Win/Loss Analysis (WLA) is a technique used to understand why a company wins or loses bids. It involves interviewing new and lost customers to understand their decisions. WLA can help a company identify its strengths and weaknesses compared to competitors to improve sales performance. The process includes determining target customers, developing interview questions, conducting interviews, analyzing results, and disseminating findings within the company. Regular use of WLA provides insights to increase win rates and guide business strategy and product development.

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Win/Loss Analysis
Intelligence Collaborative - Mastering the Methods Series

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This White Paper is #12 in a series of intelligence methods being offered to members of the
Intelligence Collaborative. It was developed by Dr. Craig S. Fleisher to provide a concise overview
of how to apply key intelligence methods to support analysis. Although every effort is made to
ensure that the information is accurate and fit for its purpose, the author and Aurora WDC make
no implied or explicit warranties as to its applicability or use in your particular work context.
Please direct any questions about this paper to its author at the following:
Craig S. Fleisher, Ph.D.
Aurora WDC
Email: craig.fleisher@aurorawdc.com
http://IntelCollab.com
Other White Papers are available on a regular basis from http://IntelCollab.com.Related Methods
in the series are:
STEEP Analysis
SWOT/PEST Analysis
Value Chain Analysis
Copyright ©2013 Intelligence Collaborative powered by Aurora WDC. To order copies or request permission to
reproduce materials, please call Dr. Craig Fleisher at +1.608.630.5869, write to him at Intelligence Collaborative
powered by Aurora WDC, 215 Martin Luther King Blvd #32, Madison, Wisconsin, 53701, USA or go to
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Abstract
Win/LossAnalysis (WLA) isaforensicmarketresearchtechnique thathelpsmanagersandexecutivesde-
construct how their companies market and sell their products and services from the prospect’s
viewpoint. The process most commonly utilized will typically entail conducting extensive and
penetrating telephone interviews with new clients or lost prospects, and to surface the real-world
pragmatics and cold, hard facts that undergird their decisions about your company’s products and
services. The objective of WLA is to glean as much useful and actionable intelligence as you can, to
make sense of itquicklyandreliably,andtoutilize the informationtofacilitate continuousimprovement
across the organization. Done well, it should produce insights that enable you to win a higher
percentage of RFP and client-sales opportunities than you had been previously doing.
The Method’s Primary Value
A key questionthatsalesexecutives must address in evaluating their company’s prospects is “Why are
we winning, or losing, the business we are competing for?”
Win/Loss Analysis is a management tool that allows managers to understand customer requirements,
the effectivenessof theirsalesteamandof competitors.WLA requires the gathering of direct feedback
from a client or potential client about why you won or lost a specific sale or contract. It must include
both wins and losses. The wins tend to highlight your organization’s strengths and your competition’s
weaknesses,andthe losseshighlight yourorganization’sweaknesses and your competition’s strengths.
The feedback provides information you can actively use to improve your organization’s sales
performance andyourexistingproductportfolio.Itcanalsohelpguide yourorganizationinthe research
and development, as well as marketing of new products.

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Overviewof the Method
RichardSchroder,author of the book From a Good Sales Call to a Great Sales Call, notes that during the
last 15 years, more and more companies, particularly those operating in sophisticated B2B market
sectors, have been initiating WLA programs. They do so by either conducting post-sales debriefs
internallyorby engaging outside research firms to conduct post-decision interviews with their clients
and prospects. Thatsaid,the growth of such sales analysis remains in its early stages, as fewer than 20
percentof all companieshave implementedformal programs. Tappingintothe intelligence and insights
that are derived from these analyses can often give your team advantages in future sales situations,
which are even more valuable in highly competitive marketplaces.
Where the Method Fits in Planning and Strategy
WLA is a unique tool that brings together all the relevant elements of information about customers,
competitors,and your own organization within the context of the most critical element for a business
the buyingdecision.Asamarketlisteningtool,itisdesignedtoprovide anorganizationwithinformation
that can actively be used to increase its sales and identify potential marketplace changes. By seeking
feedback directly from the target market and subjecting this to analysis, an organization can gain
somethingof anobjective understandingof itsplace in the market and use this to improve its position.
Done effectively, the regularperformance of Win/Loss Analysis can generate a number of key benefits
for mostany organization.These are six of themthatI feel are particularlyworthyourconsidering it for:
1. Improve yoursaleseffectivenessbygatheringinsightsthathelpyoursalesforce betterposition,
package, differentiate and deliver your message.
2. Identify areas for improvement within the four key phases of the sales process – building
rapport, identifying needs, presenting solutions and closing the business.
3. Increase your understanding of how your competitors succeed in new business situations.
4. Identifythe keydriversforclosingnew business –andtherebysignificantlyincreasethe winrate
for your new business.
5. Uncover unmet client needs and new product/service development, enhancement and
extension opportunities.
6. Gauge your company’s progress against its own standards.
Cautions with Applying this Method
Problemsin conductingWLA tendtofall withinseveral categories.
WLA isbasedon data obtainedfrominterviewsarisingfromsalesresults.Therefore,itis mainly reactive
and event-driven.Youmustbe careful to use a representativemix of salesresults.Resultswill be
skewedif,forexample,onlysuccessful salesto existingclientsare analyzedinone roundof WLA.

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Interviewsare onlyasgoodas the interviewerconductingthem.Whenaninterviewerisinexperienced
or has not beenthoroughlybriefedon market/customersensitivities,the qualityof the dataobtained
will be compromised.Aninexperiencedinterviewermaylackthe confidence toaskquestionsbeyond
those inthe standard WLA questionnaire.Eventhe mostexperiencedinterviewerwill be unabletogain
all the useful informationpotentiallyavailable if he is notsufficientlyaware of the issuesinthe market
to knowwhentoprobe for furtherdetail inaninterview andwhenitisnotrelevant.
Value derivedfromperforming WLA will alsobe onlyasgoodas the systemsetup to educate and
informinterestedpartiesaboutthe results.Informationtakenoutof context,suchasinan attemptto
extrapolate widelyfromanindividual analysis,isunreliable. WLA’strue value comesindoingitregularly
and inaimingto gainan accurate and unbiasedunderstandingof performance.
The strategicimplicationsof WLA are highlydependentonthe qualityof the raw data. It shouldbe free
of anypolitical orstrategicbiasand subjectiveperspective,particularlywhere employeesinan
organizationmay intentionallyornaivelydistortinformation.The factthatWLA focusesonsalesresults
may leadtoa politicizingof the processwithinanorganization.The salesteammaybe reluctantto
cooperate fullywiththe processif theyfeel theyare beingsingledoutunfairly.Other partsof the
organizationmaytryto ambushthe processtopush theirownagendas.The teamresponsible for
runningWLA mustbe carefullychosenandtrainedtoensure thatthe membersfullyunderstandthe
WLA processand are preparedto implementitproperly.
Applying the Method
Step 1: Determine the Target Segmentsand IdentifyProspects
Target the rightaccounts to analyze andthe rightinterval toconduct analysis.A goodstartingpointisto
lookat the accounts that generate mostof your organization’srevenue.The 80/20 rule statesthat80%
of an organization’srevenue comesfrom20% of itscustomers.However,otherconsiderationsin
choosingwhomtointerviewmayincludewhetheryourorganizationwantstopickup businessfrom
particularpotential clientsorex-clients,orwhetherthere are planstointroduce new productstothe
market.Specificcompaniesthatmeetthe organization’schosencriterianeedtobe identified,singled
out,and reviewedtoensure thatthe targetsare worththe investment.
Step 2: Understand Internal Cultural Issues
Understandingthe organization’sculture helpsyouunderstandhow informationwill be used.For
example,inalearning-drivenandconsultativeculture,salesrepresentativesandtheirmanagersmight
become highlyinvolvedinbothcollectingandevaluatinginformation.
It isalso importanttoensure thatinvolvementinthe processextendsbeyondthe salesteam.Otherkey
stakeholdersneedtobe clearlyidentified,andcreatingcross-functional teamsmaybe away to address
the differingneedsof critical groups.
Step 3: Developthe Questionnaire
A WLA questionnaire needstocoverfouressentialareas:

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 Sales attributes. Thistopiccoversthe professionalismof yoursalesteam, the qualityof the
relationshipyourorganizationhaswiththe client,andthe esteeminwhichthe clientholdsyour
organizationcomparedtoyourcompetitors.
 Company reputation. Thisincludesquestionsaboutthe perceptionof yourorganization’sand
your competitors’image inthe marketplace,the stabilityof yourorganization,itsreliabilityasa
supplier,andthe qualityandperformance of yourproducts.
 Productattributes. Thisisa wide areabasicallycoveringwhetheryourproductsactuallyperform
as advertised,aswell asissuesof price andtechnology.
 Service issues. These questionscoverthe deliveryandimplementation,maintenance andafter-
salesservice,andtrainingprovidedtoclients.
Step 4: Prepare for the Interviews
The interviewernowneedstobe briefed aboutthe significance of winningorlosingeachsale.Togetthe
mostfrom the interview,the interviewermustbe aware of all relevantdetailsandsensitivitiesof the
sale/non-sale beinginvestigated.
Step 5: Conduct the Interviews
Carefullyconsiderhowyouwanttogo about conductinginterviews.Thisdecisiondependstoan extent
on whetheryouplantouse a third-partyintervieweroryourownsalesteam.Expertsinthisfieldhighly
recommendthe use of an independentthirdpartytokeepinterview resultsfrombeingskewedbyany
preexistingrelationshipbetweenasalespersonandhisorherclient.Forexample,the interviewermay
directthe responseshe orshe receiveswithunintentional bodylanguagecues.
Step 6: Analysis and Interpretation
Whenthe interviewsare complete,the resultsneedtobe talliedandanalyzed.The interviewer
generallysummarizeseachcompletedinterview andanalyzesandreportsonkeytrendsorissues
identifiedasaresultof the interviews.If the interviewsare conductedbyinternal staff,trainingand
supportmustbe providedtocarry outthese taskseffectivelyandtoaid withthe reportdevelopment.
WLA mustbe givenclearpriorityoverotherdutieswhenanalysisneedstobe done.The value of WLA is
compromisedbysporadicratherthanregularanalysis.
You can leverage differenttypesof analytical toolstohelpdeliverinsightsfromthe information
collectedduringthe interviews.Dependingonthe driverforthe WLA, techniquescaninclude
benchmarkingcomparisons, competitoranalysis,BCGmatrix,statistical analysis,value chain,oreven
inputintothe organization’sSWOT. Below youwillfindanexample of how one companydidWLA using
an importance,weightedcriteriongridwhichtheypopulatedwiththe datathat came out of the WLA
interviewstheyconducted.

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Step 7: Dissemination
The report andresultscan nowbe disseminated.Informationwill arisefromWLA that isrelevantto
differentdepartmentsinthe organization,suchasresearchand development,marketing,andsales.The
program teamshouldensure thateachdepartmentreceivesthe informationthatisrelevanttoit.This
shouldhopefullyincrease the likelihoodthatthe informationisreadandsupportsdecision-makingin
the appropriate department.The resultsmaybe presentedindifferentforms,dependingon
preferences.
Complementary Methods
 Benchmarking
 Competitive Profiling
 CustomerSegmentation
 DemandChain Analysis
 Functional CapabilityandResource Analysis
 SalesForecasting
 StrategicGroup Analysis
 Voice of the Customer(VOC)
Additional Resources
See chapter 14 on Win/Loss Analysis in the (2013) book Analysis without Paralysis: 12 Tools to Make
Better Strategic Decisions, 2nd
Ed., by Babette E. Bensoussan and Craig S. Fleisher, Upper Saddle River,
NJ: FT Press.

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Businessand CompetitiveAnalysis:EffectiveApplication of New and Classic Methods by Craig S. Fleisher
and Babette Bensoussan, 2007, Upper Saddle River, NJ: FT Press.
Strategicand CompetitiveAnalysis:Methodsand TechniquesforAnalyzing BusinessCompetition byCraig
S. Fleisher and Babette Bensoussan, 2003, Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson/Prentice Hall.
Naylor,Ellen."Increasingsalesthroughwin/lossanalysis,” Competitive Intelligence Magazine, 2002 5(5)
pp. 5–8.
Schroder, Richard M. From a Good Sales Call to a Great Sales Call: Closing More by Doing What you Do
Best. 2010, New York, NY: McGraw Hill.