chieflatif/battlecards

Battlecards — Competitive Displacement Playbooks Skill

Tier 3 — This entire file is regenerated during /setup Phase 3 (Competitive Landscape) with per-competitor displacement playbooks.

Purpose

Contains detailed competitive battlecards for each of the AE's top competitors. Each battlecard includes: competitor overview, strengths, weaknesses, displacement strategy, talk tracks, proof points, trap questions, and landmine responses. This is the ammunition for competitive selling situations.

When Referenced

• /battle — loads the relevant battlecard and applies it to a specific deal
• /strategy — Competitive Dynamics lens references competitor positioning
• /prep — includes competitive context when a deal has a known competitor
• /deck — Competitive Displacement template uses battlecard content

Core Framework

Battlecard Structure

Each competitor gets a full battlecard with 8 sections. During /setup Phase 3, SalesSidekick researches each competitor via web search and builds these playbooks.

---

Competitor 1: {{TOP_COMPETITOR_1}}

Overview

• Company: {{TOP_COMPETITOR_1}}
• Website: [Populated during /setup]
• Founded: [Populated during /setup]
• Size: [Populated during /setup]
• Market position: [Leader/Challenger/Niche — populated during /setup]
• Primary pitch: [What they lead with — populated during /setup]

Strengths (Where They Win)

Populated during /setup via web research — what they're genuinely good at.

1. [Strength 1 — specific and honest. Don't dismiss real advantages.]
2. [Strength 2]
3. [Strength 3]

When they're strongest: [Specific scenarios where they have a genuine advantage]

Weaknesses (Where They Lose)

Populated during /setup via web research — genuine gaps, not FUD.

1. [Weakness 1 — specific and verifiable]
2. [Weakness 2]
3. [Weakness 3]

When they struggle: [Specific scenarios where they consistently fall short]

Displacement Strategy

How to win when they're the incumbent or primary competitor.

• Wedge play: [The specific angle that opens the conversation — Financial, Technical, or Strategic]
• Reframe the evaluation: [How to shift decision criteria in our favor]
• Key differentiator to lead with: [The one thing they can't match]
• Proof point: [Specific customer who switched from them to us — if available]

Talk Tracks

Specific things to say in competitive conversations.

1. When prospect mentions their strength:

   "[Acknowledging response that reframes to our advantage]"

2. When prospect is comparing features:

   "[Response that shifts from features to outcomes — Commandment 9]"

3. When prospect says they're "good enough":

   "[Response that quantifies the gap between 'good enough' and optimal]"

Proof Points

• [Verified] [Specific case study or metric that favors us]
• [Verified] [Published comparison or analyst report]
• [Estimated] [Calculated advantage based on available data]

Trap Questions (Ask These)

Questions that expose their weaknesses without being aggressive.

1. "[Question about an area where they're known to be weak]"
2. "[Question about scalability, integration, or support — our advantage areas]"
3. "[Question that makes the prospect realize they need what we offer]"

Landmine Responses

When they've set traps — how to respond.

| They Say | You Respond | |----------|-------------| | "[Common competitor claim #1]" | "[Evidence-based counter]" | | "[Common competitor claim #2]" | "[Evidence-based counter]" | | "[Common competitor claim #3]" | "[Evidence-based counter]" |

---

Competitor 2: {{TOP_COMPETITOR_2}}

Same 8-section structure. Populated during /setup Phase 3.

Overview

[Populated during /setup]

Strengths

[Populated during /setup]

Weaknesses

[Populated during /setup]

Displacement Strategy

[Populated during /setup]

Talk Tracks

[Populated during /setup]

Proof Points

[Populated during /setup]

Trap Questions

[Populated during /setup]

Landmine Responses

[Populated during /setup]

---

Competitor 3: {{TOP_COMPETITOR_3}}

Same 8-section structure. Populated during /setup Phase 3.

Overview

[Populated during /setup]

Strengths

[Populated during /setup]

Weaknesses

[Populated during /setup]

Displacement Strategy

[Populated during /setup]

Talk Tracks

[Populated during /setup]

Proof Points

[Populated during /setup]

Trap Questions

[Populated during /setup]

Landmine Responses

[Populated during /setup]

---

General Competitive Rules

1. Never fabricate competitive intelligence. If we don't know something about a competitor, say so. Commandment 8 (Laws of Karma).
2. Never bash competitors directly. Let the prospect reach their own conclusions through trap questions and proof points.
3. Lead with our value, not their flaws. Frame every competitive conversation around what WE do well, not what THEY do poorly.
4. Evidence-grade competitive claims:
   • Competitor features from public sources (website, docs) → Verified
   • Competitive positioning based on call mentions or analyst reports → Estimated
   • Win probability and displacement predictions → Hypothesis
5. Update battlecards when new competitive intelligence emerges from calls (/closeout captures this in Output 6).

Win Probability Framework

When assessing competitive win probability:

| Signal | Impact on Win Probability | |--------|--------------------------| | Champion actively advocating for us | +0.2 | | Champion aligned with competitor | -0.2 | | Economic buyer met and positive | +0.15 | | Incumbent advantage (they're already in) | -0.15 | | We've redefined the evaluation criteria | +0.15 | | They're ahead in the evaluation timeline | -0.1 | | Customer has switched from them before | +0.1 | | Decision criteria favor our strengths | +0.1 |

Starting base: 0.5 (coin flip). Adjust up/down based on signals.

Personalization Notes

• This entire file is Tier 3 — fully regenerated during /setup Phase 3 (Competitive Landscape)
• /setup researches each competitor via web search and builds detailed battlecards
• Competitor names come from {{TOP_COMPETITOR_1}}, {{TOP_COMPETITOR_2}}, {{TOP_COMPETITOR_3}} (Tier 2 variables)
• Battlecards are updated when /closeout captures new competitive intelligence
• Talk tracks and landmine responses are crafted based on public competitive positioning
• Win probability framework is universal — no personalization needed