1. Outsourcing Win/Loss Analysis:
Finding the Right Consultant
A checklist for working with a Win/Loss Consultant
Ellen Naylor, MBA
Ellen Naylor
https://EllenNaylor.com

2. Pros and Cons of Outsourcing Win/Loss Analysis
Pro’s
• Get the full story
• Buyers more candid
• Uncover hidden customer
satisfaction issues
• Reveal your company’s blind
spots
• Professional Win/Loss
interviewer and analyzer
Con’s
• No one knows your business like
you
• May not probe as deeply as you
• Cost: a budget expense
• Consultant may not be a good fit
for your customers and
employees
• Consultant less accountable for
results
Ellen Naylor
https://EllenNaylor.com

3. Hybrid Model to Work with Win/loss Consultant
• Collaborate with Consultant to Create the Win/Loss template
• Reach out to Sales to collect relevant customer contact data
• Salespeople inform customers/non-customers about Win/Loss
• Consultant conducts Win/Loss interviews
• Consultant writes up Win/Loss interview summaries
• You do the Win/Loss Analysis
• You take action from Win/Loss results
Collaboration Company Consultant
Be creative: this is an example of how you might work with a consultant and split up the Win/Loss
work. The work can be split in different ways. Ellen Naylor
https://EllenNaylor.com

4. When Hiring a Win/Loss Consultant
1. Industry Experience
2. Connection to Sales
3. Professionalism
4. Project Management
5. Team Player
6. Written/Oral Skills
7. Project Delivery
8. Deliverables
9. Fees
10. Sharing Win/Loss Experience
Check out these traits to see if the consultant you’re hiring is competent in Win/Loss.
Ellen Naylor
https://EllenNaylor.com

5. 1. Industry Experience
• How much industry experience is required to conduct Win/Loss
interviews? The analysis?
• Can you educate the consultant enough about your industry?
• If they work in your industry, do they work for competitors?
- If so, is this a conflict of interest?
Unless you’re in a very technical or complex industry, most consultants can learn enough about your
industry to conduct Win/Loss interviews. You really want them to be business savvy.
Ellen Naylor
https://EllenNaylor.com

6. 2. Connection to Sales
• Have they ever worked as a full-time salesperson?
• How well do they communicate and connect with sales and sales
management?
• Can they “speak” sales?
Rapport with sales and sales management is often overlooked. Most are concerned about how well the
consultant will conduct the Win/Loss interviews with customers and non-customers. If you can’t get the
right information from sales about their customers and non-customers, you will have a tough time
connecting with the right customers to conduct Win/Loss interviews.
Ellen Naylor
https://EllenNaylor.com

7. 3. Professionalism
• How do you gauge their professionalism, especially for interviews?
• Does the consultant have customer testimonials?
• What other evidence of professionalism?
The consultant needs to be professional with your company’s employees as well as with your customers and
non-customers.
Ellen Naylor
https://EllenNaylor.com

8. 4. Project Management
• Develop the right questions at the project’s outset
• Collaborate with Sales to get customer/non-customer data
• Keep track of each contact in the interview process
• Conduct interviews and write up interview summaries
• Analyze interviews thoroughly
• Write up analysis accurately, clearly and persuasively
These are the key project management tasks in Win/Loss analysis. There are a lot of logistics to keep
straight.
Ellen Naylor
https://EllenNaylor.com

9. 5. Team Player
• How well will the consultant connect with your salespeople?
• How about with sales management?
• How well will the consultant collaborate with your company?
• Is the consultant trustworthy?
• Will the consultant develop rapport quickly with customers/non-
customers?
• Are they good at listening?
The ability to develop rapport and trust are key traits to look for in a Win/Loss interviewer.
Ellen Naylor
https://EllenNaylor.com

10. 6. Written and Oral Skills
• What is their experience in conducting Win/Loss interviews?
• How can you assess their writing skills?
• Do they write or blog about Win/Loss analysis?
• Be sensitive about asking for a Win/Loss work example:
• Win/Loss analysis is highly proprietary
• It’s also custom research: your final report could look quite different
and will reflect what is uncovered in your Win/Loss analysis
Ellen Naylor
https://EllenNaylor.com

11. 7. Project Delivery
• Win/Loss is a relationship business
• You rely on other people’s schedules for the 1st Four Steps
1. Collaboration to create the Win/Loss template
2. Collecting and organizing all customer/non-customer contact data
3. Reaching out to schedule interviews
4. Conducting Win/Loss interviews
• To do Win/Loss right…you need time…don’t skimp on it
Ellen Naylor
https://EllenNaylor.com

12. 8. Deliverables
• Project progress communication along the way…
• Interview summaries and/or transcripts if you record
• Quantitative data detail
• Format for Win/Loss analysis final report
• Accompanying oral presentation of final report
• Win/Loss results brainstorming half/full day interactive workshop
Be Clear on Expected Deliverables
Ellen Naylor
https://EllenNaylor.com

13. 9. Consultant Fees
• Project set up fee
• Learn your industry, your sales process and deliverables, the competition and
organize Win/Loss template
• Cost per completed interview
• Cost to write up interview summaries or transcribe recordings
• Cost for Win/Loss analysis report
• Cost to present the Win/Loss findings orally to your team
• Cost for half/full day review of Win/Loss findings, recommendations,
brainstorming
Understand the Full Cost of your Win/Loss program
Ellen Naylor
https://EllenNaylor.com

14. 10. Sharing Win/Loss Experience
• Does consultant write/blog about Win/Loss?
• Does consultant present or teach about Win/Loss?
• Has consultant been published in Win/Loss?
• How clear is their Win/Loss proposal?
- Is it customized to your needs?
Published July 2016
Amazon page
Ellen Naylor
https://EllenNaylor.com

15. Taking Action: Key to Improving Win Rates!
• Statistics differ on the effectiveness of Win/Loss analysis
• All point to improved win rates.
• Many sales organizations say they conduct Win/Loss
analysis.
• Research by Anova Consulting Group finds that less
than 20% of US companies do formal Win/Loss.
• Their research and others indicate that taking action
from a formal Win/Loss program can improve win rates
by 15 to 30%.
Ellen Naylor
https://EllenNaylor.com

16. Ellen Naylor, MBA: https://ellen.naylor.com
https://ellennaylor.com/contact-ellen-naylor/
720-480-9499
ellen@EllenNaylor.com
@ellennaylor
www.linkedin.com/in/ellennaylorcolorado/en
Win/Loss Analysis:
How to Capture and Keep the Business You Want
Ellen Naylor
https://EllenNaylor.com