biz-dev-credentials

name	biz-dev-credentials
description	Generates the agency credentials document — the "who we are" document sent to prospective clients — plus a matching 8-slide deck outline for in-person presentations. Invoke when a consultant or agency needs to produce a credentials pack, capabilities document, or credentials presentation to share with a prospective client.

Agency Credentials Generator

Produce two outputs from a single set of inputs: (1) a written credentials document and (2) an 8-slide deck outline. Both are ready to share or present without major editing. Apply East African English and professional register throughout.

Use when

• Generates the agency credentials document — the "who we are" document sent to prospective clients — plus a matching 8-slide deck outline for in-person presentations. Invoke when a consultant or agency needs to produce a credentials pack, capabilities document, or credentials presentation to share with a prospective client.
• Use this skill when it is the closest match to the requested deliverable or workflow.

Do not use when

• Do not use this skill for graphic design, video production, software development, or legal advice beyond the repository's stated scope.
• Do not use it when another skill in this repository is clearly more specific to the requested deliverable.

Workflow

1. Collect the required inputs or source material before drafting, unless this skill explicitly generates the intake itself.
2. Follow the section order and decision rules in this SKILL.md; do not skip mandatory steps or required fields.
3. Read files in references/ only when the body points to them or when you need the deeper framework, examples, or evidence.
4. Review the draft against the quality criteria, then deliver the final output in markdown unless the skill specifies another format.

Anti-Patterns

• Do not invent client facts, performance data, budgets, or approvals that were not provided or clearly inferred from evidence.
• Do not skip required inputs, mandatory sections, or quality checks just to make the output shorter.
• Do not drift into out-of-scope work such as code implementation, design production, or unsupported legal conclusions.

Outputs

• A structured markdown document, plan, playbook, or strategy ready for client-facing or internal use.

References

• Read references/proposal-frameworks.md when you need the deeper framework, examples, or supporting material it contains.

Required Input

Ask for the following before generating anything:

• Agency name — trading name and any tagline
• Founder name and background — professional history, relevant experience, what prompted founding the agency
• Services offered — list of services (up to 6); plain-English descriptions
• Three client results — anonymised is acceptable; must include a measurable outcome for each
• Team members — for each: name, role, 3-sentence bio, key expertise areas
• Contact details — phone, email, website, physical address or city
• Country/city — defaults to Kampala, Uganda if not specified

If any of these are missing, ask for them before proceeding.

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Output 1: Written Credentials Document

Generate each section in order. Do not skip sections.

1. Agency Overview and Founding Story

Write 3–4 sentences. Cover: what the agency does, who it serves, when it was founded, and why. Tone must be confident but not boastful — let the facts speak. Reference the founder's background naturally. Do not use superlatives ("the best", "leading", "premier").

Example register: "Meridian Social was founded in 2021 by [Founder Name], a communications professional with eight years' experience across corporate and NGO sectors in Uganda. The agency specialises in social media strategy and content management for small and medium-sized businesses seeking measurable growth. [Agency Name] brings together strategic rigour and practical execution — giving clients senior-level thinking without the overhead of an in-house team."

2. Services Offered

List 4–6 services. For each service:

• Service name (bold)
• One sentence describing what it is
• One sentence on who it is for or what problem it solves

Do not use jargon. Write as if explaining to a capable but non-specialist business owner.

3. Approach and Methodology

Describe how the agency works in 3–4 numbered steps. Each step has a title and 1–2 sentences. Frame this as a repeatable process that gives the client confidence. Reference the RACE framework (Chaffey, 2024) at the appropriate step — typically the planning or strategy phase.

Example step structure:

1. Discovery — ...
2. Strategy — ...
3. Execution — ...
4. Review — ...

4. Client Success Stories (Three)

For each story, use this format:

Client [A/B/C] — [Industry or anonymised descriptor, e.g. "Kampala-based retail brand"]

• Problem: One sentence. Specific challenge.
• Approach: One sentence. What was done.
• Result: One sentence. Specific metric or outcome. Use real numbers from the input. Never write "significant improvement".

5. Team Profiles

For each team member:

[Full Name] [Role/Title] [3-sentence bio: sentence 1 — professional background; sentence 2 — what they bring to clients; sentence 3 — a relevant personal or professional detail that adds colour without being informal.] Expertise: [3–5 key areas, comma-separated]

6. Contact and Next Steps

Include:

• Full contact details as provided
• A short paragraph (2–3 sentences) inviting the prospective client to get in touch. Warm, professional, not pushy.
• A clear call to action: "We would welcome the opportunity to discuss your goals. Kindly reach out via [contact method] to arrange a conversation."

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Output 2: 8-Slide Deck Outline

Generate immediately after the written document. Use the exact slide format from CLAUDE.md:

Slide N — [Slide Title] Headline: [The one thing the audience must remember] Bullets:

• [3–5 bullets maximum] Speaker Notes: [What the presenter says — context and depth not shown on the slide] Visual Direction: [Layout, imagery, colour, chart type]

Slide Structure

Slide 1 — Cover Agency name, tagline, presenter name, date. Clean and professional.

Slide 2 — Who We Are Founding story and agency overview. Headline should convey what makes the agency the right partner.

Slide 3 — What We Do Services offered. Group into logical clusters if more than 4.

Slide 4 — How We Work The methodology. 3–4 steps as a visual flow.

Slide 5 — Results We Have Delivered Three case study snapshots — one per client story. Metric-led headline.

Slide 6 — Who We Work With Ideal client profile: sectors, business sizes, maturity. Helps the prospect self-identify.

Slide 7 — What Working With Us Looks Like Onboarding process, communication norms, typical engagement structure. Sets expectations.

Slide 8 — Let's Talk Contact details, next step prompt, Q&A invitation.

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Formatting Rules

• Use markdown headings and bold for section titles
• Credentials document: continuous prose with clear section breaks
• Deck outline: strict slide-by-slide format, no deviations
• No bullet points in the prose sections of the credentials document — write in full sentences
• Keep team bios in the specified format; do not pad with vague phrases ("passionate about", "dedicated to")

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Social Proof Standards

Social Proof Taxonomy (Bly, 2018)

A credentials document must present all six social proof sources. Organise proof by client type and industry where possible — a financial services prospect is more convinced by financial services social proof than by a general mix across sectors.

Source	What to Include	Placement in Credentials Document
Client testimonials	Named testimonials with photo (where consented), name, title, and organisation. Quote must reference a specific outcome, not general satisfaction.	Section 4 — Client Success Stories; or a dedicated testimonials page
Specific case study results	Numbers, percentages, and currency values from prior engagements. "Significant improvement" is not a result.	Section 4 — one specific metric per story
Crowd proof	Total number of clients served, total campaigns run, total posts published, years in operation. Specific numbers carry more weight than vague claims.	Section 1 — Agency Overview, or a dedicated "By the Numbers" callout
Expert endorsements	Referrals from named professionals, media features, speaking invitations, industry body memberships. Third-party endorsement from a recognised source outweighs ten self-claims.	Section 3 — Approach, or alongside team profiles
Award badges and media features	Platform certifications, industry awards, press mentions (Daily Monitor, NTV, Business Daily, etc.). Display as logos or named references.	Section 1, or a visual "As Seen In / Recognised By" strip
Process credentials	Documented methodology, tools used, quality control steps. Demonstrates that results are reproducible, not accidental.	Section 3 — Approach and Methodology

When compiling the credentials document, verify that evidence exists for at least four of the six sources before finalising. Flag any source with insufficient evidence to the consultant — a credentials document with gaps is better than one with embellished or vague claims.

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Brand Asset Scorecard

Killian, B., in Hahn (2003)

Use this 16-criterion scorecard to assess brand health before building a credentials deck. Rate each criterion 1–10. Low scores reveal gaps the credentials should address or acknowledge.

#	Criterion	Score (1–10)	Notes
1	Brand Name
2	Packaging / visual identity
3	Reach and frequency
4	Ad / content quality
5	Promotions and offers
6	Consistency across channels
7	Distribution / availability
8	Newsworthiness
9	Likeability
10	Trade / partner support
11	Sales team capability
12	User / customer profile clarity
13	Product / service performance
14	Repurchasing / retention rate
15	Actionable research / data
16	Perceived value

Scoring: 130–160 = strong brand; 90–129 = functional but gaps present; below 90 = significant brand investment required.

When completing a credentials deck for a prospect client, use this scorecard to identify the brand strengths to emphasise and the gaps to offer as consultancy opportunities.

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Persuasion Frameworks

Apply frameworks from references/proposal-frameworks.md when generating this document.

Key principles for credentials documents:

• Credentials are Evidence (E in Sant's NOSE) — they belong after the client's need is established, not as the opener
• Lead with outcomes, not history — the most impressive client result appears first; the founding year is irrelevant to the client's decision (Sant: Primacy Principle)
• The credentials document is Physical Evidence (Hatton) — its quality, design, and accuracy signal the quality of the service it represents
• Eliminate Fluff: every superlative must be supported by a number or a named client result — "world-class" without evidence is noise (Sant: Fluff/Guff/Geek/Weasel Test)
• Frame credentials as proof for a specific outcome the prospective client wants, not as a general catalogue of past activity

Read references/proposal-frameworks.md for the full framework guide.

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Quality Criteria

• Agency overview is factual, confident, and free of superlatives or vague claims
• Each client success story contains at least one specific metric (number, percentage, or concrete outcome)
• Team bios are professional and informative; each is distinct in voice and content
• Deck outline follows the exact format specified in CLAUDE.md with no missing fields
• Services are described in plain English a non-specialist business owner would understand
• Methodology references the RACE framework (Chaffey, 2024) at the appropriate step
• Contact and next steps section includes a clear, courteous call to action
• British English spelling throughout; no American variants