Win/Loss Analysis: How to Capture and Keep the Business You Want: Q and A Part II

We answer 3 Win Loss analysis questions: What percent of Win Loss analysis interviews are blind versus not-blind? Do you have a horror story to share about a Win Loss interview that went badly? Do you have tips on how to deal with this? You mentioned that you use a decision tree approach to developing the Win Loss questions. How do you prepare them? Do you share with the sales force to validate it?

Win/Loss Analysis: How to Capture and Keep the Business You Want: Q and A

Check out this blog to listen to and see the slides from my book, “Win/Loss Analysis: How to Capture and Keep the Business You Want.” Also included is the Amazon page to order your copy of the book. Captured here are 5 Q and A from the webinar: What internal group supports Win/Loss analysis? What are some best practices to break through internal company resistance to Win/Loss analysis? When is the best time to conduct Win/Loss interviews? Due to the sensitivity of Win/Loss analysis, is it better to hire a third party?

Win Loss Interviews: Compensation and Recording

While Win Loss is a relationship business, like all business processes, it continues to evolve. What are your best practices in there two areas: Monetary Compensation to those you interview for a win or loss AND Recording Win Loss Interviews. Please share with me in the comments section of this blog or email me at ellen at thebisource.com.

How Culture Affects the Win Loss Process

I have had the pleasure of interviewing two impressive Directors of Win Loss programs. Both work for large companies that have done win loss analysis for a long while. Both emphasized the importance of company culture in how they set up their win loss programs; how they conduct win loss interviews—both internally and with customers—and how they write up the win loss analysis.

Win Loss: A Cooperative Relationship Business

Win Loss is a Cooperative Relationship Business: You need to treat people the way they like to be treated throughout the process. It starts with soliciting feedback for the win loss questions from multiple people in relevant departments such as sales, marketing, product management, PR and executives. The next touch point is the internal interviews you conduct before reaching out to customers. With the customer, you want to engage early and frequently throughout the sales process. Remember that the recommendations you make at the conclusion of your win loss report can impact people’s jobs. Be sensitive to company politics and face saving in your loss reports.

Templates for Win Loss Analysis

The win loss analysis question I get asked the most often is: “Can you share your win loss templates?” I break down win loss questions into 4 buckets: relationship health; company reputation; product/service attributes and servicing issues.

20 Reasons to Do Win Loss Analysis

I thought that you would only gain benefit if you conducted win/loss interviews quarterly, but I found out that you can learn so much, even from 20-25 interviews. I hope to share this skill in my book so small and mid-size companies can take advantage of what they can learn from more in-depth interviews with customers and prospects a couple of months after the sales event.

Honoring Maya Angelou

The world has lost one of our greatest women this week, Maya Angelou. She has impacted my life with her statements, particularly this one. “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” Thank you Dr. Maya Angelou

Is Mindset Block a Lack of Listening?

I read two great blogs in the last couple of weeks: David Harkelroad’s which asserted that the biggest problem in strategy is mindset; and an HBR blog on “What Gets in the Way of Listening?” I think they are related since if you truly listen, you are open to having your mind changed. I am curious as to how others deal with their leadership’s lack of listening ears? I know as a telephone interviewer that there are not enough listening ears and that job disengagement in the US is around 70%, so if they answer their phone, they are likely to be informative.