ABM Competitive Intelligence Playbook: Using Competition in Your Strategy

ABM requires deep account research. Part of that research is competitive intelligence: who else are they considering?

Understanding the competitive landscape for each account lets you: - Differentiate your messaging - Build battle cards (positioning guides for sales) - Improve win rates - Spot opportunities (if they chose competitor, why? what can we learn?)

This guide walks through how to gather and use competitive intelligence in ABM.

Why Competitive Intelligence Matters in ABM

Without competitive intel: - You don't know how to position against alternatives - Sales goes into deals unprepared for competitive objections - You miss opportunities to differentiate - Win rates against specific competitors stay flat

With competitive intel: - Sales is prepared with positioning against each competitor - You can tailor messaging to differentiate - You spot market trends (which competitors are winning, why) - Win rates improve

Sources of Competitive Intelligence

Primary Sources (Direct Information)

Sales team feedback: - Which competitors come up most in deals? - What are customers saying about them? - What are we losing deals to? - Which competitor is hardest to beat?

Customer interviews: - Why did they choose us over competitor X? - What was competitor X missing? - What would have lost us the deal?

Win/loss analysis: - Track every closed deal (won or lost) - Who did we beat? Who beat us? - Why did we win/lose? - Patterns emerge over time

Secondary Sources (Publicly Available)

Competitor websites: - Positioning and messaging - Product features - Pricing (if public) - Customer list

Social media: - LinkedIn (executives, company news, hiring) - Twitter/X (product announcements, customer testimonials) - Company news (funding, partnerships, leadership changes)

Review sites: - G2, Capterra, Gartner (customer reviews, ratings) - What do customers like about competitors? - What are their complaints?

Press and analyst reports: - Industry publications - Analyst reports (Gartner, Forrester) - News about competitor funding, features, partnerships

Tertiary Sources (Synthesized)

Competitor battle cards (from competitor intel platforms): - Detailed positioning comparison - Feature comparison - Pricing comparison - Recommended messaging

Market research reports: - Market size and growth - Competitive positioning - Market share

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Step 1: Identify Your Competitors

Who are you losing deals to?

Start with your sales team. In the last 6 months, what competitors showed up in deals?

Create a simple list: - Direct competitors (same use case, same buyer) - Adjacent competitors (overlap use case or buyer, but different focus) - Alternatives (completely different approach, same problem)

Example: ABM Platform - Direct competitors: 6Sense, Demandbase, Terminus - Adjacent: Salesforce (has ABM module), HubSpot (has ABM features) - Alternatives: Manual ABM using CRM + email platform

Step 2: Competitive Research Template

For each competitor, gather standardized information.

Competitor Brief Template:

Company Overview - Founded: - Headquarters: - # Employees: - Funding/revenue: - Latest news:

Product Overview - Core product: - Key features: - Target customer: - Pricing model:

Positioning - Their primary message: - What problem they solve: - Key differentiator:

Strengths - What customers like: - Where they're winning: - What they do better than us:

Weaknesses - What customers complain about: - Where they're losing: - What we do better:

Common Objections vs. Them - "They're cheaper" - how do you respond? - "They have X feature" - how do you respond?

Our Positioning vs. Them - Why should prospect choose us over them?

Step 3: Create Battle Cards

A battle card is a 1-page guide for sales on how to position against a specific competitor.

Battle Card Format:

Competitor: [Name]

When they come up: [In what deals, what deals are they usually in?]

Positioning statement: "We're different from [Competitor] because [key differentiation]"

Proof point: "[Customer testimonial or case study comparing to them]"

Common objections: - "They're cheaper": [Your response - value, ROI, total cost] - "They have X feature": [Your response - we have Y instead, or feature not critical] - "We're already talking to them": [Your response - see if we can co-exist, unique angles]

Questions for sales to ask: - "What features are most important to you?" - "How are you measuring success?" - "What's their timeline?"

Proof points (links): - [Case study vs. this competitor] - [Comparison guide] - [Customer review comparing us favorably]

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Step 4: Use Competitive Intel in Account Research

When researching each account, include competitive intelligence.

For Tier 1 accounts, add: - Which competitors are they likely evaluating? - Have they talked to competitors before? - What are their likely concerns vs. each competitor?

Example account research brief:

Account: Acme Corp

Who are they evaluating: - Likely: 6Sense and Demandbase (standard ABM platforms) - Maybe: Salesforce (already a customer) - Cost concern: considering DIY with existing tools

Our positioning: - vs. 6Sense: Better implementation speed, more personalization - vs. Demandbase: Better for mid-market (they focus enterprise) - vs. Salesforce: Better ABM-specific features vs. bolt-on module - vs. DIY: More efficient than building in-house

What to emphasize: - Implementation speed (they need results fast) - Mid-market optimization (their size) - Ease of use (they don't want complex platform)

Step 5: Share Competitive Intel with Sales

Make battle cards easily accessible to your sales team.

Distribution: - Shared folder in Google Drive or Salesforce - Sales enablement platform (Seismic, Highspot) - Slack (pin battle cards in sales channel) - Sales kick-off meetings (cover annually)

Update cadence: - Review quarterly (new news, new positioning) - Update whenever we learn something new (sales feedback)

Step 6: Track Competitive Win/Loss

Build a win/loss tracking process.

For every closed deal (won or lost): - Who did we beat/lose to? - Why did we win/lose? - What would have changed the outcome? - Pattern insights

Monthly analysis: - Which competitors are we beating most? Why? - Which are beating us most? Why? - Trends: are we winning more/less against specific competitors? - Insights: what do we need to change?

Win/Loss Template:

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Common Competitive Intelligence Mistakes

Mistake 1: Only focusing on features Result: Battle cards are about "we have feature X, they don't." Fix: Focus on business outcomes and customer value, not feature lists.

Mistake 2: Not asking sales for feedback Result: Battle cards are created in marketing bubble, don't reflect real objections. Fix: Have monthly conversation with sales about what they're hearing.

Mistake 3: Outdated competitive intel Result: Sales uses wrong positioning (outdated messaging). Fix: Review and update battle cards quarterly.

Mistake 4: No win/loss analysis Result: Don't know if competitive positioning is actually working. Fix: Track every deal (won/lost), analyze monthly.

Mistake 5: Badmouthing competitors Result: Sounds desperate, hurts credibility. Fix: Position on what you do well, not what they do poorly.

Competitive Intelligence Checklist

• [ ] Identified top 3-5 competitors (by loss rate)
• [ ] Created competitive brief for each
• [ ] Built battle card for each competitor
• [ ] Distributed battle cards to sales team
• [ ] Added competitive research to account brief template
• [ ] Set up win/loss tracking
• [ ] Scheduled monthly competitive analysis
• [ ] Trained sales on battle cards
• [ ] Scheduled quarterly competitive intel review

Next Steps

1. Ask sales which competitors show up most in deals
2. Create a brief for your top 3 competitors
3. Build battle cards for each
4. Share with sales in a simple format (PDF, Slack, Google Doc)
5. Track wins/losses against each competitor monthly
6. Adjust positioning based on results

Competitive intelligence gives your sales team the tools to win. Get it right, and you'll see win rates improve against specific competitors.

Ready to see Abmatic AI in action? Book a demo today

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See also

• Sales-Marketing Alignment Playbook for ABM Teams
• Creating Account-Specific Campaigns Playbook