With so much information available online, there’s no wonder that 60% of potential customers reach out to sales departments only after they’ve done their research (by HubSpot Sales Perception Survey 2016). Whatever pain they might need to solve, they can easily look up solution providers. When reaching out to your sales team, this group of people has already done the research and a final shortlist of potential suppliers. They’re longing to hear specific things from all of them to have the ammo to compare and pick the right one.
To make sure prospects won’t catch your team off-guard, give them sales battle cards. Battle cards provide accurate and updated information comparison about your and the competitors’ products. Having these cards in hands, your sales team can react promptly and correctly answer any potential customer’s questions. They will maintain their confidence, and the prospect will perceive them as professionals. Sales battle cards are one of the most powerful sales enablement tools; read the article to get the hang of creating them.
Specifically, we’re going to give guidance on what can be done in front of the computer, possibly via a phone or online chat room.
Networking events are great places to meet quality potential candidates. However, in 2020 and 2021, this doesn’t seem to be the option.
Your sales battle cards should match their name. “Card” literally calls for short information. It should never be a long, detailed document. Its content should be quick and easy to read, even when on a phone call. Cards should be full of essential information your sales representatives use when phone-talking to a potential customer. They serve as a guideline to winning a deal against competitors - therefore the “battle”.
The better your sales battle cards are, the higher the chances the sales team lands a deal are. It’s an absolute must to keep them updated - both your company and your competitors’ information, so watch them regularly. Battle cards are not just features comparison; they are also full of “how to sell” tactics.
There are 3 main reasons to create battle cards for your sales team:
Newbies are onboarded quicker. They’ll probably need to do their research but the summed up information provides an excellent overview of the other players on the market.
The team understands your competitive advantage. They’ll know how you position yourself on the market and what makes you unique. In the previously mentioned 60% of cases of a self-educated prospect with a shortlist, they’re entering a competitive situation right away. They need to know their stuff.
The team is familiar with the tactic of selling against the other players. Cards give them the ammunition to beat others. Remember, even the mildest badmouthing is never an option! Make sure the team keeps its integrity, and even if they know your product is better, have them inform the prospects about it nicely:
NO-GO:
“We have a preboarding feature, which makes us better than The Company ABC. They don’t have anything like this. Moreover, their pricing is similar, so for the same price, you’re getting fewer features.”
GO:
“Our preboarding feature will ensure smooth communication with the employees even before they start working for you, and that’s what differentiates us from others. This unique feature creates an early-emotional bond between your company and the newbie. This feature is included in the market-standard pricing.”
There are several categories to cover in your cards. Depending on your company or strategy, feel free to omit or add anything that you think might help your team succeed:
You can create the same overview as for your competitors. Plus, adding information about your values, etc., helps newbies identify themself with your company faster.
List your biggest competitors. How are their features, customer service, pricing, etc., compared to yours? List their customers and target markets - most likely, they’ll have customers’ logos and referrals on their website. You can attach websites, locations, company sizes, geographic reach, etc.
List your product features together with their advantages and benefits. Do competitors have the same ones? Which of them resonate with various personas and segments?
Create a list of questions that your sales representatives must ask to identify customers’ needs and find the best solution for every prospect.
Gather all the objections your sales representatives hear the most, and accompany them with the best responses to overcome them. There are also competitors’ objections against your solution. Find out what they are and have a counter against them.
There are things you do the best. Word these properly; when the sales representatives tell the prospect, they knock the competition out (most probably rather in an early stage of their decision process).
There are things that your competitors do the best. You should know what they are, and have responses ready.
Look out for warning signs that there’s another player in the game. The prospects won’t probably share whether or who they’re talking to, so, instead, include clues on how to continue the conversation. Your sales representatives should watch out for specific questions on features, topics, or even phrases they might know from competitors.
Do you like your customer references? You can add some of the convincing ones in your sales battle cards. Include interesting stats or case studies that prove your product is worth it.
Pack your cards with short stories for inspiration and insights. For example, how sales representatives win deals, how they lose them, exceptional winning stories. They’ll see reasons why people buy or don’t buy from you.
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Stick to our best practices to make sure you’re creating sales battle cards that the sales representatives will actually want to use:
MAKE THEM SHORT
Usually, the sales representatives need your battle cards when they call; therefore, they don’t have the time to list through pages and pages. They should be able to skim instead. You could include a lot of information but, rather, focus on including the necessary data only.
DON’T CREATE A MANUAL
Do not expect anyone to memorize and step-by-step follow information from the battle cards. Sales battle card is not a call script, though, it’s a great companion to it. Battle cards give the conversation meaning and help with phrasing to sound more convincing.
KEEP THEM CLEAR AND AT HAND
Upload your battle cards where you store the rest of the educational materials, scripts, etc. Name them something obvious, so they’re easy to look up when on the phone.
UPDATE THEM OFTEN
Keep your sales battle cards updated in real-time. If you don’t, you can make matters worse for your team - them saying something untrue about a competitor can break the hardly established trust.
If you’re serious about empowering your team with resources, sales battle cards are a powerful one. Provided that you create them properly; short, clear, at hand, updated regularly, packed with tactics, and supported by customer testimonials, your sales team will be prepared to fight the battle and deliver pitches that resonate with prospects.
Sales battle cards are the key to winning your prospects over the phone. See for yourself, make them a duo with your call script.
Any successful sales team has to closely cooperate with other departments—be it marketing, developers or customer support. This chapter will tell you how to effectively set up communication channels among teams.
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