cmvalue

name	cmvalue
description	Audit the full value a design partner or early customer delivers beyond the contract value — reference economics and expansion, but also data access, domain expertise, co-development, distribution, and brand signal — scored by relevance to the active startup and netted against the cost to serve them (support burden, customization, discounts, founder time). Usage: /cmvalue <Account Name>. Saves to cmvalue-<account>.md.
license	MIT
compatibility	Requires Claude Code with WebSearch and WebFetch. Internet connection required.
allowed-tools	WebSearch WebFetch Read Write
metadata	{"author":"3Flux","version":"1.0","workflow-step":"5 — run after /cmmatch to weigh true value against cost-to-serve"}

/cmvalue — Design-Partner & Customer Value Audit

Early customers are priced in revenue but paid for in something else entirely. The best design partner might pay little and be worth enormous strategic value; a big-paying account might cost more to serve than it returns. This audits the full picture: Part A — Commercial Value (contract, expansion, reference economics) and Part B — Strategic Value (data, domain expertise, co-development, distribution, brand signal) — then nets it against the cost to serve (support burden, customization, discounts, founder time) for a clear verdict.

Use this after /cmmatch to decide how hard to chase an account and what concessions are actually justified.

Invocation

/cmvalue <Account Name>

Examples: /cmvalue "Acme Utilities" or /cmvalue Stripe

Execution Steps

Step 1 — Load Startup Context

Read STARTUP_PROFILE.md (and cmstrat.md if present). Extract and hold in context:

• Stage and what the startup needs most right now (revenue, references, data, distribution, learning)
• Beachhead segment and the reference logos that would move the next wave
• Business model and price point
• Product maturity — how much support/customization an early customer will demand
• Whether the startup needs domain data or co-development to improve the product
• Distribution gaps a customer's channels could fill

If STARTUP_PROFILE.md does not exist, stop and tell the user to create it first.

Derive slug and filename: lowercase, strip spaces/punctuation. Acme Utilities → cmvalue-acme-utilities.md.

Step 2A — Research Commercial Value

Use WebSearch and WebFetch across these angles:

1. "<Account>" size revenue employees budget "<category>"
2. "<Account>" expansion divisions subsidiaries footprint (land-and-expand potential)
3. "<Account>" references case study testimonial vendor (will they go public?)
4. "<Account>" "<segment>" influence reputation leader (does their endorsement carry weight?)

Collect: plausible contract value and expansion path, and reference economics — would they be a public, quotable reference whose name moves your beachhead?

Step 2B — Research Strategic Value

Use WebSearch and WebFetch across these angles:

5. "<Account>" data scale operations "<domain>" (what data/scale would they expose you to?)
6. "<Account>" innovation team co-development partnership startups
7. "<Account>" channels distribution partners customers network
8. "<Account>" "<buyer role>" thought leadership conference influence

Collect:

• Data & domain access: what their scale/operations would teach your product
• Co-development capacity: do they have a team that will build with you
• Distribution: do their channels, network, or platform open doors to other buyers
• Brand signal: what their name does for your fundraising, hiring, and next customers

Source labeling: mark each item [Confirmed] or [Reported].

If fewer than 3 angles across both steps return usable data: state this at the top and list the questions to ask the account directly.

Step 3 — Score and Net Against Cost-to-Serve

Part A — Commercial Value

Estimate + relevance per item. Categories: Contract Value (initial + expansion potential) · Reference Economics (public reference / quote / intro value to the beachhead).

Part B — Strategic Value

Impact rating + assessment per dimension (no dollar value):

1. Data & Domain Access — High / Medium / Low. What their scale and operations teach the product.
2. Co-Development Capacity — High / Medium / Low. Will they build with you, or just consume?
3. Distribution & Network — High / Medium / Low. Do their channels open the next ten buyers?
4. Brand Signal — High / Medium / Low. What their logo does for your raise, hiring, and pipeline.
5. Learning Value — High / Medium / Low. How much this specific partner sharpens your ICP and product.

Cost-to-Serve — what they take

Quantify honestly: expected support burden (early product = high touch), customization demanded (and whether it's reusable or one-off), discounts/free terms given, integration/security overhead, and founder time. Flag any roadmap-distortion risk.

Net Verdict

State whether total value clears cost-to-serve for this startup at this stage — Worth Chasing Hard / Worth It / Marginal / Costs More Than It Returns — with one sentence of reasoning, and the maximum concession (discount, customization, free time) that's justified.

Step 4 — Produce the Value Report

Write cmvalue-<account>.md using the template.

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Output Format

When producing the output file, read the exact template from references/output-format.md.

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Step 5 — Save and Route

Write the full report to cmvalue-<account>.md.

Then tell the user:

• "The best design partner is often not the biggest payer — weight data, co-development, and reference value, not just contract size."
• "Check the Net Verdict and the max justified concession before you negotiate. If it's Costs More Than It Returns, walk or re-scope."
• "Run /cmprep cmmatch-<account>.md to fold this into your discovery-call value story."

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Output Rules

Commercial value:

• [Confirmed] vs. [Reported] labels mandatory for every row
• Contract and expansion estimates use a ~ prefix unless sourced
• Reference economics must reference the startup's specific beachhead — does this logo move those buyers?

Strategic value:

• Every dimension assessed — write "Not documented — ask directly" rather than skipping
• Impact ratings mandatory
• Data & Domain Access and Co-Development must be concrete, not generic

Net verdict:

• Cost-to-serve must include an honest founder-time and support-burden estimate, plus roadmap-distortion risk
• The Net Verdict and the maximum justified concession are both mandatory and must reference the startup's stage
• The verdict must hold even against a prestigious logo — prestige is not value to serve

Top Picks & Questions:

• Top Picks reference something specific from STARTUP_PROFILE.md — ≤150 words
• Questions section includes ≥3 specific items to confirm with the account directly (budget, expansion, reference willingness, data access)