探花精选

The first time I lost a deal to a competitor, it was clear I had to get serious about preparation. I was in a new industry, so I stumbled when the prospect asked how we compared to a competitor. With no useful insights to bring to the table, I can’t blame the prospect for doing their own research and ultimately going in a different direction.

That’s when I learned the value of a good battle card.

Battle cards are like cheat sheets or talk tracks that focus specifically on the leading competitors in your space — they’re strategic tools that help reps navigate tough conversations, stay sharp under pressure, and guide prospects toward confident decisions. I’ve built and used them at multiple companies, and I can say with certainty: They’ve made me a more confident, credible, and effective seller.

In this guide, I’ll walk you through how to use battle cards in your sales process, from creation to execution. I’ll also share templates and tips to help you hopefully avoid some rookie mistakes I made early on.

Table of Contents

• What are battle cards in sales?
• The Importance of Battle Cards in Sales
• How are sales battle cards used?
• Types of Sales Battle Cards
• What is included in a sales battle card?
• Sales Battle Card Templates
• How to Create a Sales Battle Card

What are battle cards in sales?

In sales, a battle card is a concise, easy-to-scan document that helps reps handle competitive conversations, respond to objections, and highlight key differentiators. Think of it as a reference card that outlines how your product compares to others in the market, complete with pricing details, features, positioning, strengths, weaknesses, and more.

They’re often formatted as one-pagers (physical or digital), and they can focus on a single competitor, several competitors, or a specific product line. Most importantly, they’re built to be used in real time, during discovery calls, demos, or negotiations.

The Importance of Battle Cards in Sales

I’ve certainly found myself drawing a blank when a prospect asks a direct, highly-specific question — even when I know the answer: “How do your contract terms compare to [competitor X]?” “What solution do companies choose when they match [X specific profile]?”

Armed with battle cards, you can better identify areas where your solution shines against the others being considered. You can also confidently provide accurate information and position yourself as a valuable resource in the industry. Here are some additional advantages I’ve seen by putting in a bit of upfront work on battle cards.

1. Gaining a Competitive Edge in Real Time

Sales moves fast, and prospects are more informed than ever. If your reps can’t speak to how you stack up against the competition, their credibility will evaporate. Battle cards allow you to stay sharp without memorizing every competitor’s product sheet. With the right info at your fingertips, you can reinforce your value prop and proactively address doubts.

I’ve seen reps win deals simply because they could clearly articulate why our product was a better fit in one critical area — and they had the data to back it up.

2. Responding Confidently to Tough Questions

Every sales pro has faced a moment where a buyer brings up a competitor mid-call. With a battle card in hand, you don’t have to scramble for answers or deflect. Instead, you can lean in and respond with calm authority.

Battle cards also prep you for objections before they happen. By outlining common challenges and how your solution addresses them, you can pivot quickly and stay in control of the conversation.

3. Sharpening Sales Messaging and Pitches

When built correctly, battle cards become more than just competitor comparisons — they evolve into dynamic messaging tools. Reps learn how to pitch benefits more clearly, position features more strategically, and tell stories that resonate.

A great battle card teaches as much as it informs. New reps can ramp faster, and veterans can refresh their strategy when facing a tough account or new market segment.

How are sales battle cards used?

The most obvious use case for battle cards is on a sales call, but that’s not the end of their utility. Here are some additional scenarios I’ve experienced where they come in handy.

Creating Quick-Reference Competitive Tools

Battle cards shine when used as just-in-time resources. I use a tool called and have created a series of custom hotkeys to pull up the specific card I need the second I need it. When a prospect throws a curveball that I haven’t quite memorized the answer to, I can respond with specific, credible detail and then guide the buyer back to value.

Personalizing Pitches Based on Buyer Needs

Every buyer is different, and generic pitches don’t work. With a battle card, I can tailor my messaging to speak directly to a prospect’s priorities — whether it’s cost, ease of use, support, or something else.

For example, if I know the competitor offers a cheaper price but lacks implementation support, I’ll lean into our onboarding process and show why paying slightly more pays off in the long run for a prospect who wants to get a solution up and running quickly.

Building Sales Confidence Through Training

Battle cards aren’t just for live selling — they’re fantastic training tools. I’ve used them during onboarding to teach new reps about market positioning, competitive threats, and key objections. Role-playing with battle cards accelerates ramp time and ensures messaging stays consistent across the team.

They also make a great foundation for sales certifications or quarterly refreshers. When used right, they help your team become more aligned and better informed, leading to improved outcomes for both individual contributors and the company.

Types of Sales Battle Cards

Sales battle cards can focus on a single competitor or compare several at once, depending on the stage of the deal and how they’re being used. Some are built strictly for internal use, helping reps handle objections and sharpen positioning. Others can be shared externally with prospects, especially when they’re deciding between a few final contenders.

If you’re unsure where to start, lean toward over-preparing. It’s better to have multiple formats ready than to scramble mid-pipeline. One-to-one battle cards work best in the later stages of a deal, when prospects are evaluating specific vendors side by side. These offer deeper competitive insights and help reps highlight strengths — or tactfully acknowledge trade-offs.

Multi-competitor cards, on the other hand, are ideal for the discovery or evaluation phase. They offer a quick overview of the landscape and help buyers make sense of their options early on.

Competitive Battle Cards

These are the bread and butter of most sales orgs. A competitive battle card outlines one or more rivals and breaks down how your product compares. You’ll typically include:

• Product or feature comparison.
• Price positioning.
• Strengths and weaknesses.
• Objection handling tips.
• Win/loss stories or talk tracks.

I once worked on a team where we ended up turning our feature comparison battle cards into ads. We had a highly competitive solution, and besides helping newer reps navigate a sales call, the cards were a really great way to show how we stacked up against the other big names in the space.

Product Battle Cards

Sometimes, the battle isn’t against another company — it’s against buyer indecision or internal confusion. That’s where product battle cards come in. These cards focus on the features, benefits, and differentiators of your own product offerings.

They’re especially helpful when you sell multiple products or bundles. A good product battle card helps reps match the right solution to the right use case and clearly explain the value. Think of them as internal cheat sheets for positioning, not just selling.

Marketing Battle Cards

While not used as often, marketing battle cards can be game changers — especially in tight markets. They summarize how competitors are positioning themselves, who they’re targeting, and what their messaging looks like.

This can help sales reps tailor their language and know how to steer the narrative. For instance, if a competitor is pushing “lowest cost,” your card might help reps reframe the conversation around quality, ROI, or service levels instead of racing to the bottom with discounts and incentives.

In my experience, marketing battle cards are especially useful when aligned with GTM launches or brand repositioning. If a company has positioned a product one way for an extended period of time, reps are going to need resources they can lean on to help adopt a different narrative.

What is included in a sales battle card?

You can obviously tailor your battle cards to meet your specific needs, and I’d recommend you start with a lean approach and then add information as it’s being requested in real sales calls.

It will take longer to create a robust collection of cards with this method, but the information contained in them will be more valuable, and your reps will see that value more clearly by being a part of the process.

In my experience, here’s what will end up on your cards over time:

Your Key Differentiators (USPs)

If nothing else, your reps need to know what sets your product apart — and how to explain that quickly and clearly. These aren’t just feature callouts; they’re proof points that connect directly to buyer needs.

A good USP isn’t just “we have 24/7 support.” It’s “we resolve support issues 40% faster than the industry average, which helps your team stay focused on core, revenue-producing tasks instead of troubleshooting.”

Feature and Benefit Comparisons

This section gives reps a side-by-side view of how you and your competitors match up. Don’t just list features — explain what they do and why they matter to the buyer.

Keep this honest and specific. It’s okay to acknowledge where a competitor is stronger, and it can even help you build trust and credibility. Just be prepared to reframe the conversation around the prospect’s needs where your organization is more competitive.

Pricing and Packages

Transparency builds trust. Your battle card should outline basic pricing models and highlight where you offer more value. Include:

• Common discounts or negotiation guidelines.
• Where you win on ROI.
• What’s included vs. what’s an add-on charge.

I’ve found this part especially helpful during procurement calls, where decision-makers want the numbers fast. Accurate pricing information also empowers your reps to negotiate and draw hard lines when buyers get a little greedy.

I also like to include various levers they can pull that impact price. A buyer wants a 15% discount? That’s fine, but they’ll be locked into a one-year term. Want 20%? That’s a two-year commitment.

Relevant Use Cases or Case Studies

Nothing beats a real-world example. If you’ve helped a similar client overcome a challenge, include that story in your battle card. If you have a client willing to serve as a reference to others in their industry, absolutely highlight this on your cards.

In my experience, referrals and references are the biggest untapped resource in sales. By incorporating the latter into your cards, you can ensure that even reps without a direct personal relationship know that “Brian at XYZ Company” doesn’t mind taking a call and talking about his experience with our product.

Sales Battle Card Templates

Templates can save hours of formatting and help ensure your cards are actually usable. I recommend starting with that work in your CRM or sales enablement tool.

探花精选’s battle card templates come in three different flavors:

1. One-to-One Competitive Card. Deep dive on a single competitor. Best used late-stage or for direct comparisons. Include space for case studies and references from happy customers who have switched over to your solution from your competitor. These will be invaluable in closing sales.
2. Side-by-Side Comparison Card. Show how your product stacks up to 2-3 competitors. Useful for buyer-facing decks, but also for internal purposes to get new reps up to speed on key features and differentiators.
3. Multi-Competitor Matrix. Great for internal use because it gives a broad overview of the landscape at a glance, but can also be leveraged externally under the right circumstances. This is the kind of card my team ended up using in an ad because it offered a simple, easy-to-digest summary for prospects that were still in the research stage of the funnel.

Use these templates as a starting point, but customize them based on your team’s needs and your buyers’ priorities.

How to Create a Sales Battle Card

1. Start with a solid template.

Before you reinvent the wheel, use a tried-and-true format. are a great place to start. Pick the structure that fits your audience — internal vs. external — and start adding real content.

Testing it out: At one startup I worked with, we launched with a basic one-page competitor card with a competitor who kept coming up in sales calls. Over time, we added product-specific cards, pricing comparisons, and a “watchlist” of up-and-coming rivals that were trying to bring a new spin to an established market. Starting small allowed us to iterate without overwhelming the team, and it helped everyone buy into the usefulness of the cards because they all contributed to them over time.

2. Choose your key categories.

Initially, your battle cards should focus on what your reps actually need during a call. I recommend:

• Pricing.
• Key differentiators.
• Feature comparisons.
• Use cases.
• Objection-handling tips.

When it comes to one-on-one battle cards, your categories can change for each competitor so they reflect the main areas of comparison.

For example, if you’re nearly the same price as Competitor A, it may not be worth putting “price” on that battle card. However, if you’re a more affordable option compared to Competitor B, you may want to highlight “price” on your battle card with them because it’s a key selling point.

Pro tip: Again, keep it simple. Cram too much info in there, and it will become one more cumbersome resource no one uses.

Testing it out: In some industries, I’ve ended up swapping out pricing details for ROI stats. Dedicated procurement professionals typically care more about long-term value than upfront costs, but the key is to know your audience and tailor the messaging to their specific traits.

3. Identify your top competitors.

Not every competitor deserves their own card. Focus on the top 3–5 that keep coming up in your sales conversations and pose the most consistent threat to your deals. You might also include less competitive solutions that have strong brand recognition, because your team will have to educate prospects who come to the call with their own assumptions.

Pro tip: Keep battle cards persuasive but honest. If there’s an area where a competitor is better than you, own it and offer an explanation. In many cases, a negative can be turned into a positive when you explain your team’s reasoning behind the decision to pursue X feature instead of Y. And at the very least, your prospects will appreciate the honesty and have properly set expectations.

Testing it out: At one company, our team had a monthly sync between sales and customer service to keep the list updated. If a new competitor started coming up in calls, we prioritized building a card ASAP.

4. Dig into the research.

The last thing you want to do is present a battle card to prospects only to have them call you out on incorrect information about your competitors. My advice? Do your research and then check it against the insights you gather from your team. Crucially, don’t build your battle card in a vacuum. Talk to:

• Sales reps (for real objections).
• Customer success (why clients switch).
• Product and marketing (for roadmap and messaging).

Testing it out: We pulled quotes from G2 reviews to include under each competitor’s weaknesses. Nothing builds credibility like a customer saying, “We switched because…”

Look at competitor websites, review sites, G2 comparisons, similar sites, and third-party case studies. It takes time to pull together all these resources, but they’ll be extremely valuable and generally have an indefinite shelf life as long as you keep updating them with the latest information, which brings me to the final suggestion.

5. Keep battle cards fresh.

A stale battle card is potentially worse than no battle card. Assign someone to review and update the content regularly — quarterly at most, or potentially monthly if you’re in a fast-moving market.

Use version control and track what’s changed. Better yet, encourage reps to leave feedback or submit intel as they gather it.

Testing it out: We created a Slack channel where reps could drop insights from calls. Every month, I’d review those and update the cards accordingly.

Pro tip: I like to leverage AI as a starting point, uploading my current card and team insights and asking it to conduct research and suggest potential updates. It should go without saying that the results need to be verified for accuracy, but I’m usually surprised by the quality of results I get.

Ready for battle?

Lots of reps dread competitive conversations, but battle cards have helped me see them as a valuable opportunity to differentiate. When you have the right tools in place, you’re better able to stay calm, focused, and strategic, giving you the confidence to challenge objections, guide the narrative, and ultimately close more deals.

If you’re not using battle cards yet, it’s a good time to start. AI has helped power more rapid product development than ever before, and you’ll gain credibility with prospects by having an updated knowledge of a rapidly changing market.

Build them once, refine them often, and make them a living part of your sales enablement process. You’ll be glad you did.

Download the free templates below and get started.

Editor's note: This post was originally published in May 2020 and has been updated for comprehensiveness.

Free Sales Battle Card Templates

3 free sales battle card templates. Customize your cards and crush the competition.

• 1 In-Depth Competitor Battle Card
• 1 Side-by-Side Competitor Comparison Battle Card
• 1 Multi-Competitor Battle Card

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