Reps lose competitive deals in the gap between what they know and what the buyer asks. This sales battlecard example gives a rep ten minutes of preparation for a named rival: where the rival is strong, where we win, the questions that change the buyer's criteria, and short answers to common objections. It is built for live use, so each item fits on one screen and can be said aloud without sounding scripted.

The sample is for Candlemas Systems, a fictional sales software company, set against three fictional rivals: Corvane, Plotwise and Harrowly. It shows a win rate of 62 percent against Harrowly but only 41 percent against Corvane, and a three-year cost that can be 20 percent lower. Replace the rivals, the win rates and the prices with facts you have checked, add the owner and the date you checked them, and cut the landmine questions to the four that matter most.