Checklists for Call Recording & Competitive Intelligence Powered by Intent Data: Accelerating Upsell and Cross-Sell Plays

Introduction

In today's fiercely competitive enterprise SaaS landscape, upsell and cross-sell strategies have become a cornerstone for sustainable revenue growth. However, many sales teams still struggle to identify the right timing, messaging, and opportunities to expand their footprint within existing accounts. The convergence of call recording, competitive intelligence (CI), and intent data presents a powerful combination to unlock these opportunities by providing sales teams with actionable insights at scale.

This comprehensive guide delivers practical checklists and frameworks for leveraging call recording and CI, powered by intent data, to systematically enable, execute, and optimize upsell and cross-sell plays. Whether you're a revenue operations leader, sales enablement manager, or an enterprise AE looking to elevate your approach, this article provides the tactical and strategic guidance you need to succeed.

Why Combine Call Recording, CI, and Intent Data for Upsell/Cross-Sell?

Call recording captures the voice of the customer and provides context-rich insight into account health, needs, and objections. Competitive intelligence arms your team with knowledge about what competitors are offering and how your solution stacks up. Intent data signals when accounts are researching topics or competitors, indicating readiness for expansion conversations.

• Better Timing: Use intent data to surface accounts showing buying signals or researching new solutions.

• Sharper Messaging: Call recordings reveal pain points, which, when cross-referenced with CI, help tailor upsell/cross-sell pitches.

• Risk Mitigation: Spot churn or competitive threats early via call analysis and CI, enabling proactive engagement.

• Repeatability: Structured checklists turn insights into scalable, repeatable plays for your entire sales organization.

Checklist 1: Preparing Your Call Recording & CI Infrastructure

1.1 Set Up Call Recording Systems

• Ensure legal compliance (GDPR, CCPA, regional consent laws)

• Deploy a robust call recording solution integrated with your CRM and dialer

• Configure user permissions and role-based access controls

• Define naming conventions and tagging standards for recorded calls

1.2 Integrate Competitive Intelligence (CI) Platforms

• Connect CI feeds to your sales enablement platform and CRM

• Set up real-time alerts for competitor mentions in calls and emails

• Maintain a centralized CI knowledge base (battlecards, win/loss data, pricing updates)

1.3 Connect and Operationalize Intent Data

• Partner with a reputable intent data provider (Bombora, 6sense, Demandbase, etc.)

• Integrate intent data signals into your CRM/account view

• Define relevant intent topics and thresholds for alerts

• Establish a process for reviewing and acting on intent triggers weekly

Checklist 2: Identifying and Prioritizing Upsell/Cross-Sell Opportunities

2.1 Monitor Intent Signals

• Build dashboards that highlight accounts surging on target intent topics

• Filter accounts by current customer status and contract renewal date

• Segment by product usage patterns to align upsell/cross-sell offers

2.2 Analyze Call Recordings for Expansion Clues

• Leverage AI to transcribe and analyze call content for expansion triggers (e.g., new initiatives, pain points, budget increases)

• Tag calls with keywords related to upsell/cross-sell ("integration," "scalability," "additional licenses")

• Flag accounts where decision makers request more information about other modules or features

2.3 Overlay Competitive Intelligence

• Identify accounts mentioning competitors' new offerings or pricing

• Pinpoint deals at risk and those open to competitive displacement

• Align upsell/cross-sell motion with competitive weaknesses surfaced in calls or CI feeds

Checklist 3: Enabling Your Sales Team

3.1 Playbook Creation

• Develop structured playbooks for common upsell/cross-sell scenarios

• Include talk tracks, objection handling guidance, and competitor-specific messaging

• Update content quarterly based on new CI and call recording insights

3.2 Training & Coaching

• Run regular call review sessions (team or 1:1) focusing on upsell/cross-sell moments

• Use annotated call snippets to highlight effective techniques and missed opportunities

• Coach on using CI to counter competitive threats and reinforce value

3.3 Real-Time Enablement

• Integrate battlecards, pricing calculators, and product matrices directly into CRM/calling workflows

• Enable in-call prompts for key upsell/cross-sell signals, detected via AI

• Ensure reps can access the latest CI and intent data insights on demand

Checklist 4: Executing the Upsell/Cross-Sell Play

4.1 Pre-Call Preparation

• Review recent calls and transcripts for account context and pain points

• Check for intent surges or competitor mentions in the last 30 days

• Align offer with current usage, roadmap, and uncovered needs

4.2 In-Call Execution

• Open with customer-specific insights derived from call history and intent data

• Ask open-ended questions to validate needs and expansion readiness

• Pivot to upsell/cross-sell when buying signals are confirmed

• Position value against competitors, using CI talking points

• Handle objections using real call examples and proof points

4.3 Immediate Post-Call Actions

• Tag and summarize key moments in the call for team review

• Log relevant CI and intent insights into CRM

• Trigger automated follow-up sequences based on call outcomes (e.g., proposal sent, demo booked)

Checklist 5: Measuring, Optimizing, and Scaling Your Plays

5.1 Define Key Metrics

• Track expansion pipeline created and closed-won from upsell/cross-sell plays

• Monitor adoption of call recording/CI/intent workflows by reps

• Quantify reduction in churn risk based on proactive engagement

5.2 Continuous Feedback Loop

• Hold quarterly business reviews to analyze win/loss trends and root causes

• Solicit feedback from reps on playbook usability and accuracy of insights

• Iterate on playbooks and enablement content using call and CI analytics

5.3 Scale Across Teams and Segments

• Standardize checklists and workflows for different segments (SMB, mid-market, enterprise)

• Localize messaging, compliance, and CI for international markets

• Automate data flows and reporting to reduce manual effort

Sample Call Recording & CI Workflow for Upsell/Cross-Sell

1. Account flagged by intent data surge on "cloud integration" topic

2. AE reviews last three call recordings and finds customer discussing integration challenges

3. CI alert reveals competitor is offering a new integration module at discounted pricing

4. AE prepares a custom value proposition and competitive comparison

5. Call scheduled: AE opens with recent customer quote, confirms new requirements, positions own integration feature, and handles objections using CI battlecard

6. Post-call: AE logs expansion opportunity, triggers demo follow-up, updates playbook with new insights

Best Practices for Enterprise Teams

• Automate as much as possible: Use AI to surface key call moments, intent surges, and competitive risks automatically.

• Align with customer success: Coordinate upsell/cross-sell plays with CSMs to ensure a unified customer experience.

• Compliance first: Always put privacy and consent at the center of your recording and data workflows.

• Segment insights: Customize checklists for verticals and customer segments to maximize relevance and effectiveness.

Common Pitfalls and How to Avoid Them

• Analysis paralysis: Overanalyzing data without clear action steps. Counter with checklists and automation.

• Outdated CI: Using stale competitor info can backfire. Refresh CI feeds and battlecards monthly.

• Compliance risks: Neglecting consent or local laws. Build compliance checks into every workflow.

• Siloed insights: Failing to share learnings across teams. Centralize data and feedback loops.

Conclusion

Upsell and cross-sell success in the enterprise SaaS space now hinges on the intelligent combination of call recording, competitive intelligence, and intent data. By implementing the checklists and workflows outlined above, organizations can empower their sales teams to identify, execute, and scale expansion plays with precision and confidence. The result is not just higher revenue, but also stronger customer relationships and a more defensible market position. Start by assessing your current infrastructure, and then incrementally layer in these best practices to build a world-class, data-driven expansion engine.