Everything else is done. These are the details only your organisation knows; each one is highlighted inside the course.

  • Help contact{{HELP_CONTACT}}
  • Policy link{{POLICY_LINK}}
  • Escalation route{{ESCALATION_ROUTE}}
  • LMS or record system{{LMS_OR_RECORD_SYSTEM}}
  • Next course link{{NEXT_COURSE_LINK}}
  • Survey 1 URL{{SURVEY_1_URL}}
Show all 10 fields
  • Survey 2 URL{{SURVEY_2_URL}}
  • Course URL{{COURSE_URL}}
  • Live session URL{{LIVE_SESSION_URL}}
  • Plan template link{{PLAN_TEMPLATE_LINK}}

FAQ

Common questions

Can I run from market analysis to marketing plan: Competitor intelligence for practical decisions training online?

Yes. The course is self-paced and online, and the live deck lets you add a live session in the room or online.

How often is this training needed?

Before the annual planning cycle, when a new market or product is being considered, and when a rival makes a sudden move.

Who needs this training?

Marketing managers, strategy and product teams, and owner-managers who build or refresh a marketing plan; a short variant for owner-managers new to formal planning. Run by L&D with marketing, strategy and product leadership.

What records should I keep?

Record completion in your own LMS or record system, so you can show who finished the course and when.

Can I edit the content?

Yes, everything. Change the wording, swap scenarios for ones from your workplace, add your logo, or remove parts that don't apply.

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Last reviewed: 21 October 2026Templates are a starting point, not legal advice.

Ready to run it?

Open the live deck to see how the session runs alongside the course and both surveys.

See the live deck