A Clear and Complete Guide to Building Sales Battlecards that Win Deals: Part Two

Klue

Sales battlecards are used in late-stage selling, once you’ve earned some face time and your prospective buyer has shortlisted the best options. She has a firm grasp on what is needed and a solid understanding of what is on offer from each solution. Do you?

The schmooze and dazzle days of an extended sales cycle are long gone, replaced by smarter, more informed buyers who have done their homework long before they respond to one of your clever drip emails. User requirements have been defined and compared against the market. Options have been vetted, case studies studied, demos watched and budgets approved. All before your superstar closer has even walked in the door.

But you know this. Everybody knows this. So, why do we continue to walk into pitch meetings like it’s an old-fashioned meet and greet?

Sales battlecards that win deals are: Tactical.

Tactical sales battlecards lay out the win, right there on the screen. We discussed targeted battlecards last week, but as a reminder, think of it this way: your buyer is comparing you directly to a competing solution, so why wouldn’t you frame key selling points around that mindset. Lean into it. Walk her through the very specific ways you can better serve her unique demands better than that competing solution. There’s no room for cue or coy here, folks.

Consider the source

Battlecards are concise, but that doesn’t mean lightweight. Sales battlecards that win deals combine the insights gained from the field with customer feedback, user testing and win-loss interviews. They devise tactical points around competitive strengths and weaknesses based on smart competitive intelligence, experience, and analysis. It is the job of the analyst (in most cases, the Product Marketing Manager) to curate all of that data and distill it into a targeted and tactical battlecard.

Currency

What’s the trigger for updating it? Is it a calendar item or a top-of-mind when something big happens? Probably—realistically—it should be somewhere in between. Yes, be accountable to a maintenance schedule but remember that external events shape customer and competitor intel and don’t neglect your sales enablement content when something impacts your positioning (or your competitor’s positioning.) Say, for example, that a newly elected Cheeto tore up all the trade agreements and your competitor has manufacturing plants centered in Mexico. That might be a point you want to add to your sales battlecard.

Delivery

It is scientifically proven that our minds respond faster and more favorably to language that is familiar, so, use the voice of your customer’s when you speak to them. You are delivering a solution and, as such, must represent as a guide, a translator, a consultant and a confidant. You must earn trust and respect. B2B sales are less transactional than ever. While the job of sales may be contracted in the presale period, it is undoubtedly extended post-sale, with hands-on implementation and training plus cross-platform integrations. Building and maintaining a relationship requires a like-minded approach. The buyer carries not only the responsibility of procurement but the expectations of many stakeholders. It’s up to you to convince her you’ll be a partner and an ally throughout the entire process.

Next up:
Part Three – Sales battlecards that win deals are: Accessible

Blog > Battlecards