competitive-battlecardlisted

# Competitive Battlecard ## Purpose Turn a competitive threat into a deal-specific plan: an honest read of where you genuinely win and where they genuinely win, landmines to set early, trap questions that expose their weakness, rebuttals to their likely claims, and the proof points that back each one. The goal is to shape the buyer's evaluation criteria before the competitor does — not to spin. ## Inputs - The competitor's name (and edition/tier if known) - How the competitor surfaced (buyer mentioned, incumbent, RFP shortlist) - The deal context: stage, who's evaluating, their stated criteria and pains - Your real differentiators and your real gaps (be honest with yourself first) ## Method 1. Establish the honest baseline. Split the field into **where we win** and **where they win**. If you can't name a category where they legitimately beat you, you don't understand the competitor — and the buyer will smell the spin. Tie each side to *this buyer's* stated criteria, not a generic feature grid. 2. Plant landmines early. A landmine is a criterion you seed into the buyer's evaluation that the competitor structurally fails. Plant it as a question the buyer should "make sure to ask any vendor," not as an attack. Set it while you still control the agenda — before the competitor's demo, not after. 3. Build trap questions. A trap question is one the buyer asks the competitor that exposes a known weakness, where any honest answer hurts them. Frame it neutrally