Up | Opportunity Intelligence | Pipeline Partner | Win Loss | Glossary

:: Custom Consulting

Impole consulting services and win / loss analysis include two essential components:

Account specific feedback based on direct interviews

Executive summary - an aggregate perspective based on overall trends and observations

Account based primary research provides actionable intelligence for improving overall sales and marketing execution including:

- Identify vertical market trends
- Identify geographical variances
- Validate strengths / weaknesses
- Prioritize resource allocation
- Adapt to market (Sales 2.0)
- Competitive displacement
- Defection prevention
- Identify sales triggers
- Sharpen best practices

Information gathered may be qualitative, quantitative or both. Often quantitative data collection implies on-line surveys and qualitative denotes in-depth interviews, by phone or face-to-face.

Quantitative works better when there are strong hypotheses about the factors and the organization is looking to clearly understand the extent and importance of these factors.

The qualitative approach works best when the organization wants obtain wider inputs without preconceptions.

Impole will work with you to determine which approach is best suited to your market needs.

Win Loss

There is no doubt that win/loss analysis has provided organizations with a strong competitive advantage. Win/loss has become particularly important in recent years because the sales process is evolving rapidly, almost radically. High dollar value sales are becoming increasingly complex: i.e. solutions sales - serving multiple constituencies - driven by the customer’s requirements.

Impole has conducted market fit research and Win / Loss analysis for well recognized high technology companies including Adobe, Cognos, RSA (division of EMC), PTC, SAP, Siemens Medical, Sun Microsystems, Veritas (Symantec), as well as a number of smaller, high growth companies.

Benefits that are achieved by implementing a win/loss process can include boosting direct sales, better understanding channel sales and improving branding and market messaging.

While win / loss analysis may be conducted with internal resources, this is not typically the most effective or trusted process:

Category	Third Party	In-House
Performing Win-Loss Research	Experts in data collection and analysis of Win- Loss data	Tend to think of the research as just conducting a series of interviews
Resources	Trained, experienced, and dedicated staff working on the project	Will do the research projects when time and resources permit
Methodology	Various methodologies available—specific to the target audience and market	Often limited to telephone interviewing only
Data Analysis	Experienced analysts use statistical software and techniques to analyze data	Data is often analyzed in Excel and only in top line form
Report Creation	Ability to publish first class reports designed to meet the clients’ specific needs	Reports often top line only, with little depth or reporting in subgroups
Presentation of Results	Senior researchers analyze data and prepare an executive summary	Data is often presented to executives in raw form
Success of Research	Very high—most customers repeat and expand their projects based on having received actionable and relevant information	Often moderate or low—the project tends to cost more in time and resources than was expected and the project is deemed not worth the cost

Joel Mincey - "Competitive Best Practices: Win/Loss Evaluation Research"

It is also important to keep in mind that the sales process is constantly evolving as new disruptive factors are introduced into the market. Improvements must be ongoing and adaptable. Win/loss may be the most direct way to obtain timely feedback from the market about shifts in customer and prospect behavior, allowing the organization to adapt before the competition does.