sales-battlecard

name	sales-battlecard
description	Creates competitive sales battlecards with objection responses, feature comparisons, and win/loss insights. Use when your team needs to sell against competitors.
allowed-tools	Read Write Glob
metadata	{"author":"matthewhitcham","version":"1.0"}

Sales Battlecard

When to Use This Skill

Use this skill when you need to:

• Create a one-page reference document for selling against a specific competitor
• Build objection response scripts for competitive sales situations
• Design feature comparison matrices that highlight your strengths
• Compile win/loss patterns and talk tracks for your sales process

DO NOT use this skill for general market research, product roadmap planning, or marketing comparison pages. This is for internal sales enablement documents used during live sales conversations.

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Core Principle

A BATTLECARD IS A QUICK-REFERENCE WEAPON, NOT A NOVEL — IT MUST ANSWER "WHAT DO I SAY WHEN THE PROSPECT MENTIONS COMPETITOR X?" IN UNDER 10 SECONDS.

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Phase 1: Brief

Required Inputs

Input	What to Ask	Default
Your product	"What do you sell?"	No default — must be provided
Competitor	"Which competitor is this battlecard for?"	No default — must be provided
Key differentiators	"What are the top 3 things you do better?"	Will research and recommend
Common objections	"What do prospects say when comparing you to this competitor?"	"They're cheaper" / "They're more established"
Win/loss data	"When you win against them, why? When you lose, why?"	Anecdotal insights
Target buyer	"Who is comparing you to this competitor?"	Decision-makers evaluating both options

GATE: Confirm the brief before building the battlecard.

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Phase 2: Battlecard Structure

One-Page Battlecard Layout

## [Your Product] vs. [Competitor] — Sales Battlecard

### Quick Overview
- Competitor positioning (1 sentence)
- Their ideal customer (who they serve best)
- Their weakness (the gap you fill)

### Feature Comparison Matrix
| Feature | You | Competitor | Advantage |
|---------|-----|-----------|-----------|

### Top 3 Differentiators (Your Wins)
1. [Differentiator] — why it matters to the buyer
2. [Differentiator] — why it matters to the buyer
3. [Differentiator] — why it matters to the buyer

### Objection Responses
"[Objection]" → [Response]

### Landmines to Plant
Questions to ask the prospect that expose competitor weaknesses

### When We Lose (and How to Counter)
Scenarios where they win and what to adjust

### Proof Points
Case studies, stats, testimonials that counter their strengths

GATE: Approve the structure before filling in the content.

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Phase 3: Write the Battlecard

Feature Comparison Matrix

Build a 6-10 row comparison focused on features that matter to the buyer:

• Only include features where you have a clear advantage or parity
• Mark advantages clearly (checkmark, "Superior", "Included")
• Be honest about gaps — credibility matters more than spin

Objection Response Scripts

For each objection, use the FEEL-FELT-FOUND framework:

Prospect: "But [Competitor] is cheaper."

Response: "I understand how you feel — price matters, especially when you're growing.
A lot of our customers felt the same way when they first looked at us.
But what they found is that [specific value point] actually saves them
[time/money] in the long run. For example, [client name] switched from
[Competitor] and saw [specific result] within [timeframe]."

Landmine Questions

Write 3-5 questions that expose competitor weaknesses without trash-talking:

## Questions to Ask Early in the Conversation

1. "How important is [feature you have, they don't] to your workflow?"
2. "Have you evaluated how [specific process] works with their solution?"
3. "What's your expected timeline? [If competitor has long onboarding]"
4. "How do you plan to handle [use case where competitor falls short]?"

Win/Loss Analysis

## When We Win
- Buyer values [your strength] over [their strength]
- Buyer has [specific use case where you excel]
- Buyer did a hands-on evaluation (your product demos better)

## When We Lose
- Buyer prioritizes price over [your differentiator]
- Buyer already invested in competitor's ecosystem
- Counter: [What to do differently next time]

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Phase 4: Polish

1. Formatting for Quick Reference

• One page maximum (front and back if printed)
• Use bold headers, tables, and bullet points — no paragraphs
• Color-code: green for your advantages, red for areas to watch
• Include competitor's logo for quick visual identification

2. Update Schedule

Battlecards go stale fast. Recommend:

• Quarterly review of feature comparison
• Monthly review of objection responses based on sales feedback
• Immediate update when competitor launches new features or changes pricing

3. Distribution Notes

• Share via internal wiki or sales enablement tool
• Do NOT share externally — this is internal strategy only
• Train the sales team on how to use the landmine questions naturally

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Anti-Patterns

• Trash-talking the competitor — "They're terrible" makes you look insecure. Highlight your strengths without attacking.
• Feature-dumping — listing 30 features misses the point. Focus on the 5-8 that matter to the buyer.
• Outdated information — a battlecard with last year's competitor pricing does more harm than good.
• Making it a novel — if the battlecard is longer than one page, it will not be used during a live call.
• Ignoring where you lose — pretending you have no weaknesses reduces credibility. Acknowledge gaps and provide counter-strategies.

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Recovery

• No competitive intelligence: Use the competitor's website, pricing page, G2/Capterra reviews, and customer testimonials to build the comparison.
• Multiple competitors: Create one battlecard per competitor. Do not combine them.
• No sales team (solopreneur): Use the battlecard as personal preparation for sales calls and as a framework for comparison content on your website.
• Competitor is significantly larger: Focus on advantages of being smaller: faster support, more personalized service, flexibility, founder access.