12 Claude Prompts That Think Like McKinsey Consultants (Steal These for Your Business Strategy)

Yo, G here.

Found this thread from Muhammad Ayan with 12 ridiculous prompts that turn Claude into your personal McKinsey consultant.

Real talk: These aren't your basic "summarize this" prompts. These are the kind of strategic analysis frameworks that companies pay consulting firms Php 50K+ to produce.

And you can run them yourself. For free. Right now.

I'm sharing all 12 here because walang gatekeeping. Use them for your business, your side project, your startup pitch, whatever.

1/ Market Sizing & TAM Analysis

When to use: You need to prove market size to investors or validate if your idea is big enough to pursue.

The Prompt:

You are a McKinsey-level market analyst. I need a Total Addressable Market (TAM) analysis for [YOUR INDUSTRY/PRODUCT].

Please provide:

- Top-down approach: Start from global market, narrow to my segment
- Bottom-up approach: Calculate from unit economics × potential customers
- TAM, SAM, SOM breakdown with dollar figures
- Growth rate projections for next 5 years (CAGR)
- Key assumptions behind each estimate
- Comparison to 3 analyst reports or market research firms

Format as an investor-ready market sizing slide with clear methodology.

Context: My product is [DESCRIBE PRODUCT], targeting [TARGET CUSTOMER] in [GEOGRAPHY].

Why this works: Forces Claude to approach market sizing from multiple angles. You get validation when both methods align.

2/ Competitive Landscape Deep Dive

When to use: Before launching, raising funds, or when competitors make moves you don't understand.

The Prompt:

You are a senior strategy consultant at Bain & Company. I need a complete competitive landscape analysis for [YOUR INDUSTRY].

Please provide:

- Direct competitors: Top 10 players ranked by market share, revenue, funding
- Indirect competitors: 5 adjacent companies that could enter this market
- For each competitor analyze: pricing model, key features, target audience, strengths, weaknesses, recent strategic moves
- Market positioning map (price vs. value matrix)
- Competitive moats: What makes each player defensible
- White space analysis: Gaps no competitor is filling
- Threat assessment: Rate each competitor (low/medium/high threat)

Format as structured competitive intelligence report with comparison tables.

My company: [DESCRIBE YOUR BUSINESS AND POSITIONING]

Why this works: You get the full competitive picture, not just obvious competitors. The white space analysis shows opportunities.

3/ Customer Persona & Segmentation

When to use: Before you write copy, build features, or spend money on ads. Know who you're actually serving.

The Prompt:

You are a world-class consumer research expert. I need deep customer personas for [YOUR PRODUCT/SERVICE].

Please build 4 detailed personas, each with:

- Demographics: Age, income, education, location, job title
- Psychographics: Values, beliefs, lifestyle, personality traits
- Pain points: Top 5 frustrations they experience daily
- Goals & aspirations: What does success look like for them
- Buying behavior: How they discover, evaluate, and purchase products
- Media consumption: Where they spend time online and offline
- Objections: Top 3 reasons they'd say no to my product
- Trigger events: What moment makes them actively search for a solution
- Willingness to pay: Price sensitivity analysis per segment

Also provide: Segment sizing (% of total market) and prioritization matrix.

My product: [DESCRIBE PRODUCT] in [INDUSTRY]

Why this works: Goes way deeper than "target audience is 25-35 year olds." You learn trigger events and objections.

4/ Industry Trend Analysis

When to use: Planning your roadmap, deciding where to invest time, spotting threats before they hit.

The Prompt:

You are a senior analyst at Goldman Sachs Research. I need a comprehensive trend report for the [YOUR INDUSTRY] sector.

Please provide:

- Macro trends: 5 global forces shaping this industry (economic, regulatory, technological, social, environmental)
- Micro trends: 7 emerging patterns within the industry from last 12 months
- Technology disruptions: What new tech is changing the game and when it hits mainstream
- Regulatory shifts: Upcoming legislation or policy changes to watch
- Consumer behavior changes: How buyer preferences are evolving
- Investment signals: Where smart money is flowing (VC deals, M&A, IPOs)
- Timeline: Map each trend to short-term (0-1yr), mid-term (1-3yr), long-term (3-5yr)
- "So what" analysis: What each trend means for a company like mine

Format as trend intelligence brief with impact ratings (1-10) for each trend.

My company operates in: [DESCRIBE YOUR BUSINESS AND MARKET]

Why this works: You see what's coming before your competitors do. The timeline helps you prioritize.

5/ SWOT + Porter's Five Forces

When to use: Strategic planning, investor presentations, or when you need honest assessment of where you stand.

The Prompt:

You are a Harvard Business School strategy professor. I need a combined SWOT and Porter's Five Forces analysis for [YOUR COMPANY/PRODUCT].

For SWOT, provide:

- Strengths: 7 internal advantages with evidence
- Weaknesses: 7 internal limitations with honest assessment
- Opportunities: 7 external factors we can exploit
- Threats: 7 external factors that could harm us
- Cross-analysis: Match strengths to opportunities (SO strategy) and identify threat-weakness combos (WT risks)

For Porter's Five Forces, analyze:

- Supplier power: Who are key suppliers and how much leverage do they have
- Buyer power: How much negotiating power do customers have
- Competitive rivalry: How intense is competition and what drives it
- Threat of substitution: What alternatives exist beyond direct competitors
- Threat of new entry: How easy is it for new players to enter

Rate each force (1-10) and provide overall industry attractiveness score.

My business: [DESCRIBE COMPANY, PRODUCT, INDUSTRY, STAGE]

Why this works: Gets you brutally honest about weaknesses. The cross-analysis shows where to focus.

6/ Pricing Strategy Analysis

When to use: Before launch, when considering price changes, or when revenue is flat.

The Prompt:

You are a pricing strategy consultant who has worked with Fortune 500 companies. I need a comprehensive pricing analysis for [YOUR PRODUCT/SERVICE].

Please provide:

- Competitor pricing audit: Map all competitor prices, tiers, packaging
- Value-based pricing model: Calculate price based on customer value delivered
- Cost-plus analysis: Determine floor price from cost structure
- Price elasticity estimate: How sensitive is demand to price changes
- Psychological pricing tactics: Anchoring, charm pricing, decoy strategies
- Tiering recommendation: Design 3 pricing tiers with feature allocation
- Discount strategy: When to discount, how much, for whom
- Revenue projection: Model 3 pricing scenarios (aggressive, moderate, conservative)
- Monetization opportunities: Upsells, cross-sells, usage-based pricing

Format as pricing strategy deck with specific dollar recommendations.

My product: [DESCRIBE PRODUCT, CURRENT PRICE, TARGET CUSTOMER, COST STRUCTURE]

Why this works: Shows you're either leaving money on the table or priced too high. Tiering recommendations are gold.

7/ Go-to-Market Strategy

When to use: Before launching a product, entering a new market, or when current GTM isn't working.

The Prompt:

You are a VP of Marketing at a successful SaaS company. I need a complete go-to-market strategy for [YOUR PRODUCT].

Please provide:

- Target customer profile: Who buys first and why
- Positioning statement: How we're different from alternatives
- Messaging framework: Core message, supporting points, proof points
- Channel strategy: Rank these by effectiveness: SEO, paid ads, content, partnerships, outbound, community, events
- Launch roadmap: 90-day plan with specific tactics and milestones
- Budget allocation: How to split budget across channels
- Success metrics: KPIs for first 30, 60, 90 days
- Sales playbook outline: How sales team should pitch and handle objections

Format as GTM strategy brief with clear next steps.

My product: [DESCRIBE PRODUCT, TARGET MARKET, BUDGET, TEAM SIZE]

Why this works: Gives you actual tactics, not just strategy. The channel ranking helps you focus.

8/ Product-Market Fit Assessment

When to use: After initial launch, when growth stalls, or before raising your next round.

The Prompt:

You are a product strategy consultant who has worked with 50+ startups. I need an honest product-market fit assessment for [YOUR PRODUCT].

Please evaluate:

- PMF signals (strong): What evidence suggests we have PMF
- PMF gaps (weak): What evidence suggests we don't yet have PMF
- User retention analysis: Are people coming back and why/why not
- NPS proxy: Based on what I describe, estimate Net Promoter Score
- Value delivery: Are we solving the right problem well enough
- Willingness to pay: Do people value this enough to pay
- Word-of-mouth: Is organic growth happening
- Recommendation: Do we have PMF, close to PMF, or need to pivot

For each dimension, provide:
- Current state assessment
- What "good" looks like
- Specific actions to improve

Be brutally honest. I need truth, not encouragement.

My product: [DESCRIBE PRODUCT, USAGE DATA, CUSTOMER FEEDBACK, GROWTH METRICS]

Why this works: Gets you honest feedback. Most founders lie to themselves about PMF. This doesn't.

9/ Financial Modeling & Unit Economics

When to use: Raising funds, planning growth, or when you need to understand if your business actually works.

The Prompt:

You are a VP of Finance at a high-growth startup. I need complete unit economics and financial model for [YOUR BUSINESS].

Please provide:

Unit economics breakdown:
- Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC) by channel
- Lifetime Value (LTV) calculation with assumptions
- LTV:CAC ratio and payback period
- Gross margin per unit/customer
- Contribution margin analysis

3-year financial projection:
- Revenue model (monthly for year 1, quarterly for years 2-3)
- Cost structure breakdown (fixed vs. variable)
- Break-even analysis: when and at what volume
- Cash flow forecast with burn rate
- Sensitivity analysis: best case, base case, worst case

- Key assumptions table with justification for each assumption
- Benchmark comparison: How my metrics compare to industry standards
- Red flags: What numbers should worry me and trigger action

Format as financial model summary with clear tables and formulas.

My business: [DESCRIBE BUSINESS MODEL, CURRENT REVENUE, COSTS, GROWTH RATE]

Why this works: Shows you if your business model actually works mathematically. The red flags section is critical.

10/ Risk Assessment & Scenario Planning

When to use: Before major decisions, when things are going too well (seriously), or for investor presentations.

The Prompt:

You are a risk management partner at Deloitte. I need comprehensive risk analysis and scenario plan for [YOUR BUSINESS/PROJECT].

Please provide:

Risk identification: List 15 risks across these categories:
- Market risks (demand shifts, competition, pricing pressure)
- Operational risks (supply chain, talent, technology failures)
- Financial risks (cash flow, currency, funding gaps)
- Regulatory risks (compliance, policy changes, legal exposure)
- Reputational risks (PR crises, customer backlash, data breaches)

For each risk provide:
- Probability rating (1-5)
- Impact severity rating (1-5)
- Risk score (probability × impact)
- Early warning indicators
- Mitigation strategy
- Contingency plan if risk materializes

Scenario planning:
- Best case scenario: What goes right and what it looks like
- Base case scenario: Most likely outcome
- Worst case scenario: What could go wrong simultaneously
- Black swan scenario: Unlikely event that changes everything
- For each scenario: Revenue impact, timeline, strategic response

Format as executive risk report with prioritized risk matrix.

My business context: [DESCRIBE BUSINESS, STAGE, KEY DEPENDENCIES]

Why this works: Helps you prepare for shit hitting the fan before it actually does.

11/ Market Entry & Expansion Strategy

When to use: Expanding to new markets, geographies, or customer segments.

The Prompt:

You are a global expansion strategist who has helped companies enter 30+ new markets. I need market entry analysis for expanding [YOUR BUSINESS] into [TARGET MARKET/GEOGRAPHY/SEGMENT].

Please provide:

Market attractiveness scoring:
- Market size and growth rate
- Competitive intensity
- Regulatory environment
- Customer accessibility
- Infrastructure readiness
- Score each factor (1-10) with weighted total

Entry mode analysis: Evaluate and recommend between:
- Direct entry (build from scratch)
- Partnership/joint venture
- Acquisition
- Licensing/franchise
- Digital-first entry
- Pros, cons, cost, timeline for each

Localization requirements:
- Product/service adaptations needed
- Pricing adjustments for local purchasing power
- Cultural considerations for marketing
- Legal and compliance requirements
- Talent and operational needs

12-month entry roadmap: Month-by-month action plan with milestones

Investment requirement: Budget estimate with resource allocation

Success metrics: KPIs for first 6 months and first 12 months

My business: [DESCRIBE CURRENT BUSINESS, TARGET MARKET, AVAILABLE RESOURCES]

Why this works: Prevents expensive expansion mistakes. The entry mode analysis alone is worth it.

12/ Executive Strategy Synthesis (The Master Prompt)

When to use: When you need to make a big decision and want to see all options clearly laid out.

The Prompt:

You are senior partner at McKinsey & Company presenting to a CEO. I need you to synthesize everything about [YOUR BUSINESS] into one strategic recommendation.

Please provide:

- Executive summary: 3-paragraph strategic overview a CEO can read in 2 minutes
- Current state assessment: Where the business stands today (be brutally honest)
- Strategic options: Present 3 distinct strategic paths forward:
  - Option A: Conservative/low-risk approach
  - Option B: Balanced growth approach
  - Option C: Aggressive/high-risk approach
  - For each: Expected outcome, investment required, timeline, key risks

- Recommended strategy: Your top pick with clear reasoning
- Priority initiatives: 5 highest-impact actions to take in next 90 days, ranked
- Resource requirements: People, money, tools needed
- Decision framework: Simple matrix for making next 10 strategic decisions
- "If I only had 1 hour" brief: Single most important insight and action

Format as McKinsey-style strategy deck summary with clear recommendations and next steps.

My business: [PROVIDE FULL CONTEXT - PRODUCT, MARKET, STAGE, TEAM SIZE, REVENUE, GOALS, BIGGEST CHALLENGE]

Why this works: Gives you three clear paths forward instead of analysis paralysis. The 90-day priorities help you actually execute.

How to Actually Use These

Don't just copy-paste blindly. Fill in the bracketed sections with real, specific info about your business.

Start with what you need most. Stuck on pricing? Use #6. Need to understand your market? Use #1 and #2.

Stack them together. Run the market sizing (#1), then competitive analysis (#2), then use those insights for your GTM (#7).

Question the output. Claude is smart but not perfect. Use these as frameworks to think better, not as gospel truth.

Share your results. If you run any of these and get interesting insights, drop them in the comments. Let's learn together.

The Real Value

These prompts cost $0 to run but give you the same frameworks that consulting firms charge $50K+ for.

You won't get McKinsey-quality research (they have access to proprietary data you don't). But you'll get McKinsey-quality thinking frameworks.

And honestly? For most startups and small businesses, that's more than enough.

Salamat to Muhammad Ayan (@socialwithaayan on X) for compiling these. Total game changer.

Try one. See what happens. Report back.

Let's go 🚀

P.S. - If you use any of these for your business, tag me or drop a comment. I want to see what insights you uncover.

P.P.S. - Yes, these prompts are long. That's the point. Detailed prompts = detailed outputs. No shortcuts.