Strategic Thinking at Scale — Without the McKinsey Bill
20 Claude prompts for SWOT analysis, market entry strategy, competitive positioning, pricing models, and structured decision-making that plays to Claude's reasoning strengths.
In short: This page contains 20 copy-paste ready prompts, organized into 4 categories with a description and pro tip for each. The first 5 prompts are free instantly, no signup needed. Drafted with AI writing assistance and checked against our editorial policy.
Frameworks & Analysis
5 promptsDeep SWOT Analysis
1/20✨ What it does
Claude runs a rigorous SWOT plus TOWS for [business/situation] with specific strengths and weaknesses, ranked moves, and blind spots. Name [what decision does this inform], then take only the move you will fund this quarter.
<task>Conduct a rigorous SWOT analysis for [business/situation]</task> <context> - Business: [describe] - Market: [describe] - Timeframe: [horizon] - Strategic question: [what decision does this inform] </context> <output> - Strengths (5-7 with specifics, not vague claims) - Weaknesses (5-7 honest assessments) - Opportunities (ranked by impact × feasibility) - Threats (ranked by likelihood × severity) - SWOT-to-TOWS matrix showing strategic intersections - Top 3 strategic implications with reasoning - Biggest blind spots in this analysis </output>
Pro tip: Most SWOT analyses fail because they're vague ("good team," "competitive market"). Rigorous SWOTs have specifics backed by evidence. Push Claude to cite real data points — it responds well to "be specific, not generic."
Porter's Five Forces
2/20✨ What it does
Claude applies Porter's Five Forces to [industry/market] from [describe who I am in this market], rating each force, the trend, and a recommended posture. Use the weakest-force note in your next planning meeting, then drop a market you cannot defend.
<task>Apply Porter's Five Forces to [industry/market]</task> <industry>[describe]</industry> <company_perspective>[describe who I am in this market]</company_perspective> <output> For each force: 1. Threat of new entrants (barriers to entry, capital requirements, network effects) 2. Bargaining power of suppliers (concentration, switching costs) 3. Bargaining power of buyers (price sensitivity, alternatives) 4. Threat of substitutes (adjacent solutions to same job) 5. Competitive rivalry (market growth, differentiation, exit barriers) For each: (a) strength rating 1-5, (b) reasoning with specific evidence, (c) trend (strengthening/weakening), (d) strategic implication for me. Then: overall industry attractiveness score + my recommended posture (attack, defend, pivot, exit).
Pro tip: Porter's Five Forces is 40 years old but still the best lens for industry structure. Claude can apply it rigorously with your inputs. The insight isn't in the framework — it's in how you respond strategically to the findings.
Jobs-to-be-Done Analysis
3/20✨ What it does
Claude maps the jobs customers hire [product/market] to do, covering functional, emotional, and social jobs plus what pushes or holds them back. Interview one customer against that list, then change the homepage to the job they actually named.
<task>Apply Jobs-to-be-Done framework to [product/market]</task> <inputs> - Product: [describe] - Customers: [describe segments] - Current positioning: [describe] </inputs> <output> 1. Functional jobs (what customer is trying to get done) 2. Emotional jobs (how they want to feel) 3. Social jobs (how they want to be perceived) 4. Current workarounds / competitors hired for this job 5. Forces of progress (push + pull + anxiety + habit) 6. Where we're under-serving the job 7. Strategic implications for positioning + product </output>
Pro tip: JTBD reframes "who is the customer?" as "what job are they hiring us to do?" It often reveals that your competitors aren't who you think — they're whatever else solves the same job. Claude handles this analytical depth well.
Business Model Canvas
4/20✨ What it does
Claude fills all nine Business Model Canvas blocks for [business] and flags the weakest assumption with a test you can run. Run that one experiment first, then update the canvas after you have real numbers.
<task>Build a Business Model Canvas for [business]</task> <business>[describe]</business> <output> Complete each of 9 blocks with specifics: 1. Customer Segments 2. Value Propositions 3. Channels 4. Customer Relationships 5. Revenue Streams 6. Key Resources 7. Key Activities 8. Key Partnerships 9. Cost Structure For each: (a) current state, (b) biggest assumption being made, (c) weakest block. Then: top 3 experiments to validate the weakest assumptions.
Pro tip: The value of the Business Model Canvas is spotting your weakest block. Most founders have 8 solid blocks and 1 catastrophic one — the catastrophic one is where the business dies. Find it, validate it, fix it.
Blue Ocean Strategy Analysis
5/20✨ What it does
Claude applies Blue Ocean thinking to [market] with industry factors and Eliminate, Reduce, Raise, Create moves, plus who you are not serving yet. Pick one factor to stop competing on, then brief product on the create move.
<task>Apply Blue Ocean Strategy to [market]</task> <current_state>[describe the red ocean we're in or next to]</current_state> <output> 1. Current industry factors everyone competes on (identify 6-10) 2. Four Actions Framework: - ELIMINATE: which factors should we eliminate that the industry takes for granted? - REDUCE: which factors should we reduce well below industry standard? - RAISE: which factors should we raise above industry standard? - CREATE: which factors should we create that industry has never offered? 3. Proposed new value curve vs competitors 4. Target non-customer segments (people not buying from anyone) 5. Positioning statement for the blue ocean </output>
Pro tip: Blue oceans aren't new markets — they're new positions in existing markets. Cirque du Soleil isn't "new entertainment"; it's circus minus animals plus theater. The framework forces subtraction, not just addition.
Market & Competitive
5 promptsMarket Entry Strategy
6/20✨ What it does
Claude builds a market-entry plan for [market/geography] with TAM, SAM, and SOM, entry modes, barriers, a phased sequence, and kill criteria. Choose one entry mode you can staff, then write the kill number before you spend.
<task>Build a market entry strategy for [market/geography]</task> <context> - Our product: [describe] - Target market: [describe] - Current position: [describe if any] - Resources available: [describe] </context> <output> 1. Market sizing (TAM, SAM, SOM with methodology) 2. Entry mode options (direct, partnership, acquisition, license) 3. For each: pros, cons, capital required, time to value 4. Local competitive landscape 5. Key barriers (regulatory, cultural, financial) 6. Recommended entry sequence (6, 12, 24 months) 7. Success metrics and kill criteria </output>
Pro tip: Market entry strategies fail on "kill criteria" — the signals that say "abandon this market." Without predefined kill criteria, sunk costs keep you in bad markets for years. Decide what would make you quit BEFORE you enter.
Competitive Response Playbook
7/20✨ What it does
Claude builds a response playbook for [competitor action] with the likely strategy, four options, second-order effects, and signals to watch. Pick the option you can execute this month, then assign who watches the signals.
<task>Build a competitive response playbook for [competitor action]</task> <situation> - Competitor: [describe] - Their move: [describe] - Our current position: [describe] - What we know about their motivation: [describe] </situation> <output> 1. Likely underlying strategy behind their move 2. 4 response options: (a) match, (b) differentiate, (c) ignore, (d) disrupt 3. For each: reasoning, resource requirements, 2nd-order consequences 4. Recommended response with step-by-step plan 5. Messaging to customers about our response 6. What signals would change our response </output>
Pro tip: The default response to competitive moves is match ("they added X, so should we"). That's usually wrong — it concedes the terms of competition. Differentiate or ignore more often than you match. Claude helps think beyond default reactions.
Competitive Intelligence Brief
8/20✨ What it does
Claude writes a competitive brief on [competitor] covering snapshot, positioning, pricing, motion, vulnerabilities, and a counter. Paste public pages and reviews, then take one vulnerability into the next sales deck.
<task>Build a competitive intelligence brief on [competitor]</task> <inputs>[paste public info — website, product pages, pricing, press releases, reviews, funding news]</inputs> <output> 1. Company snapshot (size, funding, trajectory) 2. Product positioning + target customer 3. Pricing + packaging strategy 4. Go-to-market channels 5. Organizational structure (if inferable) 6. Strengths vs us 7. Weaknesses vs us 8. Strategic vulnerabilities we could exploit 9. What they're likely to do in next 12 months 10. Our optimal counter-strategy </output>
Pro tip: Competitive intelligence is the most underused input in strategy. 30 minutes studying a competitor's pricing page reveals more about their strategy than hours of guessing. Claude can synthesize public info into strategic insight fast.
Customer Segmentation Strategy
9/20✨ What it does
Claude segments customers by behavior, pain, and value rather than demographics, with size, profit, and who to stop serving. Mark the segment that pays, then pause acquisition on the one that loses money.
<task>Segment our customer base strategically</task> <inputs> - Product: [describe] - Current customer data: [describe or paste] - Revenue distribution: [describe] </inputs> <output> 1. 3-5 distinct segments with clear criteria (not demographics — behavior, pain, value) 2. For each: size estimate, profitability, acquisition cost, churn risk 3. Which segment drives 80% of profit 4. Which segments to focus on vs deprioritize vs fire 5. Product/message/pricing differentiation per segment 6. Risks of serving too broadly </output>
Pro tip: Most companies serve segments by accident. Intentional segmentation identifies which 20% of customers drive 80% of profit — and which customers to politely fire. Strategic subtraction beats aspirational addition.
Positioning Map
10/20✨ What it does
Claude builds a 2-axis positioning map for [market] from [suggest 3-4 axes that matter in this market], with competitor placement and empty quadrants. Occupy one empty quadrant you can prove, then drop the axes that do not change a buy.
<task>Create a positioning map for [market]</task> <market>[describe]</market> <axes_to_consider>[suggest 3-4 axes that matter in this market]</axes_to_consider> <output> 1. Best 2 axes for a positioning map (with reasoning) 2. Map with competitors placed + justified 3. Empty quadrants (unoccupied positioning) 4. For each empty quadrant: (a) size of opportunity, (b) reason it's empty, (c) feasibility of occupying 5. Our recommended position with reasoning 6. 2-year move plan to occupy and defend </output>
Pro tip: Empty quadrants in positioning maps are often empty for good reason. Before celebrating an empty spot, ask: "Why hasn't anyone taken this?" Sometimes the answer is "no market there." Sometimes the answer is "gold mine."
Pricing & Revenue
5 promptsPricing Strategy Framework
11/20✨ What it does
Claude builds a value-based pricing plan for [product] with tiers, psychology, a discount policy, and how you will raise later. Compare [list] competitor prices, then change one price only after you check margin.
<task>Build a pricing strategy for [product]</task> <inputs> - Product: [describe] - Target customer: [describe] - Competitors' pricing: [list] - Cost structure: [describe] - Current pricing pain: [describe] </inputs> <output> 1. Value-based pricing analysis (what outcome does the customer get × what % of that value should we capture) 2. Competitor-relative pricing (premium, mid, low, new category) 3. Psychological pricing tactics (anchors, tiers, decoys) 4. Price tier structure recommendation (3 tiers + rationale) 5. Discount policy + guardrails 6. Price increase strategy (when + how) 7. Risks and mitigations </output>
Pro tip: Cost-plus pricing leaves 30-50% of value on the table. Value-based pricing captures what customers are willing to pay based on outcomes delivered. The gap between "cost + margin" and "value captured" is where most pricing strategy lives.
Pricing Experiment Design
12/20✨ What it does
Claude designs a pricing experiment from [what you believe is true about pricing], with A versus B, sample size, KPIs, and a plan if the result is messy. Run it on new customers only, then lock the winner for a full cycle.
<task>Design a pricing experiment</task> <current_pricing>[describe]</current_pricing> <hypothesis>[what you believe is true about pricing]</hypothesis> <output> 1. The specific experiment (variant A vs variant B) 2. Customer segment to test on (new customers only, usually) 3. Sample size needed for statistical confidence 4. KPIs to track (not just conversion — also churn, LTV, support volume) 5. Duration 6. What would confirm vs refute the hypothesis 7. Risks (brand perception, fairness complaints) 8. What to do if results are ambiguous </output>
Pro tip: Pricing experiments fail when they're underpowered. If you have 100 new customers a month and want to test pricing, you need months to reach significance. Many orgs run "experiments" that can't prove anything — make sure yours can.
Packaging Strategy
13/20✨ What it does
Claude designs Good, Better, and Best packaging for [product] from [paste] features, with why each feature sits on a tier and how people upgrade. Publish the three tiers, then hide the feature that only exists to force a painful jump.
<task>Design product packaging (tier structure) for [product]</task> <inputs> - Features list: [paste] - Customer segments: [describe] - Current packaging: [describe if any] </inputs> <output> 1. 3-tier structure (Good/Better/Best) with feature assignments 2. Reasoning for each feature's tier placement 3. Which features to bundle vs sell as add-ons 4. Free tier / trial strategy (pros/cons) 5. Enterprise tier considerations 6. Migration path — how to get customers moving up 7. Common packaging mistakes to avoid </output>
Pro tip: Packaging drives 30-40% of revenue variance. A feature in the wrong tier either leaves money on the table or prevents adoption. Regularly audit which features drive upgrades vs which are filler — adjust placement accordingly.
Customer Lifetime Value Model
14/20✨ What it does
Claude builds a customer lifetime value model for [business] using [monthly/annual retention], margin, and expansion, with segment values and which lever moves them most. Recalculate with your real numbers, then set max acquisition cost from the conservative figure.
<task>Build a CLV model for [business]</task> <inputs> - ARPU: [describe] - Retention curve: [monthly/annual retention] - Margin: [describe] - Expansion rate: [describe] </inputs> <output> 1. Expected CLV calculation with formula breakdown 2. Segment-level CLV (different customer types) 3. Sensitivity analysis (how CLV changes with retention + ARPU + expansion) 4. Maximum CAC (what we can spend to acquire, given our CLV) 5. Biggest CLV levers (retention, expansion, pricing) 6. 3 experiments to increase CLV over next quarter </output>
Pro tip: CLV is the most important business metric most companies don't calculate accurately. Without CLV, you don't know what you can spend on acquisition — and you either under-invest or blow up your margins.
Revenue Diversification Plan
15/20✨ What it does
Claude ranks concentration risk for [business] and offers three diversification paths with metrics, from [describe + %] of the main source. Start the path that does not starve the core, then watch the concentration percentage monthly.
<task>Plan revenue diversification for [business]</task> <current_state> - Primary revenue source: [describe + %] - Customer concentration: [top customers as % of revenue] - Product concentration: [top products as % of revenue] </current_state> <output> 1. Concentration risks ranked by severity 2. 3 diversification paths (product, channel, segment, geography) 3. For each: feasibility, capital needed, time to meaningful revenue 4. Recommended sequence 5. Metrics to track diversification progress 6. Protection strategies for the primary revenue source while diversifying </output>
Pro tip: Revenue concentration is the #1 risk most businesses ignore. If one customer is 40% of revenue, you don't have a business — you have a partnership. Diversification takes years; start before you need it.
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Decisions & Planning
5 promptsStrategic Decision Framework
16/20✨ What it does
Claude structures [describe the decision] with a weighted matrix of [list 2-5 options], second-order effects, reversibility, and when to revisit. Score the matrix with your team, then pick the option you can reverse if you must.
<task>Help me think through a strategic decision</task> <decision>[describe the decision]</decision> <options>[list 2-5 options]</options> <criteria>[what matters — list factors]</criteria> <output> 1. Weighted decision matrix (criteria × options) 2. 2nd-order consequences per option (what happens in 1-3 years if we pick this) 3. Reversibility of each option (one-way door vs two-way door) 4. Info I'm missing that would change the analysis 5. Recommended option with reasoning 6. Signals that would cause me to revisit </output>
Pro tip: Jeff Bezos separates one-way doors (hard to reverse) from two-way doors (easy to reverse). Spend time analyzing one-way doors; decide fast on two-way doors. Most decisions are two-way; we treat them all like one-way.
Pre-Mortem Analysis
17/20✨ What it does
Claude runs a pre-mortem on [initiative] assuming it failed in 12 months, with top reasons, early signals, preventive moves, and kill criteria. Assign owners to the top three signals, then write the kill rule before kickoff.
<task>Conduct a pre-mortem for [initiative]</task> <initiative>[describe + goal]</initiative> <output> 1. Assume this initiative has failed in 12 months 2. List the top 10 reasons it could fail (ranked by likelihood) 3. For each: leading indicators we'd see early 4. For each: preventive actions we can take now 5. Top 3 failure modes most worth actively mitigating 6. Kill criteria (at what point should we stop) </output>
Pro tip: Pre-mortems surface risks that no one will say out loud during kickoff. Framing it as "imagine we failed" gives psychological permission to voice real concerns. Do one before every major initiative.
OKR Design
18/20✨ What it does
Claude designs 3-5 objectives and measurable key results for [team/company] over [quarter, year], marked committed versus stretch, with how you will measure. Enter [list] priorities, then drop any key result you cannot count.
<task>Design OKRs for [team/company]</task> <inputs> - Strategic priorities: [list] - Timeframe: [quarter, year] - Team structure: [describe] </inputs> <output> 1. 3-5 Objectives (qualitative, aspirational) 2. Per Objective: 3-5 Key Results (quantitative, measurable, stretch but achievable) 3. How each OKR maps to strategic priorities 4. Which OKRs are committed vs aspirational 5. Measurement methodology + data source per KR 6. Check-in cadence 7. How to handle conflicting OKRs between teams </output>
Pro tip: Most OKRs fail because they're KPIs in disguise. True OKRs should stretch you. 70% KR achievement is the target — 100% means you set them too low. This psychology trips up first-time OKR teams.
Board Meeting Prep
19/20✨ What it does
Claude prepares a board packet with a half-page summary, quarter and year KPI comparisons, three wins, three honest concerns, and decisions you need. Rehearse the concern slide, then send the packet two days before the meeting.
<task>Prepare a board meeting package</task> <inputs> - Company stage: [describe] - Last quarter's results: [describe] - Key strategic questions: [list] </inputs> <output> 1. Executive summary (half page max) 2. KPI dashboard with QoQ and YoY comparisons 3. 3 wins + 3 concerns (honest) 4. Strategic decisions needing board input (1-3) 5. Pre-read talking points for each decision 6. What I want the board to debate vs just absorb 7. Anticipated tough questions + my responses </output>
Pro tip: Best board meetings don't hide problems — they surface them early with solutions. Hiding concerns destroys trust when they're discovered. Pre-empt hard conversations; don't avoid them.
3-Year Strategic Roadmap
20/20✨ What it does
Claude builds a 3-year roadmap for [business] from [where we want to be], with yearly priorities, dependencies, bets, and review points. Fund Year 1 milestones only, then revisit the Year 3 bet at the first checkpoint.
<task>Build a 3-year strategic roadmap for [business]</task> <inputs> - Current state: [describe] - Vision: [where we want to be] - Constraints: [describe] </inputs> <output> 1. Year 1: priorities, milestones, metrics 2. Year 2: expansion priorities built on Year 1 foundations 3. Year 3: market position + scale targets 4. Dependencies across years (what must be true in Year 1 for Year 2 to happen) 5. Big bets vs incremental moves 6. Strategic optionality preserved (ability to pivot if things change) 7. Quarterly review checkpoints </output>
Pro tip: 3-year roadmaps that don't preserve optionality lock you into yesterday's thinking. Every year, update based on what you've learned. A roadmap is a hypothesis, not a commitment.
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