Battlecard template and how to keep it current
A battlecard is a one page summary of a competitor that a salesperson can read in two minutes before a call. A good battlecard template has seven blocks: overview, positioning, pricing, strengths, weak spots, recent changes and how to win. This article gives you the template, a filled sample and a routine to keep it current.
The battlecard template
Keep the card to one screen. If it needs scrolling, reps will not open it. Use these blocks in this order.
- Overview. One sentence: who they are and who they sell to.
- Positioning. Their headline in their own words and the segment they name.
- Pricing. Plan names, entry price, billing period and trial or demo wording.
- Strengths. Two or three things they really do well. Be honest, reps lose credibility when a card denies the obvious.
- Weak spots. Two or three gaps, each with the source.
- Recent changes. The last three moves with dates.
- How to win. Three talk tracks and two questions to ask the buyer.
A filled sample battlecard
The sample below is for a fictional company called Northwind Sample. It is not real data.
| Block | Northwind Sample |
|---|---|
| Overview | Reporting software for revenue teams at mid sized software companies. |
| Positioning | "The AI reporting platform for revenue teams". Earlier headline was "Reporting for ops teams". |
| Pricing | Starter 39, Team 129, Business 249 dollars per month. Free trial replaced by a demo request. |
| Strengths | Deep CRM integration. Strong forecast views. |
| Weak spots | Setup needs a demo call. Team plan price rose from 99 to 129 dollars. |
| Recent changes | AI assistant added. SSO moved into Business. Salesforce integration generally available. |
| How to win | Lead with self serve start. Point out the price rise. Ask how long the buyer is willing to wait for a demo. |
Where the facts come from
Every block except the talk tracks can be filled from public pages. Positioning comes from the homepage, pricing from the pricing page, recent changes from release notes and the careers page tells you where the rival invests. Write the source address next to each claim. A card with sources survives scrutiny, and a card without them becomes opinion.
Why battlecards go stale
Most cards are written in a burst of effort and then forgotten. Three things cause the decay. Nobody owns the card, nobody sees the changes that make it wrong, and updating is a chore that competes with real work. Fix the ownership first, then the feed of changes.
A routine that keeps cards current
- Assign an owner per card. One name, not a team.
- Review changes weekly. Ten minutes with the list of what moved on each rival pages.
- Edit only what changed. Update the affected block and the date.
- Tell sales. Post one line with the change in the sales channel.
- Retire cards. If a rival has not appeared in a deal for two quarters, archive its card.
Letting software keep the facts fresh
The weekly review is where software helps most. RivalIsm reads the rival pages on a schedule and updates the factual blocks of each battlecard: positioning, pricing, recent changes. You keep control of strengths, weak spots and talk tracks. On Growth the cards are editable, and on Scale each change creates a version. See all features or the plans on the pricing page.
Using the card in a call
Open the card the morning of the call and read the recent changes first, because that is what the prospect may mention. Use one talk track, not all three. Ask one of the questions early so the buyer, not you, raises the rival weaknesses. After the call, note which block was useful and which was not, and give that feedback to the card owner.
What to avoid
Do not write negative claims you cannot source. Do not copy a rival marketing copy as a strength. Do not add blocks until the card scrolls, because a card that is not read helps nobody. For the research behind the card, use the competitor analysis guide and for pricing facts follow the method in how to track competitor pricing changes.