Battlecard generator

Research a specific competitor across their website, reviews, ads, social presence, and pricing — then produce a structured sales battlecard with positioning traps, objection handlers, landmine questions, and win/loss themes.

How to use it

  1. Hit Copy the whole skill.
  2. Claude: ⋯ → Download .md, then Customize → Skills → Add → Upload skill.
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    Neither? Paste it at the top of a new chat — it works for that chat.
  3. Describe your job in plain words. The AI follows the skill from there.
Claude Code — installs the whole folder, not just SKILL.md
npx degit gooseworks-ai/goose-skills/skills/competitive-intel/composites/battlecard-generator#main ~/.claude/skills/battlecard-generator

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Battlecard Generator

Research a competitor from every public angle — website, reviews, ads, social, pricing — and produce a structured sales battlecard. The output is what a rep opens 5 minutes before a competitive deal.

Built for: PMMs building competitive programs without a dedicated competitive intel team. The battlecard should be opinionated, not a neutral feature comparison.

When to Use

  • "Build a battlecard against [competitor]"
  • "We keep losing deals to [competitor] — help me understand why"
  • "What are [competitor]'s weaknesses we can exploit?"
  • "Prep the sales team for competitive deals against [competitor]"
  • "Research [competitor] and give me competitive positioning"

Phase 0: Intake

  1. Your product name + URL
  2. Competitor name + URL — One competitor per battlecard (focused > broad)
  3. Deal context — Where do you compete? (same ICP, upmarket/downmarket, different use case?)
  4. Known win/loss signals — Any patterns from deals you've won or lost against them?
  5. Sales team size — Are reps technical or business-focused? (affects language level)
  6. Existing positioning — Your one-line positioning vs this competitor (if any)

Phase 1: Competitor Research

1A: Website & Messaging Analysis

Fetch: [competitor] homepage, pricing page, about page, product page
Search: "[competitor]" "we help" OR "the only" OR "unlike"
Search: "[competitor]" case study OR customer story

Extract:

  • Hero claim — their primary positioning
  • Category — what category do they place themselves in?
  • Target audience — who do they say they serve?
  • Key features emphasized — what do they lead with?
  • Social proof — customer logos, metrics, quotes
  • Pricing structure — plans, pricing model, enterprise vs self-serve

1B: Review Intelligence

Search: "[competitor]" site:g2.com OR site:capterra.com
Search: "[competitor]" reviews "switched from" OR "moved to"

From reviews, extract:

  • Top 5 praised features (their moat — don't compete here directly)
  • Top 5 complaints (your attack angles)
  • Switching signals — why do customers leave?
  • ICP patterns — what roles/company sizes review them?

1C: Ad & Content Analysis

Search: "[competitor]" advertisement OR sponsored
Search: "[competitor]" vs OR alternative OR compare

Extract:

  • Ad messaging — what claims do they pay to promote?
  • Comparison pages — have they published "us vs X" pages?
  • Content themes — what topics do they create content around?

1D: Social & Community Signals

Search: "[competitor]" site:reddit.com OR site:twitter.com complaints OR issues
Search: "[competitor]" "looking for alternative" OR "anyone use"

Extract:

  • Common frustrations discussed publicly
  • Feature requests their users are vocal about
  • Sentiment patterns — do users love or tolerate them?

1E: Pricing Deep Dive

Fetch: [competitor] pricing page
Search: "[competitor]" pricing OR cost OR "how much"

Map their pricing:

  • Model: Per seat / usage-based / flat rate / hybrid
  • Tiers: What's in each tier?
  • Free tier: What's included? What's gated?
  • Enterprise: Custom pricing? What triggers enterprise sales?
  • Hidden costs: Implementation, overages, add-ons?

Phase 2: Competitive Analysis

Strengths & Weaknesses Matrix

Dimension Them Us Net
[Feature area 1] [Rating + context] [Rating + context] Win/Lose/Tie
[Feature area 2] ... ... ...
Pricing ... ... ...
Ease of use ... ... ...
Support ... ... ...
Integrations ... ... ...

Where We Win (lead with these)

  1. [Strength] — [Evidence from research]
  2. [Strength] — [Evidence]
  3. [Strength] — [Evidence]

Where We Lose (don't engage here)

  1. [Weakness] — [Mitigation strategy]
  2. [Weakness] — [How to reframe]

Where It's Close (differentiate on narrative)

  1. [Area] — [How to position the tie as a win]

Phase 3: Output — Battlecard

# Battlecard: [Your Product] vs [Competitor]
Last updated: [DATE] | Confidence: [High/Medium — based on data freshness]

---

## Quick Reference (The 30-Second Version)

**They say:** "[Their positioning headline]"
**We say:** "[Our counter-positioning]"
**We win when:** [Deal profile where we have advantage]
**We lose when:** [Deal profile where they have advantage]
**Best opening move:** "[Question or statement to frame the deal]"

---

## Competitor Overview

| | [Competitor] |
|---|---|
| **Founded** | [Year] |
| **Funding** | [Amount / stage] |
| **Headcount** | [Estimate] |
| **Target market** | [Who they serve] |
| **Pricing** | [Model + range] |
| **Category** | [How they position] |

---

## Positioning Traps

Questions to ask early in the deal that frame the evaluation in your favor:

1. **"[Question that highlights your strength]"**
   → If they say [X], you win because [reason]
   → If they say [Y], pivot to [angle]

2. **"[Question that exposes competitor weakness]"**
   → Their answer will likely be [X], which reveals [limitation]

3. **"[Question about a capability they lack]"**
   → They can't do this. When the prospect asks them, it plants doubt.

---

## Landmine Questions

Drop these casually — they'll come up when the prospect evaluates the competitor:

- "Have you asked [competitor] about [specific limitation]?"
- "When you evaluate [competitor], make sure to test [area where they're weak]."
- "One thing worth checking: [competitor] pricing can get expensive once you [usage trigger]."

---

## Objection Handling

### "Why shouldn't we just go with [Competitor]?"
> "[Direct response — acknowledge their strength, pivot to your differentiation]"

### "[Competitor] has more features / is more established"
> "[Response — focus on what matters for this buyer's use case, not feature count]"

### "[Competitor] is cheaper"
> "[Response — reframe on total cost, hidden costs, or value per dollar]"

### "[Competitor] has [big customer logo]"
> "[Response — your relevant social proof + why logo != fit]"

### "We're already using [Competitor]"
> "[Response — switching cost vs cost of staying, what's changed]"

---

## Feature Comparison (Honest Assessment)

| Capability | Us | [Competitor] | Verdict |
|-----------|-----|-------------|---------|
| [Feature 1] | [Status + context] | [Status + context] | [Who wins + why] |
| [Feature 2] | ... | ... | ... |
| [Feature 3] | ... | ... | ... |
| Pricing transparency | ... | ... | ... |
| Onboarding speed | ... | ... | ... |
| Support quality | ... | ... | ... |

---

## Their Customers Say (From Reviews)

### What they love (don't fight these):
- "[Quote from review]" — [Platform, Role]
- "[Quote]" — ...

### What they hate (exploit these):
- "[Quote from negative review]" — [Platform, Role]
- "[Quote]" — ...
- "[Quote]" — ...

---

## Pricing Comparison

| | Us | [Competitor] |
|---|---|---|
| **Entry price** | [$/mo] | [$/mo] |
| **Mid-tier** | [$/mo] | [$/mo] |
| **Enterprise** | [Custom / $X] | [Custom / $X] |
| **Free tier** | [What's included] | [What's included] |
| **Hidden costs** | [None / list] | [Implementation, overages, etc.] |

**Pricing attack angle:** [How to frame pricing comparison favorably]

---

## Win Themes (What Wins Deals)

Based on competitive patterns:
1. **[Theme]** — "[Proof point or quote]"
2. **[Theme]** — ...
3. **[Theme]** — ...

## Loss Themes (What Loses Deals)

Be aware — we tend to lose when:
1. **[Pattern]** — Mitigation: [strategy]
2. **[Pattern]** — Mitigation: [strategy]

---

## Quick Responses for Email/Chat

**When prospect mentions [competitor]:**
> "[2-sentence response for email or Slack]"

**When asked for a comparison:**
> "[3-sentence elevator pitch vs competitor]"

Save to clients/<client-name>/product-marketing/battlecards/vs-[competitor-slug]-[YYYY-MM-DD].md.

Cost

Component Cost
Web research Free
Review mining (optional, via review-site-scraper) ~$0.50-1.00
Ad analysis (optional, via ad scrapers) ~$0.50-1.00
All analysis and battlecard generation Free (LLM reasoning)
Total Free — $2

Tools Required

  • web_search — for competitor research
  • fetch_webpage — for site analysis
  • Optional: review-site-scraper for G2/Capterra mining
  • Optional: google-ad-scraper for ad intelligence, web_search against Meta Ad Library for Meta ads

Trigger Phrases

  • "Build a battlecard against [competitor]"
  • "Competitive intel on [competitor]"
  • "Run the battlecard generator for [competitor]"
  • "Help me win deals against [competitor]"
1---
2name: battlecard-generator
3description: >
4 Research a specific competitor across their website, reviews, ads, social presence,
5 and pricing — then produce a structured sales battlecard with positioning traps,
6 objection handlers, landmine questions, and win/loss themes. Chains web research,
7 review mining, and ad intelligence. Use when sales needs competitive ammo or when
8 entering a new market with established incumbents.
9tags: [competitive-intel]
10---
11 
12# Battlecard Generator
13 
14Research a competitor from every public angle — website, reviews, ads, social, pricing — and produce a structured sales battlecard. The output is what a rep opens 5 minutes before a competitive deal.
15 
16**Built for:** PMMs building competitive programs without a dedicated competitive intel team. The battlecard should be opinionated, not a neutral feature comparison.
17 
18## When to Use
19 
20- "Build a battlecard against [competitor]"
21- "We keep losing deals to [competitor] — help me understand why"
22- "What are [competitor]'s weaknesses we can exploit?"
23- "Prep the sales team for competitive deals against [competitor]"
24- "Research [competitor] and give me competitive positioning"
25 
26## Phase 0: Intake
27 
281. **Your product name + URL**
292. **Competitor name + URL** — One competitor per battlecard (focused > broad)
303. **Deal context** — Where do you compete? (same ICP, upmarket/downmarket, different use case?)
314. **Known win/loss signals** — Any patterns from deals you've won or lost against them?
325. **Sales team size** — Are reps technical or business-focused? (affects language level)
336. **Existing positioning** — Your one-line positioning vs this competitor (if any)
34 
35## Phase 1: Competitor Research
36 
37### 1A: Website & Messaging Analysis
38 
39```
40Fetch: [competitor] homepage, pricing page, about page, product page
41Search: "[competitor]" "we help" OR "the only" OR "unlike"
42Search: "[competitor]" case study OR customer story
43```
44 
45Extract:
46- **Hero claim** — their primary positioning
47- **Category** — what category do they place themselves in?
48- **Target audience** — who do they say they serve?
49- **Key features emphasized** — what do they lead with?
50- **Social proof** — customer logos, metrics, quotes
51- **Pricing structure** — plans, pricing model, enterprise vs self-serve
52 
53### 1B: Review Intelligence
54 
55```
56Search: "[competitor]" site:g2.com OR site:capterra.com
57Search: "[competitor]" reviews "switched from" OR "moved to"
58```
59 
60From reviews, extract:
61- **Top 5 praised features** (their moat — don't compete here directly)
62- **Top 5 complaints** (your attack angles)
63- **Switching signals** — why do customers leave?
64- **ICP patterns** — what roles/company sizes review them?
65 
66### 1C: Ad & Content Analysis
67 
68```
69Search: "[competitor]" advertisement OR sponsored
70Search: "[competitor]" vs OR alternative OR compare
71```
72 
73Extract:
74- **Ad messaging** — what claims do they pay to promote?
75- **Comparison pages** — have they published "us vs X" pages?
76- **Content themes** — what topics do they create content around?
77 
78### 1D: Social & Community Signals
79 
80```
81Search: "[competitor]" site:reddit.com OR site:twitter.com complaints OR issues
82Search: "[competitor]" "looking for alternative" OR "anyone use"
83```
84 
85Extract:
86- **Common frustrations** discussed publicly
87- **Feature requests** their users are vocal about
88- **Sentiment patterns** — do users love or tolerate them?
89 
90### 1E: Pricing Deep Dive
91 
92```
93Fetch: [competitor] pricing page
94Search: "[competitor]" pricing OR cost OR "how much"
95```
96 
97Map their pricing:
98- **Model:** Per seat / usage-based / flat rate / hybrid
99- **Tiers:** What's in each tier?
100- **Free tier:** What's included? What's gated?
101- **Enterprise:** Custom pricing? What triggers enterprise sales?
102- **Hidden costs:** Implementation, overages, add-ons?
103 
104## Phase 2: Competitive Analysis
105 
106### Strengths & Weaknesses Matrix
107 
108| Dimension | Them | Us | Net |
109|-----------|------|-----|-----|
110| [Feature area 1] | [Rating + context] | [Rating + context] | Win/Lose/Tie |
111| [Feature area 2] | ... | ... | ... |
112| Pricing | ... | ... | ... |
113| Ease of use | ... | ... | ... |
114| Support | ... | ... | ... |
115| Integrations | ... | ... | ... |
116 
117### Where We Win (lead with these)
1181. [Strength] — [Evidence from research]
1192. [Strength] — [Evidence]
1203. [Strength] — [Evidence]
121 
122### Where We Lose (don't engage here)
1231. [Weakness] — [Mitigation strategy]
1242. [Weakness] — [How to reframe]
125 
126### Where It's Close (differentiate on narrative)
1271. [Area] — [How to position the tie as a win]
128 
129## Phase 3: Output — Battlecard
130 
131```markdown
132# Battlecard: [Your Product] vs [Competitor]
133Last updated: [DATE] | Confidence: [High/Medium — based on data freshness]
134 
135---
136 
137## Quick Reference (The 30-Second Version)
138 
139**They say:** "[Their positioning headline]"
140**We say:** "[Our counter-positioning]"
141**We win when:** [Deal profile where we have advantage]
142**We lose when:** [Deal profile where they have advantage]
143**Best opening move:** "[Question or statement to frame the deal]"
144 
145---
146 
147## Competitor Overview
148 
149| | [Competitor] |
150|---|---|
151| **Founded** | [Year] |
152| **Funding** | [Amount / stage] |
153| **Headcount** | [Estimate] |
154| **Target market** | [Who they serve] |
155| **Pricing** | [Model + range] |
156| **Category** | [How they position] |
157 
158---
159 
160## Positioning Traps
161 
162Questions to ask early in the deal that frame the evaluation in your favor:
163 
1641. **"[Question that highlights your strength]"**
165 → If they say [X], you win because [reason]
166 → If they say [Y], pivot to [angle]
167 
1682. **"[Question that exposes competitor weakness]"**
169 → Their answer will likely be [X], which reveals [limitation]
170 
1713. **"[Question about a capability they lack]"**
172 → They can't do this. When the prospect asks them, it plants doubt.
173 
174---
175 
176## Landmine Questions
177 
178Drop these casually — they'll come up when the prospect evaluates the competitor:
179 
180- "Have you asked [competitor] about [specific limitation]?"
181- "When you evaluate [competitor], make sure to test [area where they're weak]."
182- "One thing worth checking: [competitor] pricing can get expensive once you [usage trigger]."
183 
184---
185 
186## Objection Handling
187 
188### "Why shouldn't we just go with [Competitor]?"
189> "[Direct response — acknowledge their strength, pivot to your differentiation]"
190 
191### "[Competitor] has more features / is more established"
192> "[Response — focus on what matters for this buyer's use case, not feature count]"
193 
194### "[Competitor] is cheaper"
195> "[Response — reframe on total cost, hidden costs, or value per dollar]"
196 
197### "[Competitor] has [big customer logo]"
198> "[Response — your relevant social proof + why logo != fit]"
199 
200### "We're already using [Competitor]"
201> "[Response — switching cost vs cost of staying, what's changed]"
202 
203---
204 
205## Feature Comparison (Honest Assessment)
206 
207| Capability | Us | [Competitor] | Verdict |
208|-----------|-----|-------------|---------|
209| [Feature 1] | [Status + context] | [Status + context] | [Who wins + why] |
210| [Feature 2] | ... | ... | ... |
211| [Feature 3] | ... | ... | ... |
212| Pricing transparency | ... | ... | ... |
213| Onboarding speed | ... | ... | ... |
214| Support quality | ... | ... | ... |
215 
216---
217 
218## Their Customers Say (From Reviews)
219 
220### What they love (don't fight these):
221- "[Quote from review]" — [Platform, Role]
222- "[Quote]" — ...
223 
224### What they hate (exploit these):
225- "[Quote from negative review]" — [Platform, Role]
226- "[Quote]" — ...
227- "[Quote]" — ...
228 
229---
230 
231## Pricing Comparison
232 
233| | Us | [Competitor] |
234|---|---|---|
235| **Entry price** | [$/mo] | [$/mo] |
236| **Mid-tier** | [$/mo] | [$/mo] |
237| **Enterprise** | [Custom / $X] | [Custom / $X] |
238| **Free tier** | [What's included] | [What's included] |
239| **Hidden costs** | [None / list] | [Implementation, overages, etc.] |
240 
241**Pricing attack angle:** [How to frame pricing comparison favorably]
242 
243---
244 
245## Win Themes (What Wins Deals)
246 
247Based on competitive patterns:
2481. **[Theme]** — "[Proof point or quote]"
2492. **[Theme]** — ...
2503. **[Theme]** — ...
251 
252## Loss Themes (What Loses Deals)
253 
254Be aware — we tend to lose when:
2551. **[Pattern]** — Mitigation: [strategy]
2562. **[Pattern]** — Mitigation: [strategy]
257 
258---
259 
260## Quick Responses for Email/Chat
261 
262**When prospect mentions [competitor]:**
263> "[2-sentence response for email or Slack]"
264 
265**When asked for a comparison:**
266> "[3-sentence elevator pitch vs competitor]"
267```
268 
269Save to `clients/<client-name>/product-marketing/battlecards/vs-[competitor-slug]-[YYYY-MM-DD].md`.
270 
271## Cost
272 
273| Component | Cost |
274|-----------|------|
275| Web research | Free |
276| Review mining (optional, via review-site-scraper) | ~$0.50-1.00 |
277| Ad analysis (optional, via ad scrapers) | ~$0.50-1.00 |
278| All analysis and battlecard generation | Free (LLM reasoning) |
279| **Total** | **Free — $2** |
280 
281## Tools Required
282 
283- **web_search** — for competitor research
284- **fetch_webpage** — for site analysis
285- **Optional:** `review-site-scraper` for G2/Capterra mining
286- **Optional:** `google-ad-scraper` for ad intelligence, `web_search` against Meta Ad Library for Meta ads
287 
288## Trigger Phrases
289 
290- "Build a battlecard against [competitor]"
291- "Competitive intel on [competitor]"
292- "Run the battlecard generator for [competitor]"
293- "Help me win deals against [competitor]"
294 

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