Sales teams need sharp, honest answers when a deal’s on the line—not a jumble of outdated slides and wishful thinking. If you’re tired of hearing, “What do I say when the customer brings up Competitor X?”, this guide is for you. We’ll walk through how to build a real-world, useful competitor battlecard using Kompyte (a competitive intelligence tool that’s good, even if it isn’t magic).
No fluff, no “synergy.” Just straight talk and step-by-step instructions to get your sales team what they actually need.
Why bother with a battlecard, anyway?
Let’s be honest: most salespeople ignore long competitive decks. They want fast, clear points—what to say, what to avoid, and what matters to the customer. A good battlecard gives them that. It’s not about showing off how much research you did. It’s about giving your team an edge, right when they need it.
Step 1: Get your basics in order
Before you even log in to Kompyte, do a quick gut-check:
- Who’s your main competitor? Pick one to start. You can always add more, but don’t try to do five at once.
- What’s the goal? Is this for discovery calls, late-stage objections, or just general knowledge? Be specific.
- Who’s going to use this? BDRs, AEs, CSMs… they all care about different things. Talk to a couple real users if you can.
Pro tip: If you skip this, you’ll end up with a battlecard that’s “comprehensive” but useless.
Step 2: Set up your competitor in Kompyte
Now, fire up Kompyte and get your workspace ready:
- Add your competitor’s website
- In Kompyte, go to the “Competitors” section and add your chosen rival’s website. Kompyte will start crawling for updates—news, product changes, pricing tweaks, etc.
- Configure alerts
- Set up alerts for things that actually matter (like new product pages, pricing changes, or customer testimonials). Ignore generic press releases unless your buyers care.
- Tag and organize
- Use tags or categories in Kompyte to keep findings organized: “Product Updates,” “Pricing,” “Case Studies,” “Weaknesses,” etc. Don’t go overboard—too many tags and you’ll never look at them again.
What works: Kompyte’s automated tracking saves you from manually checking competitor sites every week.
What doesn’t: Don’t expect Kompyte to magically tell you why you win deals. It gathers data, but you’ll need to add the “so what?” for sales.
Step 3: Gather the right intel (without overdoing it)
Kompyte will pull in a ton of data, but most of it is noise. Focus on:
- Pricing and packaging: Any public changes? Sneaky new “starter” plans?
- Product updates: Are they launching features your sales team gets asked about?
- Customer stories: New logos, especially if they poached one of your customers.
- Positioning: Any major changes to their messaging?
- Known weaknesses: Complaints in reviews, outages, or “gotchas” from real customers.
Skip: Generic blog posts, CEO interviews, and awards—unless you know your buyers bring them up.
Talk to your sales reps. What do customers actually ask about? What do they hear in the field? Fill in those gaps—Kompyte can’t eavesdrop on calls (yet).
Step 4: Draft the battlecard in Kompyte
Here’s where you turn scattered intel into something your sales team will actually use.
Battlecard essentials
Most winning battlecards have these sections:
- Snapshot: 2-3 bullet points on what makes this competitor tick. (Think: “Cheap, but weak onboarding.”)
- Strengths: What do they do better? Be honest—it builds trust.
- Weaknesses: Where do they fall short? Back it up with evidence, not wishful thinking.
- How we win: Plain-English talking points or proof (e.g., “We have X integration, they don’t.”)
- Questions to ask: For discovery—help your reps uncover competitor weaknesses by asking the right questions.
- Objection handling: Quick, specific responses to common buyer concerns (“They’re cheaper—why pick you?”)
- Landmines to avoid: Where your product doesn’t stack up. Don’t set your team up for embarrassment.
Building in Kompyte
- Navigate to the Battlecards module
- In Kompyte, there’s a dedicated place for battlecards. Start a new one for your competitor.
- Pick a template (or start from scratch)
- Kompyte comes with templates, but don’t treat them as gospel. Customize sections to fit your team's real needs.
- Add concise, honest content
- Paste in the essentials above. Use bullet points, not essays. Drop in links or evidence from your Kompyte findings.
- Add visuals if helpful
- Screenshots can help—just don’t turn it into a slide deck.
- Tag and categorize
- Make sure the battlecard is easy to find for the right teams.
Honest take: The best battlecards are ugly but clear. Don’t waste time making it pretty—focus on making it useful.
Step 5: Review with real salespeople
Now, the moment of truth: show the draft to a couple of sales reps. (Not just your friendliest ones.)
- Ask what’s missing. What do they wish was in here?
- Ask what’s confusing. If they don’t “get” it in under 30 seconds, rewrite it.
- Watch for eye-rolls. If they spot an exaggeration or outdated fact, fix it.
What to ignore: Well-meaning requests for “more detail.” If they can’t use it on a call, it doesn’t belong.
Step 6: Roll it out (and make it easy to find)
- Publish in Kompyte. Make sure the right teams have access. Set permissions if needed.
- Share the link in Slack, email, your CRM—wherever salespeople actually look.
- Tell folks how and when to use it. “Keep this open during late-stage calls,” or “Use this for competitive RFPs.”
Pro tip: Add a “last updated” date. If the battlecard is stale, no one will trust it.
Step 7: Keep it fresh—without driving yourself crazy
Here’s the dirty secret: battlecards go stale fast. Set a reminder every month or quarter to:
- Check Kompyte for any big updates—pricing, features, customer wins/losses.
- Ask sales if the battlecard still fits what they’re hearing.
- Trim anything that isn’t helping close deals.
Don’t overcomplicate it. If nobody’s reading your battlecard, make it shorter. If nobody’s updating it, set a calendar reminder—10 minutes can save you a lot of pain later.
What to skip (so you don’t waste time)
- Don’t try to cover every competitor at once. Start with your #1 rival. Expand later.
- Don’t include every data point. Focus on what helps win deals, not what looks impressive.
- Don’t expect Kompyte to do your job for you. It’s a solid tool, but it won’t tell you why customers pick you. That’s on you and your sales team.
Summary: Keep it simple, tweak as you go
Building a battlecard in Kompyte isn’t hard—but making one people actually use takes discipline. Focus on what sales really needs, cut the fluff, and revisit it regularly. The best battlecard is the one that’s always open during a tough call, not the prettiest PDF on your server.
Start with one, keep it honest, and update as you learn. That’s how you get real value—no hype required.