sales-battlecard

Sales Battlecard Skill

Produces a practical one-page competitive battlecard that sales reps can use in calls — not a theoretical analysis.

Required Inputs

• Your product/company
• Competitor name
• Your target customer (ICP)
• Your top 3 differentiators vs this competitor
• Common objections when competing against them
• Known competitor weaknesses

Output Structure

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Battlecard: [Your Product] vs [Competitor]

Updated: [Date] — Review quarterly

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In One Sentence

When a prospect mentions [Competitor], say: "[Your positioning in one sentence]"

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Why Customers Choose [Competitor]

(Be honest about their genuine strengths)

• [Strength 1]
• [Strength 2]

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Why Customers Choose Us

(Specific differentiators with proof points)

• [Differentiator 1]: [Proof point — customer outcome or capability]
• [Differentiator 2]: [Proof point]

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Objection Responses

"[Competitor] is cheaper"

"You are right their list price is lower. What our customers find is [specific TCO difference]. [Customer] saw [result]. Should we explore total cost of ownership?"

"We already use [Competitor]"

"That is helpful. What is working well? [Listen] And what is one thing you wish was better?"

"[Competitor] has [feature] you do not"

"You are right. What problem are you solving with that feature? [Listen] Here is how our customers solve that..."

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Landmines to Plant

• "How do you currently handle [area where competitor is weak]?"
• "What happens when you need to [scenario competitor struggles with]?"

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Traps to Avoid

• Never badmouth [Competitor] directly
• Do not lead with features — lead with the prospect problem
• Do not claim you do everything better — be specific about where you win

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When We Win / When We Lose

We win when: [Scenario — e.g. customer prioritises outcome over price]

We lose when: [Honest scenario — e.g. primary driver is lowest upfront cost]

Quality Checks

• [ ] Competitor strengths are listed honestly (not minimised)
• [ ] Differentiators have proof points (not just claims)
• [ ] Objection responses are conversational (not scripted-sounding)
• [ ] Landmine questions are natural and non-confrontational
• [ ] "When we lose" is included and honest
• [ ] Battlecard has a review date

Example Trigger Phrases

• "Build a battlecard against [competitor]"
• "Create a competitive cheat sheet for [competitor]"
• "Write objection handling for [competitor] comparisons"

Anti-Patterns

• [ ] Do not minimise or ignore genuine competitor strengths — sales reps who encounter them unprepared lose credibility
• [ ] Do not write differentiators without proof points — a claim without evidence is marketing, not a battlecard
• [ ] Do not make the battlecard exhaustive — it is a one-page cheat sheet, not a full competitive analysis
• [ ] Do not include a "When we lose" section that is dishonestly optimistic — honest loss scenarios build rep trust
• [ ] Do not skip the review date — an outdated battlecard with wrong information is worse than no battlecard