Sellers disrespect your launch? Read this.

“…Was actually really simple. I talked to them. I talked to sales.” Patrick dropped this line in our latest episode. Explaining how he earned sales’s trust, within the first 90 days of a previous role.

• No mandated sales methodology

• No SPIFFs

• No YERRBAAAA MATTEEES!

Asked for what they needed and what they expected from CI? Pat shares its one his way to “help sellers win more deals”.

How do you help your reps win more (competitive) deals?

One way to build your internal brand — using competitive intelligence — to win your seller’s heart.

Why internal branding?

A great way to generate influence internally is by improving your branding as a PMM by showing value to your colleagues.

But CI is much more than what we think it is (at least, from a product marketing perspective).

So my goal today is to give you ALL of the influence WITHOUT the dying part, thank u v-much.

Welcome to the next episode of Dying 4 Influence. The weekly newsletter for misunderstood B2B product marketers.

Know how the best PMMs operate in B2B. Get a dose of knowledge to stand tall in a sea of unseasoned marketing.

If you’re a new skellie, you can sign up here and join the misfits.

🎯CI is so much more than what we think

When I think competitive intel, there are 3 main things that come to mind:

• Battlecards

• Slack channel with competitors

• Competitive landing pages

But the more we’re talking with CI experts, the more we’re understanding that it’s just the tip of the iceberg (literally)

Talya Heller is talking about it in her LinkedIn post with this awesome visual.

Here’s why it’s so powerful:

Competitive positioning:

Without it, we’re just guessing what is in our context in a specific market, often with just the status quo. With it, we’re uncovering secrets, outsmarting the competition, and making sure our product is the star of the show.

Product roadmap:

Competitive intel helps us pack the right features, so we’re always prepared and ahead of the game, but most importantly, it can map out how we win against other options.

Outbound plays:

Running outbound plays without competitive intel is giving you less ammunition to do tailored campaigns, Intel gives us the insight to aim perfectly with what is wrong with the competition or create a qualified list of who’s using similar products.

Messaging:

Except if you’re in a market of one (which is rare in B2B SaaS) CI helps us add that extra flavor, making our message more attractive than the competition by understanding our market

🎯Building a CI program

“Ok but Gab, I have 13 things on my checklist, I can’t just build a CI program?!”

❌WAIT ❌

It’s actually easy to start:

1. Identify your top three to five competitors.

2. Regularly communicate with sales, product management, and other teams to gather insights.

3. Focus on delivering impactful intelligence to your tier-one competitors first.

That way, you can easily show what your scope is and can give more weight to your 13 other live DEFCON5 initiatives (we’ve been there 🙃)

You can also run a double-whammy with your sales enablement by:

• Make it Interactive: Incorporate elements like beta customer stories, product manager insights, and top sales reps' success stories to make sessions engaging.

• Cater to Different Learning Styles: Provide materials in various formats—videos, documents, pitch decks—to suit different preferences.

• Consistent Scheduling: Hold regular, scheduled enablement sessions (e.g., monthly) to keep sales teams updated and engaged

These tips are coming from Patrick Wall, who’s also our guest of the week.

🤝How to integrate competitive intel and product marketing

• Beyond Battlecards: Competitive intelligence is more than just creating battlecards. It involves understanding the market, competitors, and leveraging this knowledge to inform strategy.

• Holistic Approach: Combine CI with product marketing efforts to create comprehensive strategies that drive sales and product development.

Action Steps:

• Regularly update and improve your battlecards with fresh insights.

• Use CI insights to refine product messaging and positioning.

• Collaborate closely with sales, product, and marketing teams to align efforts and maximize impact.

CI is usually the last one of our to-do or scope, but it’s a very important ally to have on both sides.

🎙Featured Episode = Building an internal brand using CI w/ Patrick Wall

A lot of marketers (PMMs included) talk about external brands.

Product launches, website copy, and press releases are a few examples.

Time better spent building your internal brand.

Especially if you’re a founding PMM.

Pat Wall is telling us in 34 minutes how you can grow your internal brand using CI

Check it out on our season 2 page

✨ DESIGN IS TOO SICK TO GATHER DUST

It’s the end of the day, you’re going outside with a cold beer and putting your favorite podcast on.

Surprise! It’s We’re Not Marketers!

Instead of hating your PMM job and drinking lukewarm coffee (yikes).

You can chill with a cold one with the boys (and the girls) new design.

To make sure you stay fresh.

For all of these upcoming spicy takes.

Check our new design under the Merch tab on our website.

And send in the Slack channel that your team uses for PTO and water-cooler stuff.

Their department doesn’t have swag as cool as this.

📢 Share the Word

How many of your fellow Product Marketers need to read this? Drop them this newsletter so we can all enjoy the memes.