If you're in charge of market strategy, sales ops, or just plain curious about where your competitors are winning (and losing), you're in the right place. This guide is for anyone who needs to get specific about which companies use what, where — and actually do something with that info. Forget high-level theory. We’re getting into the nuts and bolts of using Enlyft data to figure out competitor penetration in real markets.
Why Bother With Competitor Penetration Data?
Let’s be honest: most market share stats you see floating around are either so broad they’re useless, or so old they might as well be trivia. If you want to sell smarter, you need to know:
- Which companies in your TAM (total addressable market) are actually using your competitor’s tools?
- Are there regions or verticals where your product is way behind (or ahead)?
- Where’s the low-hanging fruit — accounts using outdated tech, or ready to switch?
That’s where Enlyft — a provider of company-level technology adoption data — actually comes in handy. Enlyft offers data on what software and products companies are using, at a surprisingly granular level. It’s not perfect (more on that later), but it’s better than guessing.
Step 1: Define What “Market” Means for You
Before you even log in, get clear on what you want to analyze. “Specific markets” means different things to different teams. Don’t overcomplicate it, but do be precise.
Common ways to slice a market: - Industry/vertical: e.g., healthcare, manufacturing, retail. - Geography: country, region, or even city. - Company size: SMB, mid-market, enterprise. - Tech stack: Companies using (or not using) a particular platform.
Pro tip: Write down your definition before you start filtering data. You’ll save yourself a lot of “Wait, what was I measuring again?” headaches.
Step 2: Pull the Raw Data from Enlyft
Enlyft’s strength is its filters. You can segment companies by location, size, industry, and — most importantly — the tech products they’re using.
Here’s how you typically approach it:
- Log in and head to the search/browse companies section.
- Apply your market filters. Start with the basics (industry, geography, size).
- Add technology filters. Select your competitor’s product(s). You can usually choose from a list, e.g., “Companies using Salesforce,” or “Companies using HubSpot.”
- Export the results. Don’t just browse in the UI. Get the raw CSV or Excel file if you can — much easier to analyze.
What to watch out for: - Data freshness: Enlyft updates data frequently, but not in real time. If a company just switched tools last week, it might not show up yet. - False positives: Sometimes, Enlyft picks up a mention of a tool on a company blog and assumes they’re a user. Don’t treat the data as gospel.
Step 3: Size the Market — and the Competition
Once you have your filtered list (say, “US healthcare companies with 500+ employees”), you need to know two things:
- Total market size: How many companies fit your target profile?
- Competitor penetration: How many of those companies are using your competitor’s products?
How to do it: - Use Enlyft’s filters to get the count for the total market. - Apply the competitor technology filter for the same segment — that’s your competitor’s “penetrated” accounts. - Do the same for your product if you want a side-by-side.
Quick math:
Competitor penetration rate = (Number of companies using competitor) / (Total companies in segment) x 100%
Pro tip: Don’t obsess over decimal points. The data isn’t perfect. Ballpark figures are plenty useful for strategy.
Step 4: Dig Into Segments — Don’t Stop at the Top Level
Here’s where you get real value: breaking down penetration by sub-segments.
Look for patterns like: - Are your competitors unusually strong in a certain region or vertical? - Are there “white space” areas — segments with low competitor usage? - Is there a segment where both you and your competitor have lousy penetration (maybe the tech just doesn’t fit there)?
How to do it: - Use pivot tables or a basic BI tool to slice the data by industry, region, or size. - Visualize it. Even a bar chart in Excel can reveal “hot spots” and “cold spots” for your competitor.
Don’t bother: - Trying to get super granular if your dataset is tiny. Small numbers = big swings and false patterns. Stick to segments with at least a few dozen companies.
Step 5: Spot the Switchers and the Stuck
Not all competitor users are created equal. Some are die-hard loyalists. Others are stuck with an outdated tool and might be itching to switch. Enlyft sometimes provides signals on recency (e.g., “company recently added Salesforce”) or related tech usage.
What to look for: - Companies using old versions or legacy products (ripe for outreach). - Companies with both your product and a competitor’s (maybe they’re piloting or transitioning). - Companies that have recently added or dropped a tool (signals of openness to change).
Don’t overthink this: If the data looks fuzzy, focus on the biggest, most actionable signals. You’re trying to spot patterns, not run a clinical trial.
Step 6: Turn Data Into Action
Having a spreadsheet is nice. Doing something with it is better.
Ways teams actually use this data: - Sales: Target high-potential accounts (e.g., competitor users in your best-fit segment). - Marketing: Build campaigns around “Why switch from X?” for segments with high competitor use. - Product: Identify gaps where your competitor dominates and ask, “Why aren’t we a fit here?” - Partnerships: Find verticals where a channel partner might help you break in.
What not to do: - Don’t just dump a list of competitor users on your sales team and call it a day. Add context: why are these accounts interesting? What makes them likely to switch?
Step 7: Gut-Check the Data (Don’t Blindly Trust It)
No database is perfect. Enlyft is better than most, but you’ll still run into:
- Lag time: It might take weeks or months for new tech adoptions to show up.
- False positives: Sometimes the data picks up “evaluations” or pilots as actual deployments.
- Spotty coverage: Some industries, especially outside the US, get less coverage.
What to do: - Cross-check a handful of accounts with LinkedIn, company websites, or your CRM. See if the data matches up. - Talk to your sales reps — they’ll have a sense if the “penetration” numbers feel right, or wildly off.
Ignore: - Anyone claiming they have “100% accurate data.” That’s just marketing. Treat Enlyft’s data as a strong signal, not the final word.
Step 8: Iterate and Keep It Simple
You don’t need a PhD in data science to get value here. Start simple, focus on broad patterns, and refine as you go.
Best practices: - Refresh your analysis every quarter or so. Markets shift, tools change hands. - Keep your segmentation clear and consistent. - Share the insights — not just the data dump — with your team.
Don’t waste time: - Trying to hit “perfect” data quality. Good enough is good enough for actionable insights.
Summary
Competitor penetration analysis with Enlyft data isn’t magic, but it’s a solid way to stop guessing and start prioritizing. Define your markets clearly, pull the right data, and look for broad patterns — not needle-in-a-haystack details. Stay skeptical of any tool’s claims, keep your process simple, and use what you learn to actually move the needle. Iterate as you go. You’ll get sharper, faster, and more useful with every cycle.