benchmark-methodologylisted

# Benchmark Methodology Use this skill to turn a scoped competitor set into **comparable, defensible scores**. Each competitor is assessed on the same nine dimensions, with explicit 1–5 rubrics, then captured in a uniform profile card. Consistency is the point: scores are only useful if the same evidence would earn the same number for any competitor. ## When to Activate - A scoped, tiered competitor set from competitive-platform-analysis is ready to score. - Need comparable, evidence-anchored scores across competitors — not gut-feel rankings. - Client's strategic tension (the paired axes defining their target white-space) has been established. - Preparing to produce profile cards for assembly in competitive-report-structure. ## Client positioning brief (establish first) Before scoring, establish the client's positioning brief. It supplies: - **Strategic tension** — the two axes (e.g., memorability × hireability) whose intersection marks the client's target white-space. Dimension 9 is always the client's named tension; report both poles separately, never averaged. - **Differentiator** — what makes the client's moat. This informs which dimensions matter most for the client's positioning argument. - **Brand balance** — the intended mix of distinct strategic emphases. Strategic recommendations must not break this balance without flagging it. ## Why these dimensions The client competes on a **specific tension held across two poles**, not on service breadth. The dim