In a Pro article at MarketingProfs, Laura Patterson says you shouldn't think of win/loss analysis as a customer-satisfaction survey. Rather, she explains, it's "a process for differentiating why one sales effort wins and others fall short of the mark, and the intent of the analysis is to adjust go-to-market strategies and tactics."

These are questions that win/loss analysis can answer:

• Why do customers select your products or services?
• Why did your prospects select your competitors' products or services and why didn't they select yours? How do your competitors position themselves when they compete with you?
• How do your customers and prospects perceive your sales and marketing efforts?
• How do your customers and prospects perceive competitors and their products or services?
• What are the most important criteria a customer looks for when selecting products or services in your category?
• How effective is your marketing and sales team in presenting your company, your value proposition and your products or services?

Though an in-house team can gather this data, Patterson recommends hiring an outside firm. An objective third party is more likely to receive straight answers—and to present its findings without putting spin on the results.

The Po!nt: "[T]he purpose of win/loss analysis is to learn the pros, cons, likes, dislikes, and competitive advantages and disadvantages from the specific people responsible for the purchase decision," says Patterson.

Source: MarketingProfs. Click here for the full article.

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