{"id":2014,"slug":"rule-r3-concrete-named-competitors","title":"R3 — Where comparison is unavoidable, use a concrete NAMED competitor target","kind":"rule","scope":"business","status":"current","audiences":["kevin","candid-team"],"topics":["entrepreneurial-overconfidence","observable-proxies-for-judgment"],"reference_body":"**Rule:** Never ask the owner to compare themselves to \"competitors\" abstractly. Always anchor comparison to a SPECIFIC, NAMED competitor target that the owner views live.\n\n**Why:** The better-than-average effect SHRINKS when comparison targets are concrete rather than abstract ([[better-than-average-concrete-targets-moderation]]). Abstract framing (\"how do you compare to competitors\") triggers maximum overplacement; \"compare to your biggest competitor whose GBP you are now looking at\" pulls a calibrated answer.\n\n**How to apply:** \"Pick your single biggest competitor. Look at their Google profile. Do they have more reviews than you, about the same, or fewer?\" — name elicits concrete, GBP open elicits observation, comparison is direct not abstract.","rationale_body":null,"metadata":null,"links":{"outgoing":[{"slug":"svenson-1981-driver-above-median","title":"Svenson 1981 — 93% of US drivers rated themselves above the median for skill","kind":"reference","scope":"business","link_type":"depends-on"},{"slug":"better-than-average-concrete-targets-moderation","title":"The concrete-target moderation — the design lever against overplacement","kind":"reference","scope":"business","link_type":"depends-on"}],"incoming":[{"slug":"research-brief-smb-widget-capture-layer-june-2026","title":"Research brief: SMB widget capture layer — what owners can vs cannot self-report (June 2026)","kind":"reference","scope":"business","link_type":"depends-on"}]},"created_at":"2026-06-23T19:16:01.052Z","updated_at":"2026-06-23T19:16:01.052Z"}