This article will tell you everything you need to know about sales battle cards. What are sales battle cards? What is a SaaS battle card? How can you use battle cards as part of your marketing strategy? How can Archintel help you create battle cards for your company? We will delve into all this, and more.
Sales Battle Cards
What is a Sales Battle Card?
A sales battlecard (or battle card) is a visual aid that contains a short summary of your products or services, customers, competitors, and market. The battle card is a tool for your sales representatives that has all the relevant information, statistics, and figures they need to convert potential customers into customers.
The information can be displayed on a battle card in a variety of ways. For example, some battlecards use graphs or graphics, many others use text, and some battlecards are even videos. They can even be a combination of all of those things! It doesn’t matter what format the battlecard is in, as long as it contains the necessary information.
What is the Goal of a Sales Battlecard?
The goal and function of a sales battle card is to provide sales representatives with quick responses to the most frequent and important questions a sales prospect might have about the product. Think of the battlecard as the tool that prepares your sales representatives to go into the sales “battle.” It equips your sales reps with the information they need to counter any potential customers’ objections and answer any of their questions.
One of the main functions of a battle card is to provide an overview of how your product or service stacks up in comparison to competitors. You do not want to lie to potential customers or mislead them when it comes to your product or service. Many sales battlecards contain breakdowns of how a product or service compares to that of your main competitor’s for this very reason. For example, if a potential client asks a sales rep why your service is better than a similar service, the answer should be right there on the battle card.
What Needs to Go On a Battle Card?
A battle card should have the most pertinent information about your product and your company that your sales representatives need to win the battle. This can be statistics, figures, and other specific, helpful information to help arm them for the sales battle! If sales representatives have all the relevant information they need in an easy-to-read format, they are more likely to make sales. A battle card should be organized and easy for your sales team to understand and refer to quickly.
What are the Benefits of Battle Cards?
There are several benefits to creating battle cards for your company. Here are a few of the benefits of battle cards:
Prepare Your Team
Battlecards ensure that your sales representatives are prepared for any question or counter they might get from potential customers. A battlecard should have every possible answer to a potential customer’s question on it, from the price of a competitor’s service or product to why your product or service is superior to theirs.
Consistent Messaging
Battlecards make sure that your company’s messaging is consistent across the board. If you provide battlecards for your sales and marketing teams – or better yet, have the two work together to create the battle cards – it makes sure everyone is on the same page. Customers love consistent brand messaging.
Bring New Employees Up to Speed
Another benefit of battlecards is that they help get new employees up-to-speed quickly. No lengthy, time-consuming training necessary. The battle card will contain all the relevant information they need about your product.
How to Create Effective Battle Cards
To create an effective battlecard, you need to collect information about your target customer and also your competitors.
Choose a Battle Card Template
If this is your first time creating a battlecard, you might want to use a template. There are several battle card templates available online to help you get started. You can also start from scratch and create your own battle card, but using a template will save you time.
Choose Your Battle Card Categories
Next, make a list of the topics you want to include on your battle cards. In which areas does your product or service beat out the competition? In which areas is your product or service lacking in comparison to your competitors? Some topics you might want to consider for your battle card are the cost to your consumer, the value to your consumer (or ROI), features of your product or service, customer support options, and customization options.
Who Are Your Competitors?
The next step is to identify who your main competitors are and do your research. It’s time to evaluate your competitive landscape. How does their product or service compare to yours? It’s important to do in-depth research on your competitors so you (and your sales reps) are better prepared to answer questions about them. You want your battle card to be persuasive in order to convert the customer, but you also want your battle card to be honest. If there is an area where your competitor offers something your product or service doesn’t, include it on the card along with an explanation for why your product or service is still better overall.
Who Are Your Customers?
You don’t only want to get to know your competitors – you also want to know everything you can about your customers. Who are they? What do they want? How does your product or service improve their lives? If you know more about who it is you’re trying to sell to, the more effective you’ll be.
If you need help compiling industry research about your customers and/or competition for your company’s battlecards, contact Archintel today. Archintel is a competitive intelligence company that handles the hard work of researching your competitors for you.
Update Your Battle Card Regularly
As the times change, so should your battle cards. Maybe you have updated your product or service, or maybe your main competitors have changed. As the questions potential customers ask your sales representatives change, you should change the information on the battlecards. It’s important to stay on top of your research and market conditions, so you can update your battle cards accordingly.
SaaS Battle Card
What is SaaS?
Software as a service (SaaS) is a software distribution model in which a third-party provider hosts applications and makes them available to customers on the internet. It is one of the three main categories of cloud computing. One example of SaaS that we all know? Netflix! Yes, Netflix is an example of an SaaS. It sells software to watch licensed videos on demand.
A battle card is one of the best sales strategies for SaaS companies. That’s because a battle card can break down the differences between one SaaS and another quickly and easily. To continue with our earlier example, a battle card might break down the price differences and service differences between Netflix and Hulu.
Marketing and Battle Cards
Your marketing department, or the marketing company you work with, should be an integral part of the process when creating your company’s battle cards. Yes, your battlecards are technically a tool for your sales department. But it’s important that the messaging conveyed by the battle cards is consistent with the message your marketing department wants to put out.
For help doing the important research for your battle cards, be sure to contact us at Archintel today.