sales-compete

What this skill does

# Competitive Displacement Campaigns

Help the user find competitor customers, identify those ready to switch, and build targeted outreach with displacement-specific messaging. This skill is platform-agnostic but references Apollo.io's technographic and intent data as the primary source. The same frameworks apply to ZoomInfo, G2, BuiltWith, HG Insights, or any technographic/intent provider.

## Step 1 — Gather context


If `references/learnings.md` exists, read it first for accumulated knowledge.

Ask the user:

1. **Which competitor are you targeting?**
   - Name the specific competitor (or competitors) whose customers you want to win
   - If targeting multiple, rank them — start with one

2. **What do you sell, and what's the primary displacement angle?**
   - A) Price — your product is more cost-effective
   - B) Features — you do something they can't
   - C) UX/ease of use — you're simpler to adopt and use
   - D) Support/service — you provide better support or faster response times
   - E) Performance/scale — you handle their workload better
   - F) Multiple angles — describe them

3. **What data sources do you have access to?**
   - A) Apollo.io (technographic + intent data)
   - B) ZoomInfo (technographic + intent)
   - C) G2 (comparison page visits, reviews)
   - D) BuiltWith / HG Insights (tech installs)
   - E) LinkedIn Sales Navigator
   - F) CRM data (existing competitive deals)
   - G) None yet — recommend one

4. **What's your ICP?** (Overlay on top of the competitor's installed base — not every competitor customer is a good fit for you)

**If the user's request already provides most of this context, skip directly to the relevant step.** Lead with your best-effort answer using reasonable assumptions (stated explicitly), then ask only the most critical 1-2 clarifying questions at the end — don't gate your response behind gathering complete context.

## Step 2 — Identify the installed base

Use technographic filters to find companies using the competitor's product:

### Technographic search strategy

- **Apollo**: Search > Technologies filter > search for competitor name. Apollo tracks 10,000+ technologies. Use "is any of" to capture multiple product names (e.g., "Datadog" AND "Datadog APM" AND "Datadog Infrastructure")
- **ZoomInfo**: Similar technographic filters under Advanced Search
- **BuiltWith/HG Insights**: Deeper technographic data, especially for web technologies
- **G2**: Export companies that visited your competitor's G2 profile or comparison pages

### Layer firmographic filters

Don't target the entire installed base — narrow to your ICP:
- **Company size**: Match your sweet spot (competitor may serve SMB to enterprise; you may only win in mid-market)
- **Industry**: Focus on verticals where your displacement angle resonates strongest
- **Geography**: Match your coverage area
- **Revenue/funding**: Ensure they can afford your product

### Accuracy expectations

| Data source | Accuracy | Lag | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apollo technographic | 70-80% | 3-6 months | Broad installed base discovery |
| BuiltWith/HG Insights | 80-90% | 1-3 months | Web/SaaS technology detection |
| G2 visitor data | High intent signal | Real-time | Active evaluators |
| CRM win/loss data | 100% (your data) | Current | Known competitive encounters |

### In LeadMagic

- **Google Ads Search**: Analyze competitor Google search ads — ad copy, keywords, landing page URLs. See what competitors bid on and how they position (1 credit per ad).
- **Meta Ads Search**: Research competitor Facebook/Instagram ads — creative, copy, and engagement. Understand their social advertising strategy (1 credit per ad).
- **B2B Ads Search**: Discover competitor B2B display and social campaigns. See which accounts they're targeting with ABM-style advertising (1 credit per ad).
- **Technographics**: Via Company Search, identify what technology stack competitors and their customers use — useful for displacement campaigns targeting specific tools.
- **Competitors Search**: Discover companies in the same competitive space as your targets.
- **API-first**: All endpoints available via REST API at api.leadmagic.io — automate competitive monitoring in your pipeline.
- **Best for**: Teams wanting programmatic competitive ad intelligence without expensive CI platforms.

## Step 3 — Find displacement signals

Layer signals on top of the installed base to identify companies ready to switch:

### Signal types, ranked by displacement readiness

| Signal | Source | Readiness level | What it means |
|---|---|---|---|
| **Researching alternatives** | Intent data (Apollo/Bombora), G2 comparison views | Very high | Actively evaluating — act fast |
| **New leader hired** | Job change alerts (Apollo, LinkedIn) | High | New VP/CTO in first 90 days = re-evaluation window |
| **Contract renewal timing** | Industry knowledge, sales intel | High | 60-90 days before renewal is the sweet spot |
| **Hiring for roles your product replaces** | Job postings (Apollo, LinkedIn) | Medium-high | Building capacity = potential dissatisfaction with current tool |
| **Competitor mentioned in negative context** | G2 reviews, Reddit, social | Medium | Public dissatisfaction, but may not be actively looking |
| **Funding event** | Apollo, Crunchbase | Medium | New budget to re-evaluate stack |
| **Technographic change** | Apollo, BuiltWith | Medium | Removing adjacent tools may signal broader stack re-evaluation |

### Signal stacking

Multiple signals compound readiness. Score each prospect:

| Signals present | Priority | Action |
|---|---|---|
| 3+ signals (e.g., new CTO + researching alternatives + contract renewal) | Immediate | Direct outreach, top of queue |
| 2 signals (e.g., new leader + hiring) | High | Prioritized outreach within 1-2 weeks |
| 1 strong signal (researching alternatives) | Medium-high | Standard outreach cadence |
| 1 weak signal (funding, tech change) | Medium | Add to nurture, monitor for additional signals |
| ICP fit only, no signals | Low | Long-term nurture, not active outreach |

## Step 4 — Build the displacement list

### Tiered output

| Tier | Criteria | Volume target | Outreach approach |
|---|---|---|---|
| **Tier 1 — Active** | ICP fit + 2+ displacement signals | 10-15% of base | Hyper-personalized, multi-channel, reference specific signals |
| **Tier 2 — Primed** | ICP fit + 1 signal or very strong fit | 25-35% of base | Personalized at segment level, competitor-aware messaging |
| **Tier 3 — Latent** | ICP fit, no active signal | 50-60% of base | Nurture content, thought leadership, not direct displacement pitch |

### Per-prospect messaging angles

For each Tier 1 prospect, identify the specific displacement angle:

| Prospect situation | Messaging angle |
|---|---|
| New leader (first 90 days) | "As you evaluate your stack..." — frame as helping them succeed in their new role |
| Researching alternatives | "I noticed companies like yours are evaluating [category]..." — don't reveal your data source |
| Hiring for roles your product addresses | "I see you're scaling [function]..." — position as enabling growth, not replacing tools |
| Negative competitor reviews | "Many [competitor] customers tell us..." — reference common pain points, not specific reviews |
| Contract renewal approaching | "Before you renew..." — create urgency around the renewal window |

### Competitive battle card framework

For the outreach team, create a quick-reference battle card:

1. **Their pitch**: What the competitor says about themselves (1-2 sentences)
2. **Their weakness**: Where they genuinely fall short (be honest, not FUD)
3. **Your differentiator**: What you do that they can't or won't (specific, provable)
4. **Proof point**: Customer story, benchmark, or data point that proves it
5. **Landmine question**: A question the prospect should ask the competitor that exposes the weakness

## Step 5 — Displacement playbooks

Design signal-specific outreach strategies:

### Playbook: New l