Competitive Positioning Analysis

---
name: competitive-positioning-analysis
description: Build a segment-by-segment competitive-positioning analysis for a staffing firm — placing it on a players-by-segment grid, naming where it wins and where scale competitors lead, with a source on every claim. Reach for this when the question is where the firm is strong vs. losing in the competitive set.
---

# Skill: Competitive-positioning analysis

"Are we competitive?" has no single answer — only a per-segment one. A firm strong in allied health can be a rounding error in travel nursing. This skill builds the honest, segment-resolved picture.

## Step 1 — Name the segments in scope
Don't average across them (§3 #9). For a dual-segment firm: healthcare-travel, locum, allied, per-diem; education-special-ed/therapy, teletherapy, substitutes. Score competitiveness *within* each.

## Step 2 — Place the firm and competitors on the grid
Use the players-by-segment map in [`../../knowledge/competitor-landscape.md`](../../knowledge/competitor-landscape.md). For each segment, list who leads and roughly how big (SIA-anchored). For a Soliant-shaped firm, note that only Amergis, Cross Country, Supplemental Health Care, and Sunbelt share the dual-segment shape.

## Step 3 — Identify the firm's structural advantages
What does its shape give it? (e.g., dual-segment breadth, allied + school-therapy depth, all-50-state reach, a compliance certification like Joint Commission since 2011). Tie each to a segment where it converts to a win.

## Step 4 — Name where competitors lead, by lane
Be specific and current: travel-nurse scale (Aya/AMN/Medical Solutions), locums (CHG ~31% share/Jackson), teletherapy *software* (Presence/eLuma — software-native vs. a service line), substitutes at scale (ESS/Kelly), therapy roll-up (TSSG), public-market capital (AMN/CCRN/Kelly). Don't claim a strength the firm doesn't have.

## Step 5 — Keep the facts current
Verify before asserting: Soliant's parent is **Vistria** (not Adecco); the **Aya–Cross Country merger was terminated** (Dec 2025) so both remain independent. A stale ownership or M&A fact in front of an operator is a credibility hit (§3 #9).

## Step 6 — Translate to a "where to play" recommendation
For each segment: defend (a strength under attack), invest (a winnable gap), or cede (a scale game not worth entering — e.g., a non-substitute firm shouldn't chase ESS/Kelly on subs). Make the recommendation, don't just describe the map.

## Step 7 — Source every claim
Every size, rank, and ownership fact gets a URL + retrieval date; aggregator estimates are marked `[ESTIMATE]`/`[unverified]`. SIA's full ranked list is paywalled — note where a figure is from the free editorial vs. secondary press.

## Output
Use [`../../templates/competitive-landscape-brief.md`](../../templates/competitive-landscape-brief.md). For the trend context behind the positioning, pair with [`trend-analysis-readout`](../trend-analysis-readout/SKILL.md).