battlecards · v1.0 · 2026-07-03 · sha256 bd03d83f7a34c723
battlecards v1.0A
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--- name: battlecards version: '1.0' last_updated: 2026-02-06 author: marketing-team description: Creates competitive battlecards for sales deal conversations. Produces win themes, landmines to plant, objection handlers, and competitive positioning per competitor. Outputs a structured markdown battlecard with quick-reference sections for live sales calls. Depends on competitor-research for competitive intelligence and consumes product-messaging, win-loss-analysis, and positioning for framing. Feeds into sales-deck, outreach-emails, and demo-script. Triggered by "battlecard", "competitive intel", "win against [competitor]", or "how do we beat [competitor]". goal: Creates competitive battlecards for sales deal conversations. outcome: Creates competitive battlecards for sales deal conversations. Produces win themes, landmines to plant, objection handlers, and competitive positioning per competitor. Outputs a structured markdown battlecard with quick-reference sections for live sales calls. Depends on competitor-research for... primitive: sales-enablement ontology_type: battlecard review_gate: 2 inputs: required: [] recommended: - competitor-research - product-messaging - win-loss-analysis - positioning outputs: - type: battlecard feeds_into: - sales-deck - outreach-emails - demo-script depends_on: [] feeds_into: - demo-script - outreach-emails - sales-deck owned_by_agent: sales mcps_used: [] push_targets: - gdrive triggers: slash_commands: [] natural_language: [] status: draft locked_by: null locked_date: null lock_version: null sources_count: 0 context: fork effort: high --- <!-- COMMUNITY SKILL — included under its original MIT license. Source: https://github.com/matteotitta/genesys-skills by Matteo Titta (MIT). License text: ../LICENSE-genesys-skills.txt Curated into Growth Marketing OS by Mahmoud Omar (mahmoudomar.com) — this file is NOT original work by the repo author; see /skills/community/README.md. --> # Battlecards Quick-reference competitive intelligence battlecards for live sales conversations. Designed to be scanned in 30 seconds during a call. Supports batch generation for multiple competitors with confidence-level sourcing on every claim. The body of this file holds decision-grade context (when to invoke, inputs, structure, anti-hallucination guardrails, gotchas). Step-by-step process, output template, quality gates, and feedback loops live in `references/`. --- ## Claude Code triggers **Invoke this skill when user says:** - "Create battlecard for [competitor]" - "Competitive battlecard" - "How to win against [competitor]" - "Competitive intel for sales" - "Battlecards for [product]" - "Sales battlecard" - "Counter-positioning against [competitor]" - "Competitive one-pager" (if focus is on win/lose scenarios) **Do NOT invoke when:** - User wants deep competitor research → Use `/competitor-research` skill - User wants sales deck → Use `/sales-deck` skill - User wants demo script → Use `/demo-script` skill - User wants competitive feature comparison only → Use `/competitor-research` skill --- ## Input requirements ### Required inputs | Input | Description | Source | |-------|-------------|--------| | **Competitor name(s)** | Which competitor(s) to create battlecards for | User specifies | | **Your product context** | What you sell, key capabilities | User, product-messaging, or URL | ### Optional inputs (improve quality) | Input | How it helps | |-------|--------------| | competitor-research output | Pre-researched intel (funding, features, positioning) | | win-loss-analysis output | When we win/lose patterns with evidence | | Product messaging | Counter-positioning based on your value props | | Positioning context | Strategic anchors for competitive framing | | Competitor URLs | For live research if no prior research exists | | Sales call transcripts | Real objections and competitive mentions | ### Input validation checklist Before proceeding, verify: - [ ] Competitor(s) confirmed - [ ] Your product's key differentiators known - [ ] At least one intel source available (research, URL, or docs) **If inputs are missing:** Ask which competitor(s). Offer to run competitor-research first if no intel available. --- ## Process at a glance | Phase | Purpose | Output | |-------|---------|--------| | 1. Competitor selection | Confirm scope (single vs batch) | Confirmed competitor list | | 2. Intel gathering | Pull from research + win-loss + web research | Intel dossier per competitor | | 3. Battlecard generation | Fill template, add confidence levels, write talk tracks + landmines | Draft battlecard(s) | | 4. Validation & delivery | Verify sources, format for delivery | Final battlecard(s) | Full step-by-step (with checkpoints, confidence framework, workflow sequences, GDrive export commands) in [`references/process.md`](references/process.md). --- ## Battlecard structure (decision-grade) Every battlecard contains these sections — in this order, no exceptions: 1. **Quick facts** — Founded, funding, employees, target market, pricing model, starting price (side-by-side table) 2. **When we win** — 3 specific scenarios + verbatim customer proof point 3. **When we lose** — 2+ honest losing scenarios + mitigation actions 4. **Their pitch** — Verbatim competitor language + key claims 5. **Counter-positioning** — Scripted "when they say X, we say Y" responses 6. **Feature comparison** — Honest table with winner-per-row 7. **Landmines to plant** — 3+ discovery questions that expose competitor weaknesses 8. **Objection handling** — Common objections with proof-pointed responses 9. **Red flags** — When to walk away (qualification-out criteria) 10. **Sources** — Every claim with URL + access date + confidence Full template with field-level guidance in [`references/battlecard-template.md`](references/battlecard-template.md). Output wrapper format and iteration prompts in [`references/auto-update.md`](references/auto-update.md). --- ## Anti-hallucination guardrails **Critical for sales credibility:** 1. **Never invent competitor claims.** Only use verified data with sources. 2. **Never fabricate customer quotes.** Verbatim only or mark "[PLACEHOLDER: need customer quote]". 3. **Never guess competitor pricing.** Use verified data or mark "[CONFIRM: pricing]". 4. **Mark confidence levels** on all competitive intel (High/Medium/Low/UNVERIFIED). 5. **Cite sources** for all factual claims with access dates. 6. **Acknowledge gaps** rather than fill with plausible content. 7. **Be honest about weaknesses.** "When we lose" builds credibility with sales team. --- ## Gotchas - **Fabricated competitor pricing**: Invents pricing tiers when pricing page is gated or not found → Mark pricing as [UNAVAILABLE] and note where to find it (sales call, demo request). Never guess. - **Generic objection handlers**: Produces "we're more reliable" instead of specific counter-arguments → Every objection handler must reference a concrete differentiator or proof point. - **Missing landmines**: Only covers strengths, forgets to include questions that expose competitor weaknesses → Landmines are the most valuable section for sales reps. 3-5 questions per competitor minimum. - **Stale competitive data**: Uses old competitor positioning without checking current website → Always scrape competitor website at time of battlecard creation. Note access date. --- ## Integration with other skills ### Upstream skills (provide inputs) | Skill | What it provides | Required? | |-------|------------------|-----------| | **competitor-research** | Company facts, positioning, features, pricing | Recommended | | **win-loss-analysis** | Win/loss patterns, objections, proof points | Recommended | | **product-messaging** | Your value props for counter-positioning | Recommended | | **positioning** | Strategic competitive anchors | Optional | ### Downstream skills (consume outputs) | Skill | How it uses battlecards | |-------|-------------------------| | **sales-deck** | Differentiation slide content | | **demo-script** | Objection handling during demos | | **outreach-emails** | Competitive displacement email content | --- ## Reference files | File | Purpose | |------|---------| | [`references/process.md`](references/process.md) | 4-phase runbook + flowchart + confidence framework + workflow sequences | | [`references/battlecard-template.md`](references/battlecard-template.md) | Complete battlecard structure with field-level examples | | [`references/quality.md`](references/quality.md) | Pre-delivery checklist + self-evaluation protocol + anti-examples | | [`references/auto-update.md`](references/auto-update.md) | Output wrapper, iteration prompts, feedback signal detection, pattern rules | --- ## MCP data integration **Level:** 2 — PM Execution (inherits upstream, no unique pulls) **Inherits from:** competitor-research, win-loss-analysis, product-messaging **Pulls fresh:** NONE — all data comes from upstream. Battlecards synthesize existing competitor research and win-loss patterns. **Fallback (no MCP):** Use competitor-research and win-loss-analysis outputs directly. If upstream skills haven't run, trigger them first before running battlecards. --- ## Changelog | Version | Date | Changes | |---------|------|---------| | 1.0 | 2026-02-06 | Initial skill creation. Extracted from sales-enablement with dedicated process, confidence framework, batch support, and Google Docs/PDF export | | 1.1 | 2026-05-01 | Slim refactor: extracted process, quality, and auto-update protocol to references/ (Phase 4.5.1.C) |