asb-carol-dealbreakers

Maps product weaknesses into deal-breakers and hones keystone customer segments with disqualifying qualifiers.

Updated Nov 15, 2025
One-click install
npx skills add https://github.com/evanish/reusable-PM-templates --skill asb-carol-dealbreakers-evanish
Or copy as Structured Prompt for Agent
Please help me install this Agent Skill.
Skill: asb-carol-dealbreakers
Source: https://github.com/evanish/reusable-PM-templates/tree/main/Templates%20to%20reuse/Work/asb-customer-discovery/asb-carol-dealbreakers
Command: npx skills add https://github.com/evanish/reusable-PM-templates --skill asb-carol-dealbreakers-evanish

SYSTEM DOCUMENTATION & REQUIREMENTS

What problem does it solve? Product teams often know their product's weaknesses but never translate them into clear market boundaries, so marketing and sales keep chasing segments that will never buy. This Skill walks each classified weakness, identifies the circumstances where it disqualifies the product outright, names the anti-market segments behind them, and sharpens existing keystone customer segments with the qualifiers those deal-breakers force. ## Core Features & Use Cases - Deal-breaker mapping: Walks weaknesses (W1, W2, ...) one at a time, gating each candidate on whether it truly disqualifies rather than merely annoys, and records results in DEALBREAKERS.md with stable D-numbers. - Keystone honing: Edits KEYSTONES.md segment lines under frozen K-numbers, appending concrete qualifiers (e.g., "processing at least $5,000/mo") with a dated change log. - Friction vs. deal-breaker distinction: Records weaknesses that cost points but disqualify no one as backlog input instead of market boundaries. - Use Case: After completing a strengths/weaknesses chart and a keystones file for a hosting product, run this step to discover that "expensive" disqualifies sub-$5k/mo stores, then hone the e-commerce keystone segment accordingly. ## Quick Start Run the deal-breakers step on my STRENGTHS-WEAKNESSES.md and KEYSTONES.md files to map who will never buy and hone my keystone segments.

Frequently Asked Questions about asb-carol-dealbreakers

High-intent search queries and answers about installing and using this skill.

FAQPage Schema
How do I identify which customers will never buy my product?

Walk each classified product weakness and ask under what circumstances it becomes a hard disqualifier rather than an annoyance. Name the real market segments living in those circumstances; those segments form the anti-market to exclude deliberately from marketing and sales.

What is the difference between a deal-breaker and friction in customer discovery?

A deal-breaker is a circumstance where a weakness disqualifies the product outright for a nameable segment. Friction is a weakness that costs points in comparisons but disqualifies no one; it belongs on the product backlog, not the market map.

How do deal-breakers sharpen ideal customer profile segments?

Each deal-breaker forces a concrete qualifier onto intersecting keystone segments, such as turning "has an e-commerce store" into "processing at least $5,000/mo." The honed qualifiers make targeting, sales qualification, and feature prioritization more precise.

What inputs does the deal-breakers step of an ICP method require?

It requires a weaknesses list from a strengths/weaknesses classification file and a keystones file with numbered keystone segments. Missing weaknesses can be quick-captured in chat with caveats, but without keystones the honing half of the step cannot run.

Should I skip a deal-breaker if we plan to fix the weakness soon?

No. The map describes the product as it exists today; fix-it ideas are parked as strategy input. A deal-breaker only leaves the map once the fix has actually shipped.