# Sales Battlecard > Creates competitive sales battlecards with objection responses, feature comparisons, and win/loss insights. Use when your team needs to sell against competitors. - Skill: `reaperinvest/sales-battlecard` (Agent Skill) - Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add reaperinvest/sales-battlecard` - Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/reaperinvest/sales-battlecard/raw - Safety review: pending - Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex - Category: Coding & Dev Tools - Author: reaperinvest (https://skillmd.com/u/reaperinvest) - Updated: 2026-09-22 - Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/reaperinvest/sales-battlecard --- # 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.