Section 11 · Pricing, Proposals & Closing
11.5Competitor questions
Built — needs DMA's data- No.
- 11.5
- DMA's reference
- Decision Book p.25
- Phase
- Phase 1
- Autonomy
- L4 · Autonomous
- DMA's decision
- Yes
What DMA asked for · Decision Book p.25
Answer comparison questions accurately, without reckless or insulting claims.
Why it matters to DMA: Prospects will ask, and a bad answer is costly for DMA's reputation.
In our words, from DMA's Product Decision Book v3, page 25.
How we do it
- The chat may state facts about DMA only from DMA's approved content, and every sentence is checked before it's shown. It never criticises another agency; the approved answer to "we already have an agency" is the model for it.
- A comparison question with no approved answer goes to a person rather than being improvised.
- What this needs is DMA's approved competitive positioning (how DMA differs, in words DMA stands behind), added to the knowledge base like any other approved answer.
The flow
It plays on its own while it's on screen; hover or use the controls to pause or step through.
A comparison question
"How are you different from BlueFin?"
- Person
- Stored data
- AI
- Rule in code
- Screen
Where the data goes
The same six stages on every page. Nothing reaches Nutshell except through the write gate.
- 1Website chat
Source
The question.
- 2Sync
Copies Nutshell changes into the bridge database
Not involved.
- 3Bridge database
A copy of the CRM data, plus what the AI works out
Approved answers, versioned.
- 4AI
Claude models, only through DMA's own gateway
Uses approved words only.
- 5Write gate
The only way back into Nutshell: checked, approved when needed, sent once
Not involved.
- 6Nutshell
The system of record
The chat summary notes the question.
The tables behind it
Drawn from the POC's database catalogue: structure only, no data.
PK primary keyFK reference the database enforces (solid line)ID reference kept by id (dashed line)
| Table | What it holds | Columns |
|---|---|---|
| ai.kb_documents | Approved content; DMA's positioning would be added here. | 17 |
How the tables connect (1)
| Column | Points to | Kept by |
|---|---|---|
| ai.kb_documents.approval_id | ctrl.approvals | The application (by id) |
Worked example
Synthetic demo data: every name, business and number is made up.
How the chat answers today (synthetic).
Comparison questions
| Visitor asks | The chat |
|---|---|
| "We already have an agency." | DMA's approved answer: no pressure and no criticism of the other agency. |
| "Are you better than BlueFin?" | No comparison is improvised: a strategist follows up, until DMA's positioning is approved. |
In the running POC
"We already have an agency": the approved answer, with no criticism of the other agency.
- 1The visitor's words.
- 2The approved answer.
Website chat · BrightSmile Dental demo site. Captured from the running POC on September 25, 2026; synthetic data.
See it live
Opens the exact screen in the running POC, in a new tab.
| Open | Where | What to try |
|---|---|---|
| BrightSmile Dental demo site | Demo prospect website | Say you already have an agency. |
Status
Built — needs DMA's data. This capability runs in the POC today. It needs DMA's own content or data to go live; no code change is needed for that.