Frequently Asked Questions
Direct answers to the questions CMOs, VP PMMs, and competitive intelligence leaders ask about win/loss research, organized by topic.
Why Internal Data Fails
- How is win/loss research different from customer surveys?
- How is win/loss research different from NPS?
- What does a CRM capture that win/loss research doesn't?
- Why are rep debriefs unreliable for win/loss analysis?
- Why are win/loss codes misleading?
- Why do buyers give price as a loss reason?
- Why do buyers go quiet instead of giving honest feedback?
- Why does CRM data miss the real reasons deals are lost?
- Why don't buyers give honest feedback to vendors?
Independent Win/Loss Research
- How is a win/loss interview different from a CS call?
- What can a third party find that internal teams can't?
- What is third-party win/loss research?
- What's the difference between what buyers say and think?
- Why do buyers open up more to a third-party researcher?
- Why is internal win/loss research a conflict of interest?
Win/Loss Methodology
- How do you analyze win/loss interview data?
- How do you design a win/loss interview questionnaire?
- How do you get buyers to participate in win/loss interviews?
- How do you identify patterns in win/loss research?
- How long does win/loss research take?
- How many win/loss interviews do you need?
- What incentives work for win/loss interview participation?
- What is a win/loss analysis, exactly?
- What is a win/loss interview outreach framework?
- What is selection bias in win/loss research?
- What is the right ratio of win interviews to loss interviews?
- What is the typical participation rate for win/loss interviews?
- What is win/loss research, exactly?
- What questions does win/loss research answer?
- What questions should you ask in a win/loss interview?
- When should you conduct win/loss interviews after a deal closes?
- Why do companies do win/loss research?
- Win/loss research vs. win/loss analysis?
Buying Committee Decisions
- How do B2B buying committees make decisions?
- What happens in deals that your sales team never sees?
- What happens in internal buying discussions sales never sees?
- What is a buying committee in B2B sales?
- What is consensus buying and how does it affect win rates?
- Why do CFOs kill deals that champions approved?
- Why do deal champions lose the internal argument?
- Why do deals get lost to stakeholders your sales team never met?
Competitive Intelligence
- How do win/loss interviews improve battlecards?
- How does win/loss research improve competitive intelligence?
- What do buyers say about competitors your team won't hear?
- What's the difference between a feature gap and a perception gap?
- Why does your CRM misattribute competitive losses?
- Why is the CRM competitor field not always accurate?
Product Marketing and Messaging
- How do you test whether your messaging is working with buyers?
- How does win/loss research improve product marketing?
- How does win/loss research reveal positioning gaps?
- What does win/loss research tell you about your product demos?
- Why don't buyers remember your product messaging?
- Winning an evaluation vs. closing a deal?
Win/Loss for Sales Execution
- Can win/loss research identify sales execution problems?
- Does win/loss research evaluate individual sales reps?
- How many interviews confirm a sales process pattern?
- Is a loss a sales execution or product problem?
- What's the difference between a lost deal and a "no decision"?
- Why doesn't CRM stage data show when a deal actually stalled?
GTM Strategy
- How do you distribute win/loss findings across functions?
- How do you measure the ROI of win/loss research?
- How do you present win/loss findings to a board?
- How does win/loss research support GTM strategy?
- How often should you run win/loss research?
- What makes a win/loss finding actionable?
- When do win/loss findings expire?
- Who should have access to win/loss research findings?
AI and Win/Loss Research
- AI win/loss analysis vs. independent buyer interviews?
- Can AI make CRM data more reliable for win/loss analysis?
- Can AI replace win/loss buyer interviews?
- How is win/loss research different from call recordings?
- What can AI do in win/loss research?
- Why can't AI analyze my CRM for win/loss insights?
- Why won't buyers give honest feedback to an AI?
Building a Win/Loss Program
- How do you build a win/loss research program from scratch?
- How do you evaluate a win/loss research vendor?
- How do you get executive buy-in for win/loss research?
- How do you get sales to support a win/loss research program?
- How do you scope a win/loss research engagement?
- How much does win/loss research cost?
- Should I run win/loss research internally or hire a third party?
- What does a win/loss program include?
- What does a win/loss research consultant do?
- What should a win/loss research deliverable include?