Your best potential customers are often already buying from direct competitors in the same market. They engage with competitor content, attend webinars, and invest money in solutions similar to yours. The question isn’t if you should target them, it’s how to do it responsibly and win qualified deals.
Competitor prospecting works because these buyers already know the problem. They’ve secured budget, understand the solution category, and are actively using tools in your space. Start by studying your direct competitors.
Review competitor posts, events, and customer comments to spot accounts with intent, then reflect that insight in your outreach.
In this guide, you’ll learn how to:
- Study competitors and pull concrete signals about your market (who engages, what they ask, which events they attend)
- Identify potential buyers and key prospects already engaged with direct competitors
- Extract and organize contact details so you can contact decision-makers directly
- Write messages that reference their current tool and show, with one example, how you solve a pain they’ve raised
Use these methods to prioritize high-intent buyers and run focused outreach that turns competitor accounts into pipeline.
Why competitor prospecting outperforms cold outreach
Someone actively using a competitor’s solution has already cleared the biggest hurdles in your sales process.
They understand the problem, they’ve secured budget approval, and they’re familiar with how solutions in your category work.
This makes them far more valuable than cold prospects who may not recognize the problem yet.
Cold audiences often need education before they engage. That’s why competitor prospecting delivers better results than broad, untargeted outreach.
The competitive advantage of targeting competitor customers
- Qualified by default: These potential buyers have demonstrated buying intent by choosing a competitor. They’re not tire-kickers, they’re active buyers in your market.
- Shorter sales cycles: You skip the education phase. No need to explain why they need this category of solution. Jump straight to why your solution works better for their specific situation.
- Higher conversion rates: Focused, intent-based outreach typically beats broad blasts. Teams using targeted prospecting can see response rates up to 40% when messages are personalized and relevant.
- Warmer conversations: You can reference their current solution, their interactions with competitors, or their industry challenges. This creates immediate relevance that cold outreach can’t match.
- Market intelligence: Understanding which competitors your prospects use reveals trends and helps you identify gaps in competitor offerings.
Think about your own buying decisions. When you switched CRMs, project management tools, or marketing platforms, what drove the change?
Most teams switch when their tool can’t cover a critical workflow. Your prospects face the same gap today.
Conducting competitor analysis and market research to identify target clients
LinkedIn is the best place to find prospects already using competitor tools, making it ideal for social prospecting. The platform’s structure makes it surprisingly easy to identify these high-value targets and understand your competitors’ audience.
1. Identify potential clients by following direct competitors’ executives
You can’t export followers from competitor pages. LinkedIn only lets page admins export their own followers. Always use publicly available data you’re allowed to access.
But there’s a smarter workaround that gives you more qualified prospects.
Target people who follow your competitor’s CEO, founders, or key executives on LinkedIn. These individuals show active interest in the company and are likely customers, partners, or serious prospects evaluating solutions in your space.
Here’s how to execute this strategy:
Start by identifying your top three to five direct competitors. Then find their CEOs, founders, and other influential executives on LinkedIn.
Use LinkedIn’s advanced search filters to find people following these executives. Go to LinkedIn’s People search, apply relevant filters (job title, industry, company size), then add a filter for “Follower of: [Executive Name].” Run this search, then pass the URL to PhantomBuster’s LinkedIn Search Export automation to capture the results.
Run PhantomBuster’s LinkedIn Search Export automation to turn search results into a structured lead list (titles, companies, locations). Then feed that list into enrichment and CRM sync.
Build separate lists and tag each record by competitor in your CRM for tracking. Someone following Competitor A’s CEO might care about different features than someone following Competitor B’s founder.
Pro tip: Look for industry thought leaders who frequently discuss your competitor’s solutions or the problems they solve. Save those profiles, then use PhantomBuster to export their engaged audiences from relevant posts.
2. Find engaged prospects interacting with direct competitors
Prospects who comment on or like competitor posts show active interest in solutions like yours. They’re not passive observers, they’re engaged with the problem space right now.
Monitor your competitors’ top-performing posts. Look for content about product launches, case studies, feature announcements, or industry trends. These posts attract prospects actively evaluating solutions.
Use PhantomBuster’s LinkedIn Post Commenters Export (and Post Likers Export, if needed) to capture engaged profiles, then merge them into your competitor list.
What to look for in engagement:
Pay special attention to the comments section. People asking questions, sharing their own experiences, or discussing implementation challenges are especially valuable. They’re signaling specific pain points you can address in your outreach.
Build targeted lists based on the type of engagement. Prioritize commenters over simple likers, they signal stronger intent.
3. Extract attendees from competitor events and webinars
Competitor-hosted LinkedIn Events are full of people actively exploring solutions in your space. These are bottom-of-funnel prospects already in buying mode.
Find upcoming competitor events by monitoring their company pages and following their key executives. Events typically show up in LinkedIn’s Events section, and attendee lists are often publicly visible.
Step-by-step process:
Register for the event yourself to access the full attendee list. Once registered, the networking tab reveals everyone attending, complete with their LinkedIn profiles, job titles, and companies.
Use PhantomBuster’s LinkedIn Event Attendees Export automation to pull the attendee list into a spreadsheet. You’ll get all the data you need to prioritize and personalize your outreach.
Time your outreach strategically. Reach out before the event with a message referencing your shared interest in the topic. Or wait until after the event and reference specific content from the presentation in your follow-up.
Example pre-event message:
“Hi [Name], I noticed you’re attending [Competitor]’s webinar on [topic] next week. Are you currently using [Competitor]’s solution, or evaluating options? I’d love to share how [Your Company] approaches [specific challenge] differently. It might help as you evaluate options.”
4. Find prospects in competitor-focused LinkedIn Groups
LinkedIn Groups attract people already thinking about the problems your competitors solve. These smaller, focused communities contain highly qualified prospects interested in your industry.
Search for LinkedIn Groups related to your competitor’s product category, user communities, or industry focus areas. Look for both official groups run by competitors and unofficial user communities.
Join relevant groups and monitor discussions. Pay attention to who’s asking questions, sharing challenges, or discussing implementation issues. These active members represent your ideal potential clients.
If group membership is visible to you, use PhantomBuster to collect member profiles you can legally access. Respect group rules and LinkedIn’s terms, only use publicly available data. Filter by job titles and companies that match your ideal customer profile.
Best practice: Engage authentically in group discussions before sending connection requests. Answer questions, share helpful resources, and establish yourself as a knowledgeable resource. This warms up prospects before you reach out directly and builds credibility within the community.
5. Monitor job changes from competitor companies
People leaving competitor companies are strong outreach opportunities. They’re taking their knowledge of competitor solutions with them, and they’ll likely need to choose new tools at their next role.
Track when employees leave your competitors by monitoring their LinkedIn activity. Sales reps, customer success managers, and product people from competitor companies are especially valuable to connect with.
Reach out in their first 30 to 60 days at the new company. This is when they’re evaluating tools and setting up their tech stack.
Example message:
“Hi [Name], congratulations on joining [New Company]! I saw you previously worked at [Competitor]. As you build out your stack at [New Company], I’d love to show you how [Your Product] compares, especially on [specific capability they’d care about].”
Ready to test this? Start a 14-day trial and build your first competitor list in minutes.
Advanced competitor prospecting strategies
Start with followers, then add these methods to reach higher-intent accounts.
Target first-degree connections of competitor employees
If a company has over 500 employees, you can target the first-degree connections of those employees on LinkedIn. This expands your reach to prospects in your competitors’ extended networks.
This works especially well for finding prospects who know competitor employees but might not follow the company page. These personal connections often indicate deeper relationships, like current customers who know their account manager, or former colleagues who’ve stayed connected.
If you run ads, use Campaign Manager to target these connections. For direct outreach, export visible connections with PhantomBuster as part of your competitor prospecting automation. Filter by seniority and function to avoid mass invites. Keep daily actions within safe limits and LinkedIn guidelines.
Extract customer logos from competitor websites
Many B2B companies showcase customer logos on their websites. These represent confirmed users of competitor solutions, the highest-quality prospects you can find.
Visit competitor websites and identify their customer showcase sections. Note which companies they feature prominently. These tend to be their most successful or highest-profile customers.
Build a target account list from published logos. Validate that the logo implies current usage, then use PhantomBuster to collect publicly available employee profiles that match your ICP.
Reference the published logo and ask a confirmation question (e.g., “Are you still using…?”) to keep the message accurate.
Monitor competitor pricing and feature discussions
Track conversations about competitor pricing, limitations, and missing features. These discussions reveal prospects experiencing pain with their current solution.
Search LinkedIn, Reddit, and industry forums for posts mentioning your competitors by name. Look for complaints, feature requests, or questions about alternatives.
Set up alerts for these search terms:
- “[Competitor] vs”
- “[Competitor] alternatives”
- “[Competitor] pricing”
- “[Competitor] review”
- “[Competitor] problems”
These searches surface prospects actively evaluating options. When you find these discussions, note the specific pain points mentioned. Use these exact concerns in your outreach messaging to demonstrate you understand their challenges.
How to enrich competitor prospect data
Raw LinkedIn profiles don’t give you everything you need for effective outreach. Enrich your prospect data to improve targeting and personalization.
Find verified email addresses
Use PhantomBuster’s AI Enricher to return verified business emails where available. Match rates depend on list quality and your verification setup, test a sample before scaling.
Always verify emails before launching campaigns. Invalid emails hurt your sender reputation and waste outreach opportunities.
Prioritize prospects with verified email addresses for your initial outreach waves. Circle back to prospects without emails via LinkedIn messaging.
Extract company information
Use PhantomBuster’s AI Enricher to add company size, industry, funding, and growth signals, then segment messaging by tier.
| Company Signal | What It Tells You | How to Use It |
|---|---|---|
| Company size | Budget capacity and decision-making complexity | Larger companies = bigger budgets but longer cycles |
| Recent funding | Budget flexibility and growth mode | Newly funded companies are more open to new tools |
| Growth rate | Urgency for scalable solutions | Fast-growing businesses need solutions that scale |
| Industry | Specific pain points and use cases | Tailor messaging to industry-specific challenges |
Use this information to segment your outreach. Create different messaging tracks for enterprise accounts versus SMBs, or for funded startups versus established companies.
Track recent activity and intent signals
Recent profile updates, job changes, and content engagement all signal buying intent. Prospects who recently changed roles are more open to new solutions. People engaging with content about your solution category show active interest.
Use these signals to time outreach when interest is highest. Reach out when prospects are most likely to respond.
Schedule your PhantomBuster automations to refresh lists weekly and push updates to your CRM so segments stay current.
Creating effective competitor displacement messaging
You’ve identified competitor customers. You’ve enriched their data. Now comes the critical part: what you actually say to engage these prospects.
Your messaging needs to accomplish three things simultaneously. First, acknowledge their current solution without insulting their decision. Second, introduce a specific reason they should consider alternatives. Third, make it easy for them to take the next step.
Lead with relevance, not pitch
Instead of blindly reaching out to random prospects, you now have a solid reason for your outreach. Use it.
Start by referencing their connection to your competitor. This immediately establishes context and relevance.
Opening line example:
“Hi [Name], I noticed you’re following [Competitor CEO] on LinkedIn. Are you currently using [Competitor]’s [solution category], or evaluating options?”
This opening acknowledges why you’re reaching out and invites a response without being pushy.
Position against competitor gaps
Highlight specific gaps in competitor offerings. This is where your unique value becomes clear.
Don’t trash-talk competitors. Instead, focus on areas where your solution legitimately excels. Keep it factual and link to a neutral comparison or customer story when possible.
Positioning statement example:
“Based on conversations with teams who switched from [Competitor], they typically tell us [specific capability] was missing. That’s exactly what we built [Your Product] to solve.”
This approach educates rather than criticizes. You’re helping them evaluate options, not attacking their current vendor.
Offer specific value in exchange for attention
Make your ask small and valuable. Avoid big asks early. Offer a quick, specific resource or a 10 to 15 minute call.
Value-first offer examples:
- “I put together a quick comparison showing how [Your Product] approaches [specific capability] differently than [Competitor]. Would it be helpful if I sent it over?”
- “I saw you attended [Competitor]’s webinar on [topic]. Based on what was covered, thought you might find our approach to [specific challenge] interesting, particularly around [relevant feature].”
Give before you ask. Provide value first, whether that’s a useful comparison, relevant content, or specific insights about their situation.
Automating competitor prospecting with PhantomBuster
Manual competitor prospecting doesn’t scale. Automation enables continuous, systematic prospecting that feeds your pipeline with qualified prospects.
Set up a single competitor prospecting automation in PhantomBuster that (1) refreshes follower-based lead lists, (2) adds new post engagers and event attendees, and (3) enriches and syncs updates to your CRM.
Keep daily actions within conservative limits, pause when LinkedIn flags appear, and follow LinkedIn’s terms. Personalize messages to avoid unsolicited mass messaging.
Use PhantomBuster’s native CRM integrations or Zapier/Make to auto-sync segments to HubSpot, Salesforce, or Pipedrive with tags for each competitor. Auto-segment by competitor signals, keep records enriched, and trigger tailored sequences in your CRM, no manual uploads.
Use PhantomBuster’s AI-powered personalization to draft first-touch messages from titles, companies, and competitor signals, then review before sending. Example message template:
“Hi [Name], noticed you’re following [Competitor Executive/Influencer]. Based on your role as [Job Title] at [Company], thought you might be interested in how we approach [specific capability] differently…”
Review AI drafts for tone and accuracy before sending. A/B test opening lines and keep what performs.
Measuring competitor prospecting success
Track the right metrics to understand what’s working and optimize your approach continuously.
Key metrics to monitor
Target ranges we often see in warm, competitor-led outreach: acceptance 25 to 35%, replies eight to 15%, meetings 15 to 30%. Your mileage will vary by segment and message.
| Metric | What Success Looks Like | How to Improve |
|---|---|---|
| Connection acceptance rate | 25 to 35% | Test different opening messages referencing competitor connections |
| Response rate | Eight to 15% for warm competitor prospects | Improve personalization and value proposition |
| Meeting conversion | 15 to 30% of responses book meetings | Offer specific, low-commitment next steps |
| Competitor segment performance | Varies by competitor | Focus effort on segments showing highest engagement |
| Pipeline contribution | Competitor prospects typically outperform cold leads | Track separately to prove ROI of this channel |
Set a 90-day test. Track acceptance, replies, meetings, and sourced pipeline separately for competitor-led outreach.
Avoid pitfalls in competitor prospecting and target market research
Even with the right tools and strategies, several pitfalls can undermine your efforts.
| Mistake Number | Mistake Description | Explanation | Best Practice |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mistake 1 | Talking negatively about competitors | Insulting competitors insults prospects’ judgment. It damages credibility and trust. | Focus on creating value and demonstrating your unique problem-solving abilities. Acknowledge competitors’ strengths while highlighting where you excel. |
| Mistake 2 | Reaching out without additional research | Using competitor connections as the only talking point misses personalization opportunities. | Take time to review each prospect’s profile. Incorporate their role, recent posts, or company challenges into your message alongside the competitor connection. |
| Mistake 3 | Ignoring timing and context | Contacting prospects at the wrong time wastes effort. Someone who just renewed a contract is unlikely to switch soon. | Pay attention to signals like job transitions, company growth, complaints, or active evaluations. Time outreach to coincide with openness to change. |
| Mistake 4 | Failing to follow up | One message is rarely enough to build trust and achieve meaningful results. | Build multi-touch sequences with varied value in each touchpoint such as articles, success stories, or capability comparisons. Persistence pays off. |
Start winning customers from your competitors
Competitor prospecting gives you access to the most qualified prospects in your market. People who already understand your solution category, have budget allocated, and are using products similar to yours.
The strategy is straightforward: identify prospects connected to your competitors, extract their contact information, enrich their data, and reach out with messaging that positions you as the better alternative.
PhantomBuster automates this entire process. Extract competitor followers, event attendees, and content engagers. Find verified emails. Sync everything to your CRM. Use AI to personalize outreach at scale.
Build workflows that run continuously, feeding your pipeline with qualified prospects.
Shift more of your time to competitor-connected buyers while you nurture cold audiences with education.
This approach consistently outperforms broad cold outreach. Try it and track results.
Try PhantomBuster free for 14 days and turn your competitors’ audiences into your pipeline.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is competitor prospecting ethical?
Yes. Target prospects who have publicly shown interest in your solution category. Use only publicly available data, respect group rules, comply with LinkedIn’s terms, and honor opt-out requests promptly. Provide value in outreach rather than trying to poach customers.
How many competitor prospects should I target per month?
Start with 60 high-quality prospects (three per day) so you can personalize without cutting corners. Adjust up or down based on reply rates. Focus on personalized outreach rather than volume. Scale gradually as your process proves effective.
Should I target all my competitors equally?
No. Prioritize competitors with vulnerable customer bases. Common complaints, poor service, or outdated features signal opportunities.
How long does competitor prospecting take to show results?
Expect first replies within a week, pipeline impact often shows in two to three months. Warm competitor prospects typically outperform cold lists. Track this as a separate channel.
What’s the best time to reach out to competitor prospects?
Respond to urgent signals (job changes, event attendance, complaints) immediately. Otherwise, aim for local business hours (Tuesday to Thursday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.). Test and use your own data to confirm.
Do I need LinkedIn Sales Navigator for competitor prospecting?
Not required. Standard LinkedIn plus PhantomBuster is sufficient. Sales Navigator helps at scale for advanced filtering and targeting.