Linking Battle Cards to Revenue
Ideas for helping your sales team create systems that can link battle cards to revenue.
Battle cards can come in many forms. They can be single page cheat sheets or multi-page sales guides. Each application should have one thing in common: they are fit for purpose. But instead of creating battle cards ad hoc on a deal by deal basis, how about creating a battle card system that ties all efforts back to revenue? We’re big proponents of staying away from ‘fits-and-starts’ CI, so here are some tips on getting started with a battle card system.
Don’t go it alone
No system can be implemented alone. When creating battle cards, make use of virtual teams, field sponsors, and users. The best systems are those that percolate throughout the entire organization and all teams can use the outputs and see the benefits.
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Know your audience
Know your sales teams and your customers. Give them the tools they need when and where they need it. Make sure they have the information they need, whether it’s a technical document or messaging document, and make sure they have easy access.
Avoid generic messaging
Stay away from phrases like “best” and “worst”. Instead, use competitive positioning to answer “why” and “why not” your product and company is best.
Measure your battle cards
When we publish a battle card without knowing how to measure the impact, we fail to see if they are useful/working. Make sure to keep measuring and updating your battle cards so they can be as effective and relevant as possible.
Avoid the common pitfalls in measuring battle cards include fuzzy math that might misrepresent information and misattributing credit to certain strategies or individuals. Sales teams need to trust the information they have, so do your homework: measure and optimize battle cards regularly.
Consider using a system
Excel and PowerPoint aren’t the best systems anymore. Get the team involved, ask them what they need and when they need it, and implement a system for those needs to be met efficiently and effectively.
A CRM system can help solidify the connection between a battle card and revenue. Tight integration with software can help create a system for automated intelligence. A software system like CompeteIQ can help power analysis and comparisons in an interactive interface that allows rich collaboration.
Automated and intelligent battle cards are the way of the future. Book a 1-on-1 session with us to learn how we can help you get there.