How to Identify Leads by Evaluating Competitors

Competitor data and analysis is in of itself a useful tool to help you get ahead.

More specifically, gaining info from competitor networks and the folks that are interacting with them online can help you put together a list of warmer leads that are likely in-market to buy.

There are a couple of ways to go about this.

How to Evaluate Competitors Manually

Step 1: Use LinkedIn Sales Navigator to Find Competitors' Connections

LinkedIn Sales Navigator is ideal for finding connections your competitors have with decision-makers.

1. Navigate to Sales Navigator's "Leads" section.
2. Use the "Connections of" filter and input a well-connected individual from your competitor’s team.
3. Apply additional filters like job title, location, or company size to generate a precise list.

Step 2: Use Data Providers to Get Contact Info

Tools like Seamless.ai, Apollo.io, and ZoomInfo help to uncover contact details for leads identified in LinkedIn.

After compiling a list of leads, you can use these tools to enrich profiles with email addresses or phone numbers, making your list actionable.

Step 3: Build a List of Target Accounts

Once you have gathered competitor connections, customer data, and reviews, build a target account list in Sales Navigator. Refine your list using filters for decision-makers or other relevant criteria, and create a lead list for your BDRs.

How to Evaluate Competitors Automatically

The abovementioned approach takes a lot of time - time that you're probably too busy to give.

We at Letterdrop help teams identify accounts actively evaluating competing solutions without requiring reps to manually monitor networks, lists, or alerts.

Instead of tracking competitors for surface-level activity, Letterdrop focuses on:

• surfacing accounts beginning to explore vendors in your category
• filtering for relevance based on your ICP
• enriching those opportunities with context
• delivering them directly into your CRM for immediate action

‎

These opportunities are updated continuously, so sales teams are always working from current buying signals, not static lists.

Why this approach works

• Buyers are identified while evaluation is in progress, not after a decision
• Sales teams receive context explaining why the account matters now
• No manual list building or periodic audits required
• Signals are routed to the right owner automatically

For teams running competitive takeout, ABM, or pipeline recovery motions, this removes significant operational overhead while improving timing and relevance.