- A one-page structure in the order a rep needs it mid-call: what the competitor does, their real strengths, their weaknesses as buyers describe them, win and loss conditions, objection handling, and a one-line differentiator
- An evidence block at the bottom that records the calls, reviews, and interviews the card was built from, and the date it was last verified
- Field-level prompts (in brackets) that say what belongs in each section and what does not
- A trade-secret rule at the top: the card describes what you do and why you win, never how
- Copy the template into your enablement wiki or a shared doc. One card per competitor.
- Pull the evidence first. Search the last 90 days of call transcripts and loss reviews for the competitor's name before writing a word. The battle cards guide walks through the extraction.
- Fill the strengths section honestly. Reps will meet those strengths in the deal; a card that hides them loses trust on first use.
- Write every weakness and every win condition with at least one source. If you cannot point to a call or a review, it is an opinion and goes in a separate notes section, not on the card.
- Keep the objection responses short enough to say aloud.
- Fill the evidence block and the verification date. Set a refresh trigger (for example, ten new calls naming the competitor) rather than a calendar reminder.
- Ship it where reps look: the CRM competitor field, the deal record, call-prep notes.
# Battle card: [Competitor name]
> Trade-secret rule: this card describes WHAT we do and WHY we win. It never describes HOW (architecture, vendors, implementation details).
> Last verified: [YYYY-MM-DD] · Owner: [name, role] · Refresh trigger: [e.g. 10 new calls naming this competitor, or any competitive loss]
## 1. What they do
[Two sentences. How the competitor positions itself, in their own words, and the buyer they are built for. Funding, scale, or market position if it affects the deal.]
## 2. Their real strengths
- [Strength 1: something a prospect will genuinely value. Be specific.]
- [Strength 2]
- [Strength 3]
- [Strength 4, optional]
## 3. Their weaknesses, from the buyer's side
Each weakness must trace to evidence: a call, a review, a loss interview.
| Weakness | What buyers say (verbatim where possible) | Evidence count / source |
|----------|-------------------------------------------|-------------------------|
| [Weakness 1] | "[quote]" | [N calls, review site, interview] |
| [Weakness 2] | "[quote]" | [source] |
| [Weakness 3] | "[quote]" | [source] |
## 4. Where we win / where we lose
**We win when:**
- [Deal condition a rep can recognize in discovery, e.g. "the buyer needs X to reach a second team"]
- [Condition 2]
- [Condition 3]
**We lose when:**
- [Deal condition, e.g. "the account is enterprise with a multi-year contract in place"]
- [Condition 2]
- [Condition 3]
## 5. Objection handling
**Prospect says:** "[Most common objection, verbatim]"
**Response:** "[Two to four sentences. Acknowledge what is true, redirect to a strength, ask a question that surfaces the weakness.]"
**Prospect says:** "[Second objection]"
**Response:** "[Response]"
**Prospect says:** "[Third objection]"
**Response:** "[Response]"
## 6. One-line differentiator
> "[One sentence a rep can say from memory. Contrast, not attack: '[They] do X. We do Y.']"
## 7. Evidence and verification
- Evidence window: [YYYY-MM-DD] to [YYYY-MM-DD]
- Calls reviewed: [N] · Won: [N] · Lost: [N] · Open: [N]
- Other sources: [review sites, loss interviews, analyst notes, competitor pricing page — with dates]
- Known gaps: [what this card does not yet cover, e.g. "no evidence from the enterprise segment"]
- Change log:
- [YYYY-MM-DD] — [what changed and why]