Competitor Documentation

Overview

The Competitor module (competitor) manages competitor information for competitive analysis in sales opportunities. This master data model enables sales teams to track which competitors are involved in deals, analyze win/loss patterns against specific competitors, and develop competitive strategies based on historical data.

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Model Information

Model Name: competitor Display Name: Competitor Key Fields: None (no unique constraints)

Features

• Simple competitor master data
• Contact integration for competitor details
• Opportunity linkage via opport.compet
• Comment tracking

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Common Competitor Categories

Competitor Type	Example	Description
Direct Competitors	Same product/service providers	Companies offering identical solutions
Indirect Competitors	Alternative solution providers	Companies solving same problem differently
Emerging Competitors	Startups and new entrants	New market players
Industry Giants	Established market leaders	Large, well-known competitors

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Field Reference

Basic Fields

Field	Type	Required	Description
name	Char	Yes	Competitor name (e.g., "Acme Corporation")

Relationship Fields

Field	Type	Description
contact_id	Many2One	Link to contact record for competitor details (address, phone, etc.)
opports	One2Many	List of opportunities where this competitor is involved
comments	One2Many	Comments and notes about this competitor

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API Methods

1. Create Competitor

Method: create(vals, context)

Example:

# Create a competitor with contact details
competitor_id = get_model("competitor").create({
    "name": "Acme Corporation",
    "contact_id": contact_id  # Optional: link to contact for details
})

2. Search Competitors

# Find competitor by name
comp_ids = get_model("competitor").search([["name", "=", "Acme Corporation"]])

# Find competitors in opportunities
comp_ids = get_model("competitor").search([["opports", "!=", None]])

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Related Models

Model	Relationship	Description
opport.compet	One2Many	Links competitors to specific opportunities
contact	Many2One	Stores competitor contact details
message	One2Many	Comments about competitors

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Common Use Cases

Use Case 1: Initial Competitor Setup

# Create standard competitors in your industry
competitors = [
    {"name": "Acme Corporation"},
    {"name": "GlobalTech Solutions"},
    {"name": "Industry Leader Inc"},
    {"name": "Startup Disruptor"},
    {"name": "Regional Player Co"}
]

for comp in competitors:
    get_model("competitor").create(comp)

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Use Case 2: Track Competitors in Opportunity

# Add competitors to an opportunity
def add_competitor_to_opportunity(opport_id, competitor_name):
    # Find or create competitor
    comp_ids = get_model("competitor").search([["name", "=", competitor_name]])

    if not comp_ids:
        comp_id = get_model("competitor").create({"name": competitor_name})
    else:
        comp_id = comp_ids[0]

    # Link to opportunity via opport.compet
    get_model("opport.compet").create({
        "opport_id": opport_id,
        "compet_id": comp_id
    })

# Usage
add_competitor_to_opportunity(opportunity_id, "Acme Corporation")

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Use Case 3: Win/Loss Analysis by Competitor

# Analyze performance against specific competitors
def analyze_competitor_win_loss(competitor_name):
    # Find competitor
    comp_ids = get_model("competitor").search([["name", "=", competitor_name]])
    if not comp_ids:
        return None

    comp_id = comp_ids[0]

    # Find all opportunities where this competitor was involved
    opport_comp_ids = get_model("opport.compet").search([
        ["compet_id", "=", comp_id]
    ])

    opport_comps = get_model("opport.compet").browse(opport_comp_ids)

    # Analyze outcomes
    total = 0
    won = 0
    lost = 0

    for oc in opport_comps:
        opport = oc.opport_id
        total += 1

        if opport.state == "won":
            won += 1
        elif opport.state == "lost":
            lost += 1

    win_rate = (won / total * 100) if total > 0 else 0

    return {
        "competitor": competitor_name,
        "total_opportunities": total,
        "won": won,
        "lost": lost,
        "win_rate": win_rate
    }

# Example
analysis = analyze_competitor_win_loss("Acme Corporation")
print(f"Win rate against {analysis['competitor']}: {analysis['win_rate']:.1f}%")

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Use Case 4: Competitive Intelligence Database

# Store competitive intelligence in comments
def add_competitive_note(competitor_name, note):
    # Find competitor
    comp_ids = get_model("competitor").search([["name", "=", competitor_name]])
    if not comp_ids:
        comp_id = get_model("competitor").create({"name": competitor_name})
    else:
        comp_id = comp_ids[0]

    # Add comment
    get_model("message").create({
        "related_id": f"competitor,{comp_id}",
        "body": note,
        "type": "comment"
    })

# Usage
add_competitive_note("Acme Corporation",
    "New pricing model announced: 20% lower than ours for enterprise tier")
add_competitive_note("Acme Corporation",
    "Weakness: Poor customer support noted in recent reviews")

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Use Case 5: Competitor Frequency Report

# Find most frequently encountered competitors
def get_top_competitors(date_from, date_to, limit=10):
    results = []

    # Get all competitors
    comp_ids = get_model("competitor").search([])
    competitors = get_model("competitor").browse(comp_ids)

    for comp in competitors:
        # Count opportunities in date range
        opport_comp_ids = get_model("opport.compet").search([
            ["compet_id", "=", comp.id]
        ])

        # Filter by date
        count = 0
        for oc_id in opport_comp_ids:
            oc = get_model("opport.compet").browse(oc_id)
            opport = oc.opport_id

            if opport.date and opport.date >= date_from and opport.date <= date_to:
                count += 1

        if count > 0:
            results.append({
                "competitor": comp.name,
                "encounters": count
            })

    # Sort by frequency
    results.sort(key=lambda x: x["encounters"], reverse=True)

    return results[:limit]

# Get top 5 competitors this quarter
top_comps = get_top_competitors("2026-01-01", "2026-03-31", limit=5)
for i, comp in enumerate(top_comps, 1):
    print(f"{i}. {comp['competitor']}: {comp['encounters']} opportunities")

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Best Practices

1. Naming Conventions

# Good: Official company names
{"name": "Acme Corporation"}
{"name": "GlobalTech Solutions Inc"}
{"name": "Industry Leader Ltd"}

# Bad: Informal or inconsistent names
{"name": "acme"}               # Inconsistent casing
{"name": "That big competitor"} # Not specific
{"name": "Comp 1"}             # Generic

Guidelines: - Use official company names - Be consistent with capitalization - Include legal entity type if needed (Inc, Ltd, Corp)

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2. Contact Integration

# Good: Link competitor to contact for full details
contact_id = get_model("contact").create({
    "name": "Acme Corporation",
    "type": "org",
    "phone": "+1-555-0100",
    "email": "info@acme.com",
    "website": "www.acme.com",
    "address": "123 Main St, City, State 12345"
})

competitor_id = get_model("competitor").create({
    "name": "Acme Corporation",
    "contact_id": contact_id
})

# Now you have full competitor details available

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3. Competitive Intelligence Management

Track strengths and weaknesses:

# Use comments to build competitive intelligence
intelligence_categories = [
    "Pricing Strategy",
    "Product Features",
    "Customer Service",
    "Market Position",
    "Weaknesses",
    "Recent News"
]

# Store structured intelligence
def log_competitive_intel(competitor_name, category, details):
    add_competitive_note(competitor_name,
        f"[{category}] {details}")

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4. Regular Review

Quarterly competitor review: - Update competitor list - Remove inactive competitors - Review win/loss patterns - Update competitive intelligence - Brief sales team on changes

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Performance Tips

1. Cache Competitor Lookups

_competitor_cache = {}

def get_competitor_by_name(name):
    if name not in _competitor_cache:
        ids = get_model("competitor").search([["name", "=", name]])
        if ids:
            _competitor_cache[name] = ids[0]
    return _competitor_cache.get(name)

2. Limit Active Competitors

• Focus on top 10-15 most frequently encountered competitors
• Archive historical competitors not seen in last 12 months
• Keep list manageable for sales team

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Troubleshooting

"Duplicate competitors with similar names"

Cause: Inconsistent naming (e.g., "Acme Corp" vs "Acme Corporation") Solution:

# Standardize competitor names
def standardize_competitor_name(name):
    # Common standardizations
    standardizations = {
        " Corp": " Corporation",
        " Inc": " Incorporated",
        " Ltd": " Limited"
    }

    for old, new in standardizations.items():
        name = name.replace(old, new)

    return name.title()

"Competitors not showing in reports"

Cause: Competitors exist but not linked to opportunities Solution:

# Find unlinked competitors
all_comp_ids = get_model("competitor").search([])

for comp_id in all_comp_ids:
    opport_links = get_model("opport.compet").search([
        ["compet_id", "=", comp_id]
    ])

    if not opport_links:
        comp = get_model("competitor").browse(comp_id)
        print(f"Competitor '{comp.name}' has no linked opportunities")

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Security Considerations

Permission Model

• All sales users need read access
• Sales managers can create/edit competitors
• Competitive intelligence should be internal only

Data Access

• Competitors are company-wide master data
• Competitive intelligence is confidential
• Restrict external access

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Integration Points

Internal Modules

• opport.compet: Links competitors to opportunities
• sale.opportunity: Opportunities track competing against which companies
• contact: Stores detailed competitor information
• message: Comments for competitive intelligence

Competitive Analysis

# Used in:
# - Win/Loss Analysis
# - Competitive Positioning
# - Battle Card Development
# - Sales Training
# - Market Intelligence

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Version History

Last Updated: 2026-01-05 Model Version: competitor.py Framework: Netforce

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Additional Resources

• Opportunity Competitor Link: opport.compet
• Sales Opportunity: sale.opportunity
• Win/Loss Analysis Guide
• Competitive Intelligence Best Practices

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This documentation is generated for developer onboarding and reference purposes.