How to create effective battle cards for winning technology customers

Technology selling can be tough. Customers are often highly-skilled and have varying needs depending on their role and experience levels. Moreover, the technology landscape is rapidly evolving, and sales professionals need to constantly modify their pitches to address the changing needs of the market.

Battle cards or well-researched reference documents help sales teams educate customers about your product and put forth valid reasons why they should choose them over the competition. Let’s take a look at what makes a great sales battle card.

 

Customer-level differentiation

This step answers the most important question: what does your product actually do? The answer should highlight how the product fits into the needs of the industry, market, and business role of the customer you’re talking to. As every company aspires to be in-step with the trends in their market/industry, explaining how your product fits in the larger picture will help them clearly understand its value. In addition to the market and industry information, this requires a clear understanding of the pain points within each layer to be able to align product benefits to market and customer needs.

 

Product-level differentiation

This step provides an overview of your offering while highlighting the features that outshine the competition. Identify the unique selling point, salient features and differentiators of the product or solution. For example, the level of customer support, flexibility, advantages of the underlying technologies, and so on. The key is to not skimp on important technical details.

 

Show social proof

Social proof can go a long way in assuaging any apprehensions prospects might have about your product.  That’s why it’s important to document how your product has helped similar clients and communicate the results and business benefits they’ve achieved. Any quantifiable benefit, for example, “a 40% reduction in costs” or “98% reduction in the turnaround time,” etc. should be included in the battle card to ensure you have the facts ready when you need it most. In addition, any certifications, awards, and recognition can act as the ace in the hole for wooing your customers.

 

Objection handling

Effective objection handling stems from a thorough knowledge of the competition. Assessing your competition can help uncover your differentiating strengths and better frame your response to objections. Take a step back to pre-empt what your customers might ask, such as “your product is too expensive”, “it does not fit into our business plan”, “your competitor has a similar product at a lower price”, and so on. Being clear about your product’s value can help allay such concerns.

Creating well-researched and articulated battle cards is an arduous process. It requires a deep understanding of the industry, market, competition, and most importantly, your customer. If you’re looking to create battle cards for your sales team, we can help. Utilizing decades of experience in market and competitive intelligence services,  we create impactful battle cards so sales teams focus on what they do best – win customers. Contact us to learn more.