You're crushing it against Salesforce and HubSpot in the US. You expand to Germany and lose deal after deal to a local CRM you've never heard of. Turns out, they've owned the German market for 15 years.
Global competitive intelligence focuses on global players. International competitive intelligence requires understanding local and regional competitors who dominate markets but have no presence in your home market.
Here's how to identify and analyze local competition when expanding internationally.
Why Local Competitors Matter More Than You Think
Local advantages global companies lack:
Market knowledge: 15+ years understanding local business practices, buyer behavior, pain points
Language and culture: Native understanding of how German/Japanese/Brazilian businesses operate
Established relationships: Deep customer relationships, local partnerships, industry connections
Brand recognition: Household name locally, unknown globally
Regulatory expertise: Navigate local compliance seamlessly
Local support: On-the-ground presence, local language support, timezone coverage
You're the unknown foreign vendor. They're the trusted local incumbent.
Types of Local Competitors
1. Regional leaders
Who they are: Dominant in one country or region, little/no global presence
Examples:
- Zoho (India-based, strong in India/Southeast Asia)
- SAP Business One (German SMB market)
- Yandex (Russia search/cloud)
- Baidu (China search/AI)
- Mercado Libre (Latin America e-commerce)
Characteristics:
- Deep local expertise
- Optimized for regional needs
- Strong local sales/support infrastructure
- Competitive pricing for region
- Local payment methods, integration ecosystem
2. National incumbents
Who they are: Dominant in single country, built for that market
Examples:
- Naver (South Korea search/portal)
- Rakuten (Japan e-commerce)
- Flipkart (India e-commerce before Walmart acquisition)
- Alipay/WeChat Pay (China payments)
Characteristics:
- Market leader in home country
- Product built for local needs
- Government relationships
- Cultural relevance
- Difficult to displace
3. Regional startups
Who they are: Fast-growing startups in local market, flying under global radar
Examples:
- Gojek (Indonesia ride-sharing/super-app)
- Grab (Southeast Asia ride-sharing)
- Nubank (Brazil fintech)
Characteristics:
- Solving region-specific problems
- Local funding and support
- Rapid growth in region
- May expand regionally but not globally
Finding Local Competitors
You won't find them in Gartner or Forrester. Need different research methods.
Method 1: Customer and prospect interviews
Ask: "What other solutions are you considering or using?" "Who do you see as the leader in this space in [country]?" "What local vendors did you evaluate?"
Prospects will tell you who they're comparing you to.
Method 2: Local search
Search in local language:
- Google.de (Germany)
- Yandex.ru (Russia)
- Baidu.com (China)
- Naver.com (South Korea)
Search terms: "[Product category] software" in local language
Example: "CRM software" → "CRM-Software" (German) → Find local vendors
Check ads and organic results (top 10).
Method 3: Local industry publications
Find:
- Local tech news sites
- Industry publications
- Business magazines
- Trade journals
Example Germany:
- t3n.de (tech news)
- Handelsblatt (business)
- Industry-specific publications
See who's featured, advertising, winning awards.
Method 4: Trade shows and conferences
Attend local events:
- See who's exhibiting
- Who's sponsoring
- Who's speaking
- Who customers are talking about
Example:
- CeBIT (Germany)
- Web Summit (Portugal/Europe)
- TechCrunch Disrupt (various)
- Regional industry conferences
Method 5: LinkedIn and local networks
Search LinkedIn: "[Role] at [Company Type] in [Country]"
Example: "Sales Manager at CRM Software in Germany"
See where people work → Identify competitors
Local networks:
- XING (Germany professional network)
- VK (Russia)
- WeChat (China)
Method 6: Local VC and startup databases
Resources:
- Crunchbase (filter by region)
- AngelList (regional startups)
- Local VC portfolios
- Regional accelerators
Find emerging competitors before they're known.
Method 7: Sales loss analysis
After losing deals, ask: "Who did you choose instead?"
Track in CRM:
- Competitor name
- Why they chose them
- Pricing comparison
- Feature comparison
Pattern emerges: Local vendor X wins 70% of German deals.
Analyzing Local Competitors
Once identified, analyze systematically:
1. Market position
Research:
- Market share (if available)
- Customer count
- Revenue (if public)
- Growth rate
- Funding (for startups)
Sources:
- Company websites (some publish stats)
- News articles
- Funding databases
- Industry reports
2. Product positioning
Analyze:
- How do they position?
- What value props do they emphasize?
- What buyer persona do they target?
- What messaging resonates locally?
How:
- Study their website
- Read their blog and content
- Watch their demos (if available)
- Talk to their customers
3. Pricing strategy
Research:
- Public pricing (if available)
- Pricing model (subscription, perpetual, usage-based)
- Regional pricing differences
- Typical deal size
How:
- Check pricing page
- Ask prospects what they pay
- Sales intelligence from lost deals
4. Product capabilities
Analyze:
- Core features
- Unique capabilities
- Local integrations
- Language support
- Compliance/certifications
How:
- Product tours
- Free trials (if available)
- Customer interviews
- Sales demos (pose as prospect if ethical/legal)
5. Go-to-market approach
Understand:
- Sales model (direct, partner, hybrid)
- Marketing channels (events, content, paid)
- Customer success approach
- Support model
How:
- LinkedIn research (see their team)
- Event presence
- Content output
- Customer reviews
6. Strengths and weaknesses
From customer/prospect interviews:
Ask: "What do you like about [Local Competitor]?" "What frustrates you about them?" "Where do they excel?" "Where do they fall short?"
Identify opportunity gaps.
Competitive Battlecards for Local Markets
Create region-specific battlecards:
Germany Competitor: Local CRM X
Overview:
- German SMB CRM, 15 years in market
- 10,000+ customers in Germany
- Strong in manufacturing, services
Positioning: "Established German CRM for Mittelstand"
Strengths:
- Deep German market knowledge
- DATEV integration (German accounting)
- German-only support (seen as strength locally)
- Established brand
- Competitive pricing for German market
Weaknesses:
- Limited international capabilities
- Older UI/UX
- No mobile app
- Manual processes, limited automation
- Small team, slow innovation
Our Advantages:
- Modern, intuitive interface
- Mobile-first
- Advanced automation
- International capabilities (if they need it)
- Faster innovation
When We Win:
- Companies with international operations
- Teams wanting modern UX
- Need for automation and integrations
- Growth-focused companies
When They Win:
- German-only operations
- Traditional businesses preferring local vendor
- Price-sensitive SMBs
- Prefer German-only support
Objection Handling:
"They know the German market better": "True, they're established locally. We've learned from 1,000+ German customers and combine that local knowledge with global innovation and best practices from 50 countries. You get local expertise plus global capabilities."
"They integrate with DATEV": "We also integrate with DATEV, plus 100+ other tools. Our integration platform is more flexible for your tech stack."
"They're more affordable": "Let's look at total value. Our automation saves your team 10 hours/week. That ROI exceeds our price difference within 3 months."
Monitoring Local Competition
Set up ongoing monitoring:
Google Alerts (in local language):
- Competitor company name
- Competitor + "funding" or "partnership"
- Competitor + industry terms
Social media monitoring:
- Follow their accounts
- Monitor mentions
- Track engagement
Website monitoring:
- Track their pricing changes (tools: Visualping)
- New features announcements
- Case studies and customers
Review sites:
- G2 (filter by region)
- Capterra (regional reviews)
- Local review sites
- TrustRadius
Track what customers say about them.
Sales win/loss tracking:
- When you compete against them, track outcome
- Why you won or lost
- What mattered to buyer
Quarterly competitor review:
- What changed?
- New features, pricing, messaging?
- Market share trends?
- Strategic moves?
Adapting Strategy for Local Competition
Based on competitive intelligence, adapt:
Positioning:
If local competitor is:
- Established, traditional → Position as modern, innovative
- Affordable, basic → Position as comprehensive, enterprise-grade
- Complex, enterprise → Position as simple, accessible
- Local-only → Position as global capabilities with local expertise
Your competitive positioning changes based on WHO you're competing against.
Pricing:
If local competitor is significantly cheaper:
- Consider regional pricing
- Or emphasize value/ROI to justify premium
- Or create entry tier for market
Features:
If local competitor has local integrations you lack:
- Build them (if important)
- Or partner for integrations
- Or de-emphasize integration importance
Sales approach:
If local competitor uses partners:
- Consider partner strategy
- Or emphasize direct relationship value
If local competitor sells enterprise-only:
- Target mid-market with self-serve
- Different buyer segment
Case Study: Entering Germany
Product: Project management SaaS
Global competitors: Asana, Monday.com (known)
Local research reveals:
Local competitors found:
- Competitor A: German, 12 years, strong in manufacturing
- Competitor B: European startup, GDPR-focused
- Competitor C: German open-source alternative
Competitive analysis:
Competitor A:
- Strengths: Established, German support, industry templates
- Weaknesses: Outdated UI, expensive, slow innovation
Competitor B:
- Strengths: Modern, GDPR-native, European data centers
- Weaknesses: Limited features, small team
Competitor C:
- Strengths: Free/open-source, customizable
- Weaknesses: Requires technical setup, no support
Adapted strategy:
Positioning: "Modern project management with enterprise security and German support"
Emphasizes:
- Modern (vs. Competitor A)
- Enterprise features (vs. Competitor B)
- Managed/supported (vs. Competitor C)
- GDPR compliance (table stakes)
Pricing:
- Regional pricing (20% lower than US)
- Competitive with local incumbents
Features:
- German language
- DATEV integration (accounting)
- German data residency
- German support team
Sales:
- Hired German sales team
- Partnered with German implementation partners
- German case studies
Result: Competitive differentiation based on local competitive landscape.
Common Mistakes
Mistake 1: Ignoring local competition
Assuming global competitors are only threat.
Reality: Local players dominate many markets.
Mistake 2: Underestimating local players
Thinking: "They're not on Gartner, not a threat"
Reality: They own the local market you want to enter.
Mistake 3: Using global battlecards
Comparing to Salesforce when buyers compare to local vendor.
Better: Region-specific battlecards.
Mistake 4: No ongoing monitoring
One-time research, never updated.
Better: Quarterly competitive reviews, ongoing monitoring.
Mistake 5: No local customer intelligence
Not asking local customers who they considered.
Better: Win/loss analysis by region.
Getting Started
Month 1: Discovery
- Customer/prospect interviews (who do you compete against?)
- Local search research
- Trade show and publication research
- Identify top 3-5 local competitors
Month 2: Analysis
- Deep dive on each competitor
- Positioning, pricing, product
- Strengths and weaknesses
- Customer perspectives
Month 3: Strategy
- Create regional battlecards
- Adapt positioning and messaging
- Identify competitive advantages
- Sales enablement
Ongoing:
- Monitor competitors quarterly
- Update battlecards
- Track win/loss by competitor
- Refine strategy
International expansion without local competitive intelligence is flying blind. You'll lose to competitors you didn't know existed.
Research local competitors systematically, understand their advantages, and adapt your strategy accordingly.
Know your local competition better than they know you.