battlecard-builder

Skill: Battlecard Builder

Purpose

Build competitive battlecards in 30 minutes using AI-powered research and a 3-type framework. Battlecards that are simple, current, and actually get used mid-call.

Inputs

• Your company name (required)
• Competitor name (required)
• Your solution: 2-3 sentences
• Their solution: 2-3 sentences
• Typical buyer: Role, company size, main concerns
• Win/loss context (optional): Why you won/lost last 3 deals against them

The 3 Essential Battlecard Types

Type 1: Core Competitor Battlecard

Use for: Competitive deals, prep, and onboarding.

Sections:

• Company Snapshot: Who they are, who they serve, how they're positioned (2-3 sentences)
• Pricing Intelligence: Per-user pricing, add-ons, hidden costs, contract terms
• Top 5 Competitor Strengths: What they genuinely win on
• Top 5 Competitor Weaknesses: Where they underperform (implementation time, UI complexity, TCO, support, contract rigidity)
• Discovery Questions: Questions that spotlight your edge ("How quickly do you need to see ROI?", "What's your rollout timeline?", "Had issues with past vendors?")
• Common Objections + Responses: Acknowledge concern in 2 sentences, then redirect with a question
  • "They have more features" → "They do, but most teams use 10-15. Which features actually matter for your team?"
  • "They're the industry standard" → "They are for many. But what critical features is the industry missing today?"
  • "They're cheaper" → "Totally. But what's the total cost including add-ons, implementation, and customization?"
  • "Our leadership prefers them" → "What is often overlooked is dedicated teams for specific niches. What would it take for your team to feel confident switching?"
  • "They integrate with everything" → "Long list, but do their integrations truly plug-and-play with your tech stack?"
  • "We've already signed a contract" → "I wish you the best. Out of curiosity, what's the plan if things don't go as expected in the first few months?"
• Proof Points: Short, sticky success stories with specific outcomes

Type 2: Quick Reference Card

Use for: Discovery calls, when a competitor comes up unexpectedly.

Sections:

• 3 Key Differentiators: Short, punchy phrases
• 3 Discovery Questions: Reveal where competitor struggles
• 1 Memorable Proof Point: Results, timeline, or brand
• 30-Second Positioning: Quick contrast statement

Type 3: Objection Handler

Use for: When common objections come up during calls.

Sections:

• Top 5 Competitor Weaknesses: Exact words prospects use (no polishing)
• Natural 2-Sentence Responses: Acknowledge concern, redirect with question
• Redirect Questions: Shift from defending to discovering
• Supporting Proof Points: Stats, quotes, or examples (under 50 words each)

Process

Minutes 0-10: Gather Intel

Collect quickly (use web search):

• Competitor's main website claim and positioning
• Their pricing structure
• Why you lost the last 3 deals to them (one sentence each)
• Why you won the last 3 deals against them (what tipped it)
• Their latest product update or announcement

Minutes 10-20: Run Core Prompts

Foundation Builder: Generate 5 differentiators, 6 objections with natural responses, 3 questions exposing weaknesses, proof points for each differentiator.

Weakness Finder (Insight Chain):

1. Find 3 non-obvious weaknesses customers discover after purchasing (focus on implementation, scalability, support)
2. Convert weaknesses into discovery questions (curious, not aggressive)
3. Build proof points for each weakness (under 50 words)

Scenario-Specific Prompts:

• Price objections: Hidden costs, ROI comparison, value-shift question, customer story
• Feature comparisons: Quality vs quantity, feature adoption question, time-to-value, complexity concerns
• Incumbent situations: Common pain points after year 2, migration path, renewal question, switch success story

Minutes 20-30: Strengthen Weak Spots

Review the battlecard for gaps. Run targeted prompts:

• Missing proof points → "Generate 3 specific proof points for [differentiator]"
• Weak objection responses → "Strengthen this response: [paste]. Acknowledge concern, redirect to strength."
• Need better questions → "Create 3 discovery questions that identify if a prospect will struggle with [competitor weakness]"
• Polish language → "Make these responses conversational. Remove corporate speak. Keep under 40 words. Add redirect question. Include specifics."

Maintenance: 2-Week Refresh Cycle

Week 1 Check (15 min):

• What objection had no good answer?
• What competitor claim surprised you?
• What worked well?

Week 2 Update (15 min): Run the Update Engine prompt with:

• Recent losses and reasons
• New competitor changes
• Field feedback on what's working/not
• Current battlecard content

The 3 Failure Points (Why Battlecards Die)

1. Created in isolation: no input from people actually selling
2. Never updated: market changes, battlecard doesn't
3. Too complex: information overload on a single card kills usage

The Update Rule: If your battlecards are over 3 months old without updates, they're hurting more than helping.

ROI Math

• 30 minutes to create, 15 minutes bi-weekly to maintain
• Even 10% improvement in competitive win rate = significant revenue
• Example: $50K avg deal, 10 competitive deals/month, 30% win rate → 40% with battlecards = 1 extra deal/month = $600K annual impact

Output

Save to: outputs/[company]-vs-[competitor]-battlecard.md (relative to your working directory)

Notes

Discovery questions in this skill pair well with the SPICED discovery framework (Situation, Pain, Impact, Critical Event, Decision): use the battlecard's discovery questions to surface Pain and Impact tied to the competitor's weaknesses.