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Battlecards Guide

Learn how to create and use battlecards for competitive selling.

Overview​

Battlecards are your competitive intelligence arsenal. They provide sales teams with talking points, objection handling, and evidence-backed claims to win deals against competitors. Each battlecard is generated for a specific product-competitor pair and includes strategic guidance based on proven sales methodologies.

What Are Battlecards?​

Battlecards contain:

  • Why We Win: Key differentiators and advantages
  • Why We Lose: Areas where competitors are stronger (and how to handle)
  • Objections: Common objections and how to respond
  • Talking Points: Ready-to-use sales messaging
  • Evidence: Source-backed claims you can reference

Battlecards are generated using AI and your competitive intelligence data, ensuring they're always up-to-date and evidence-based.

Generating Battlecards​

Basic Generation​

  1. Navigate to Battlecards from the main menu
  2. Click "Generate Battlecard" button
  3. Select:
    • Competitor: Choose which competitor this battlecard is for
    • Product: Select your product (determines context and positioning)
  4. Click "Generate"

Advanced Options​

When generating, you can customize:

Sales Methodology​

Choose the sales methodology that best fits your approach:

  • Challenger: Focus on teaching, tailoring, and taking control. Emphasizes disruption and new insights.
  • Gap Selling: Highlights gaps between current state and desired outcomes. Positions your solution as the bridge.
  • FUD (Fear, Uncertainty, Doubt): Addresses risks and concerns with competitors. Emphasizes stability and security.

Battlecard Mode​

Select the competitive context:

  • ATTACK (⚔️): You are the challenger. Emphasizes disruption, innovation, and competitor weaknesses.
  • DEFENSE (🛡️): You are the incumbent. Emphasizes stability, risk mitigation, and proven track record.
  • Auto-detect: Let the system determine mode based on market position and data.

When to use ATTACK:

  • You're entering a new market
  • Competitor is the established leader
  • You have significant differentiators
  • You want to disrupt the status quo

When to use DEFENSE:

  • You're the market leader
  • Competitor is trying to displace you
  • You need to protect existing customers
  • Stability and reliability are key

Viewing Battlecards​

List View​

The Battlecards page shows:

  • Competitor: Which competitor this battlecard targets
  • Product: Your product context
  • Mode: ATTACK or DEFENSE
  • Last Updated: When the battlecard was generated
  • Actions: View or regenerate options

Detail View​

Click on a battlecard to see full content:

Why We Win Section​

  • Key differentiators
  • Competitive advantages
  • Evidence-backed claims
  • Talking points for each advantage

Why We Lose Section​

  • Areas where competitor is stronger
  • How to handle these situations
  • Positioning strategies
  • Counter-arguments

Objections Section​

  • Common objections you'll face
  • Response strategies
  • Evidence to support responses
  • Follow-up questions

Talking Points Section​

  • Ready-to-use messaging
  • Value propositions
  • Competitive positioning
  • Conversation starters

Viewing Evidence​

Each claim in a battlecard is backed by evidence:

  1. Click on any claim or talking point

  2. Evidence sources are displayed:

    • Source Type: Web page, document, review, etc.
    • URL: Link to the source
    • Title: Source title
    • Credibility Score: How reliable the source is
    • Content: Relevant excerpt

  3. Use evidence to:

    • Support your claims in sales conversations
    • Provide proof to prospects
    • Build credibility
    • Answer detailed questions

Using Battlecards in Sales​

Before the Call​

  1. Review the Battlecard: Read through all sections
  2. Identify Key Points: Pick 2-3 main differentiators to emphasize
  3. Prepare Evidence: Know which sources support your claims
  4. Anticipate Objections: Review the objections section
  5. Practice Talking Points: Get comfortable with the messaging

During the Call​

  1. Lead with Why We Win: Start with your strongest differentiators
  2. Use Talking Points: Reference pre-written messaging
  3. Address Objections: Use prepared responses when objections arise
  4. Reference Evidence: Mention specific sources when making claims
  5. Adapt to Context: Use ATTACK or DEFENSE mode appropriately

After the Call​

  1. Note What Worked: Track which points resonated
  2. Update Battlecard: Request regeneration if new information emerges
  3. Share Insights: Add internal notes about competitor behavior
  4. Refine Approach: Adjust messaging based on prospect feedback

Battlecard Best Practices​

Regular Updates​

  • Regenerate battlecards quarterly or when major competitor changes occur
  • Update after competitor product launches or pricing changes
  • Refresh when you learn new information about competitors
  • Use refresh competitor feature to update underlying data first

Customization​

  • Battlecards are generated automatically but can be customized
  • Add internal notes with your team's insights
  • Combine battlecard content with your own sales playbooks
  • Adapt messaging to your specific sales process

Team Sharing​

  • Share battlecards with your sales team
  • Use in sales enablement and training
  • Reference in deal reviews and strategy sessions
  • Include in competitive intelligence briefings

Evidence Usage​

  • Always verify evidence sources before using
  • Check credibility scores - higher is better
  • Use multiple sources to support key claims
  • Keep evidence URLs handy for sharing with prospects

Battlecard Structure​

Why We Win​

Each item includes:

  • Title: The advantage or differentiator
  • Description: Detailed explanation
  • Evidence: Supporting sources
  • Talking Point: How to communicate this advantage

Why We Lose​

Each item includes:

  • Title: The competitor advantage
  • Description: What makes them stronger here
  • Handling Strategy: How to address this
  • Counter-Points: Your response approach

Objections​

Each objection includes:

  • Objection: What the prospect might say
  • Response: How to handle it
  • Evidence: Supporting information
  • Follow-up: Questions to ask

Talking Points​

Ready-to-use messaging:

  • Opening statements
  • Value propositions
  • Competitive comparisons
  • Closing arguments

Filtering Battlecards​

By Product​

Filter battlecards for a specific product:

  1. Use the product filter dropdown
  2. Select a product
  3. Only battlecards for that product are shown

By Competitor​

Filter battlecards for a specific competitor:

  1. Use the competitor filter dropdown
  2. Select a competitor
  3. Only battlecards for that competitor are shown

Combined Filters​

Use both filters together to find specific battlecards:

  • Product + Competitor = Specific battlecard
  • Product only = All competitors for that product
  • Competitor only = All products vs that competitor

Regenerating Battlecards​

Regenerate a battlecard to get updated content:

  1. Open the battlecard
  2. Click "Regenerate" button
  3. Optionally change methodology or mode
  4. Click "Generate"
  5. New battlecard replaces the old one

When to regenerate:

  • Competitor launched new features
  • Pricing changed significantly
  • New intelligence collected
  • Quarterly refresh cycle
  • Before important deals

Exporting Battlecards​

Battlecards can be exported for offline use:

  1. Open a battlecard
  2. Click "Export" button
  3. Choose format:
    • PDF: For printing or sharing
    • Markdown: For documentation systems
    • Text: For simple text editors
  4. Download the file

Best Practices​

Preparation​

  • Review battlecards before every competitive deal
  • Print or save key battlecards for easy reference
  • Share relevant battlecards with your team
  • Update battlecards based on real-world feedback

Usage​

  • Don't memorize - understand the concepts
  • Adapt messaging to your prospect's needs
  • Use evidence to build credibility
  • Address competitor strengths honestly

Maintenance​

  • Set calendar reminders for quarterly updates
  • Monitor competitor changes that require updates
  • Gather feedback from sales team
  • Continuously improve battlecard quality

Troubleshooting​

Battlecard Not Generating​

  • Ensure competitor processing is complete
  • Check that product is associated with competitor
  • Verify you have sufficient intel data
  • Try regenerating after refreshing competitor

Missing Content​

  • Battlecards depend on available intelligence
  • Some competitors may have limited public data
  • Refresh competitor to collect more information
  • Add internal notes to supplement

Outdated Information​

  • Regenerate battlecard to get latest data
  • Refresh competitor first for most current intel
  • Check competitor's website for recent changes
  • Update battlecard manually if needed
  • Competitors: Battlecards are generated from competitor data
  • Products: Product context determines battlecard content
  • Intel: Evidence comes from collected intelligence
  • Matrix: Use matrices to identify battlecard focus areas

Next Steps​