reference.md
A supporting file of the market-command-matrix skill.
Market Command Matrix — reference
Framework and narrative are based on Patrick Campbell / Patticus, Competitor Research and Strategy (2023). This package adapts that programme into a portable Agent Skill. A sibling-style repo with Hermes-oriented notes: kastrah/market-command-matrix.
Signal checklist
Use for reconnaissance and ongoing monitoring (monthly or quarterly cadence for priority players):
- Website and landing-page messaging
- Product pages and feature claims
- Social profiles and recent themes
- Visible ads or campaign pushes
- App store listings and reviews (if relevant)
- Pricing and onboarding flow
- Press mentions and partnerships
- Hiring, funding, and expansion signals
- SEO / blog topics
- Customer comments, FAQs, repeated objections
Separate verified evidence from assumptions.
Extraction questions
For each priority player on each review cycle:
- What promise are they making?
- Who are they speaking to?
- What pain do they lead with?
- What proof do they show?
- What CTA do they push?
- What channel are they strongest on?
- What do they avoid saying?
- What operational weakness is visible?
- What customer behaviour are they trying to change?
Playbooks by category
Pick one primary motion per priority player. Expand only where the user asks for depth.
Attack (high mindshare + high resources)
- Comparison page or landing
- Wedge campaign (narrow audience, use case, geo, workflow, or belief gap)
- Proof-led positioning (claims competitors cannot copy quickly)
- Partnership attack (where legal and brand allow)
- Content wedge
- Sales battlecard
Expect retaliation or fast copying—discipline matters.
Monitor (low mindshare + high resources)
- Monthly or quarterly watchlist
- Triggers: funding, hiring, pricing, messaging, partnerships, launches, channel moves
- Messaging change log
- Rules for when monitoring escalates to active competition
Harvest (high mindshare + low resources)
- Migration or switching offers
- Gap content (what they educate on vs what they under-deliver)
- Operational reliability proof, depth, support, trust
- Local execution story
- Integration strategy where relevant
Ignore (low mindshare + low resources)
- No strategic programme spend
- Capture any useful customer signal they reveal
- Revisit only if mindshare or resources shift materially
Partner (ecosystem / complementary)
- Ecosystem integration plan
- Referral or reseller path
- Joint campaign or audience swap
- Co-branded trust proof
- Clear value exchange; watch channel conflict and future competitive overlap
Defend (when you are the incumbent under pressure)
Use when you are the high-mindshare player under attack:
- Retention messaging
- Customer education
- Objection handling
- Proof bank
- Reinforce switching costs ethically (real lock-in from value, not dark patterns)
Market shapes
After matrix placement, name the shape when data supports it:
| Shape | Read | Strategic implication (typical) |
|---|---|---|
| Intensely fragmented | No clear winner | If market is large/early, grow fast; if small/low-value, re-check opportunity sizing. |
| Challenger | One or two dominant players | Attack leaders with wedges and/or partner other challengers. |
| Ancient | Stagnant incumbents, poor CX | Harvest aggressively with fulfilment and trust. |
| Mature | Active entrants and exits; mixed quadrants | Run offensive and defensive playbooks in parallel by segment. |
Full analysis template
Use as markdown sections unless the user’s org template overrides.
Strategic thesis
One sentence: what the market map means for where to play and how to win.
Competitor map
- Direct competitors
- Adjacent competitors
- Substitute behaviours
- Ecosystem actors
Evidence table
| Player | Signal | Source | Date checked | Confidence | Implication |
|---|
Matrix placement
| Player | Mindshare (H/M/L) | Resources (H/M/L) | Category | Rationale | What would change placement |
|---|
Whitespace and positioning
- What the market is missing
- What you can credibly own
- What not to copy
Recommended actions
| Action | Owner | Dependency | Output | Deadline / checkpoint |
|---|
Market shape
Fragmented / challenger / ancient / mature — and what that implies.
Milestones and triggers
- What to monitor
- What would change the decision
- When to re-run the matrix
One-page decision memo template
Player: …
Placement: attack | monitor | harvest | ignore | partner
Evidence: … (1–2 strongest signals)
Meaning: … (what it changes strategically)
Action: … (one concrete next move)
Trigger: … (what to watch next)Survey and research hygiene
- Unaided before aided for mindshare questions.
- Avoid anchoring on your brand or a named competitor in early questions when possible.
- Prefer anonymous or neutral framing where compliance allows.
- Be careful with incentives (direct payment to panelists vs raffle-style bias).
- Survey sources (roughly easiest → hardest): your CRM/prospects (anonymous where possible), paid panels, prospects outside CRM (compliance), competitor customers from public proof, targeted ads to survey landers.
Hermes and other agents
- Hermes: install by copying this skill folder (or
SKILL.md+reference.md) into your Hermes skills directory; load skill namemarket-command-matrix. - Cursor / Claude Code / OpenCode / Windsurf: use
npx @its-thepoe/skills@latest install market-command-matrix(after publish) or symlink from this monorepo.
License
MIT — framework narrative credited to Patticus / Patrick Campbell as above; skill packaging under @its-thepoe is maintained in its-thepoe/skills.