You'll never get a competitor's internal numbers from a survey — and you don't need them. What you can measure is far more useful: how your market perceives you versus them, and why people pick one brand over another.

Here's a simple, repeatable framework for competitor analysis by survey.

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Set expectations first. A survey is a window into perception and choice — not a way to extract a rival's pricing model or revenue. Ask people about their experience and views, never for insider facts they wouldn't reliably know.

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Start broad: do people know you, would they consider you, and do they prefer you to rivals? The stage where the biggest drop-off happens tells you whether your competitive problem is awareness, perception, or conversion.

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To see how you're positioned in people's minds, use a semantic differential: a set of scales between opposite traits (expensive–affordable, complex–simple). Ask people to place you — and your competitor — on each, and the contrast reveals your image.

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The sharpest insight comes from people who considered you and picked a competitor. Ask them directly what tipped the decision. The top reason is usually your single most valuable competitive fix.

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Analysis is only useful if it changes what you say. Find an attribute your customers value that no rival clearly owns, lead your messaging with it, and re-run the survey later to check whether the perception has shifted.

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