---
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.

---

## 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.

---

## 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.**

---

## 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.**

---

## 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]
```

---

## 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

---

## 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.

---

## 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.
