A public-pages-only grid for three to five alternatives. Seen, Not published, or Cannot tell. The blind spot is the question buyers must answer that nobody answers.
Audit yourself first with the same grid, then three to five alternatives. Public pages and what buyers told you only. Write the date you looked.
Every cell is one of three words: Seen, Not published, or Cannot tell. Not published is not the same as does not exist.
flowchart LR
S["Pick the set"] --> G["Fill the grid"]
G --> B["Find the blind spot"]
B --> C["One true claim"]
C --> N["One thing not to copy"]
Pick the set
Names buyers mentioned in win and loss notes (note id and date next to each). If none, write NONE and ask on the next call
At least one non-obvious alternative: freelancer, in-house hire, template tool, or doing nothing
At least one quiet one: wins on referral, thin social presence, rarely shows up in search
Five or fewer. More than that is research as procrastination
The grid (copy once per alternative, plus one for you)
Surface
What you looked at
Seen / Not published / Cannot tell
Exact words or detail (short)
Promise
Homepage hero, one line
Offer
Services page: what is in, what is out
Price signal
Price, band, “from”, or process to get one
Proof
Cases, testimonials, named results (with scope)
Process
Steps, timeline, who you meet
Intake
Form fields, booking, reply promise
Aftercare
Support, handover, what happens after launch
Date looked and URLs, written on the sheet
No fake inquiries to get private pricing. Ask real buyers what they were quoted, and write it as their words
Find the blind spot
List the questions a buyer must answer before saying yes (cost, timeline, risk, who does the work, what happens after)
Mark each question: answered clearly by none, some, or all in the set (including you)
Blind spot = a buyer question that nobody answers, or that everyone answers the same way
Check your own column honestly. If you do not answer it either, fix that first
Output (one page)
One claim you can make that is true and provable today, with the proof you will open
One thing you will not copy, and why it fits them and not you
Unknowns list: things to ask real buyers, not to guess