Competitor Lead Source Finder
Work out where a competitor probably gets its leads before you copy its playbook. This tool turns what you know about their business model, sales motion and public signals into a ranked map of ten lead sources and a 30-day plan to test the strongest one. Everything runs in your browser; nothing is uploaded, and no numbers are invented.
Free tool · nothing is uploaded
Map a competitor’s lead sources
Rank ten channels from their business model, sales motion and the public signals you have actually seen. Then test the top one in 30 days.
- 10 channels ranked
- Evidence-weighted
- 30-day test plan
- Runs offline
Competitor profile
A domain is tidied automatically. The name is used only in your copied plan.
Priority score
Name a competitor to map their likely source of leads.
— No source mapped yet
Add a competitor to see which channel the model puts first.
- High-fit sources 0
- Blind spots 0
- Signals logged 0 / 9
Priority is model fit plus the signals you logged. It is a hypothesis, not measured traffic or spend.
Ranked source map
Profile: not set
- The six highest-priority channels will appear here once you name a competitor.
Showing the six highest of ten channels. A logged signal adds evidence; it does not prove the channel is profitable.
30-day test plan
Four steps, one month, one channel. Judge it on qualified conversations, not impressions.
Name a competitor to generate a test plan for the top source.
What this competitor lead source finder does
Most “competitor research” advice stops at a list of channels: they do SEO, they run ads, they go to events. That list is not a plan. A competitor lead source finder should tell you which channels are plausible for a business like theirs, which ones you have direct evidence for, and which guess is cheap enough to check this week.
This lead source research tool does that in three parts. You describe the competitor’s business model, sales motion and the public signals you have already seen. It scores ten common lead sources from 0 to 100. Then it hands you a 30-day test plan for the highest-scoring channel. It does not crawl their website, read their analytics or estimate their traffic; this tool makes no network requests, and a web page cannot see private accounts.
The output is a set of ranked hypotheses. Some will be wrong. The point is to make the wrong ones cheap to find and the right ones quick to test. That makes it a competitor channel analysis you can audit rather than a dashboard of guessed numbers.
How to use it
- Enter the competitor’s name or domain. A domain is cleaned automatically, so
https://www.acme.com/pricingbecomesacme.com. - Choose what they sell. A local plumber and a B2B software company do not buy leads the same way.
- Choose how they sell. Self-serve, SMB sales-assisted, mid-market, enterprise and local/consumer motions each shift the ranking.
- Tap every signal you have actually observed: a ranking page, an ad, an employee post, a cold email, a sponsor list, a partner page. Leave the rest off.
- Read the priority score, then work down the source map. Each row includes the reasoning, a one-week check and the evidence state.
- Use the 30-day plan for the top channel. Copy plan puts the whole map and plan on your clipboard; Load sample shows worked examples; Clear starts again.
How the priority score works
Every channel starts with a base fit for the selected business model. That base is an editorial weight from 0 to 100, not a measurement of the competitor. The sales motion then adds or subtracts points. For example, outbound gains weight for mid-market and enterprise motions and loses a lot for self-serve or local/consumer motions.
Base fit plus the motion adjustment is the channel’s profile fit. Evidence is added on top of that, which is why the interface shows the profile fit and the evidence bonus separately.
Observed evidence comes last. Each signal that maps to a channel adds 6 points, capped at 12 points per channel. The total is clamped to 0–100. This is why a channel can be “observed” and still score below a channel with a much better model fit.
| Band | Score | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Strong | 78–100 | Model fit and evidence agree. Verify it and test it first. |
| Likely | 62–77 | A credible channel. Worth a check before committing budget. |
| Possible | 45–61 | Plausible for the model, but weak or unproven here. |
| Unlikely | 0–44 | The model says this is a poor fit. Only pursue it with direct evidence. |
A high-fit source is any channel scoring 70 or more. A blind spot is a high-fit channel with no logged signal: the model likes it, but you have not confirmed it. Blind spots are the most useful output, because they are the cheapest gaps to close.
What each lead source actually looks like
| Source | What you would see in public | Cheap check |
|---|---|---|
| Organic search & content | Blog posts, comparison pages, templates and glossary pages ranking for problem queries | Search five non-brand phrases and note the page type that ranks |
| Paid search | Ads on commercial keywords, often pointing at a dedicated landing page | Search their main terms and open Google Ads Transparency Center |
| Paid social | Repeated video or image concepts across Meta and LinkedIn | Search both ad libraries and count active creatives |
| LinkedIn social selling | Employees posting consistently, commenting on buyer posts, linking to a lead magnet | Read three employee profiles and the last 14 days of posts |
| Outbound email & calls | A multi-touch sequence, usually with a calendar link and a specific observation | Use a spare inbox and record the sequence, not just the first email |
| Events & field marketing | Sponsor logos, speaking slots, repeated conferences, hospitality | Check the last 12 months of sponsor lists for repeats |
| Partners, resellers & affiliates | An integrations page, reseller directory, co-webinars, affiliate terms | See whether partners list them publicly, not just the reverse |
| Directories & marketplaces | A complete profile, reviews, paid placement, category ranking | Search their category in the three directories buyers actually use |
| Newsletter, podcast & webinars | An archive, a cadence, replay pages, sponsorships, a lead magnet | Subscribe for two weeks and note whether it teaches or sells |
| Referrals & word of mouth | Case studies, review language, a formal referral or affiliate incentive | Read reviews and case studies for referral phrasing |
How to verify a competitor’s lead source in a week
- Start with the blind spots. Open the source map and find the high-fit channels with no logged signal. They give you the most information per hour.
- Use public evidence, not intuition. Ad libraries, search results, sponsor pages, partner directories and public posts are all checkable without contacting anyone.
- Look for repetition. One blog post is not a content engine. One sponsored event is not an events programme. A channel that repeats across 6–12 months is the signal.
- Check the offer, not just the channel. A competitor ranking for a term with a thin page and no call to action is not getting much from it. Note what they ask the reader to do.
- Log what you find in the tool. Add the matching signal and watch the ranking change. That is the difference between a guess and a working map.
Worked examples
These are outputs from the model described on this page, using the three samples built into the tool. They are illustrations of the arithmetic, not audits of real companies; the names are fictional.
| Profile | Logged signals | Top source | Score | Blind spots |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Acme Analytics: B2B SaaS, mid-market sales-led | Ranks for problem searches; team posts on LinkedIn; you get their cold email | Outbound email & calls | 98 | 1 (partners) |
| Northline Legal: professional practice, local/consumer | In directories or marketplaces | Directories & marketplaces | 94 | 1 (referrals) |
| Peak Supply Co.: manufacturer, enterprise sales-led | Sponsors events; has partners | Partners, resellers & affiliates | 94 | 1 (outbound) |
To show the arithmetic for the first row: outbound starts at a base fit of 82 for B2B SaaS, gains 10 for the mid-market motion, and gains 6 because you have received their cold email, for a total of 98. Partners starts at 68, gains 6 for the same motion, and has no logged signal, so it sits at 74 and appears as a blind spot.
The first example is deliberately uncomfortable: the competitor is visible in search and on LinkedIn, yet the model still puts outbound first because of the mid-market motion and the direct signal. That is a reason to check both, not a reason to ignore the evidence you already have.
What this tool cannot tell you
- It cannot see private data. No CRM, ad account, analytics property, email platform or spend figure is accessible from a web page. Anything claiming otherwise is guessing or asking for access you should not give.
- It cannot estimate traffic or budget. The score is a priority ranking, not a revenue forecast.
- It cannot prove a channel is profitable. A competitor can run a channel at a loss, or run it for hiring and brand reasons rather than leads.
- The base weights are editorial. They reflect common patterns across business models, not a statistically fitted model. Your market may differ, and the tool lets you override the profile rather than hiding the assumption.
- Signals are self-reported. If you tick a box you did not actually verify, the score reflects your assumption, not reality.
- Search and ads are not the same everywhere. Ad libraries show creative, not spend or targeting. Search results vary by location, device and personalisation.
Frequently asked questions
Where do competitors actually get their leads?
There is no universal answer, which is why a ranked map beats a checklist. A local practice usually lives on referrals and directories; a mid-market software company usually combines outbound with content and LinkedIn; a manufacturer often depends on partners and events. The tool starts from those patterns and then adjusts to the competitor you describe.
Can this tool see a competitor’s ad spend or CRM?
No. It is a static HTML, CSS and JavaScript widget. There is no server, no API key and no network request, so it cannot access any third-party account. Public ad libraries and search results can show you creative and placement; spend and pipeline stay private.
Why is outbound often near the top?
The base weights favour outbound when the buyer is identifiable and the deal size justifies manual work. That is a feature of mid-market and enterprise motions, not a claim that outbound is always best. Switch the sales motion to self-serve or local/consumer and the ranking changes sharply.
Should I copy the channels my competitor uses?
Not automatically. A channel can be a strength you cannot match, or a saturated channel where you would be the fifth vendor in the same inbox. Use the map to find (a) a channel they have proven and you can execute, and (b) a high-fit channel they have left unaddressed. Test one, not five.
What counts as evidence?
Something you can point to: a ranking page, a live ad in a public library, a dated employee post, a received cold email with headers, a sponsor list, a partner page, a directory profile, a podcast feed, or review language. “I think they probably do content” is a hypothesis, not evidence, and should stay unticked.
Does the tool store or send my input?
No. There is no cookie, no local storage, no analytics call and no network request. The competitor name and profile stay in the page until you close or reload it.
Can I use this for several competitors?
Yes, one at a time. Copy the plan for each competitor, then compare the top sources and blind spots across them. Repeating a channel across three competitors is stronger evidence than any single profile.
Related tools
- Google X-Ray search builder — turn a competitor’s customer profile into a public search that finds similar companies
- Local business prospector — build a local prospect list when directories and referrals are the likely source
- Lead list quality scorer — grade a list before you spend a month testing outbound on it
- TAM, SAM and SOM estimator — size the market before you commit to a channel
- Cold email subject line grader — check the first line once the outbound test is live
Next step
A source map is only useful if it changes what you do next. If you would rather have the testing and follow-through handled, see how mizanursguide.com builds B2B lead generation systems that start with a channel hypothesis and end with booked conversations.