| I was involved in developing win/loss reviews here in the Carolinas.
We received expert help from a STEPs (sales productivity) group. A
survivor of that group, an a very big help to us, was Pat Lastella.
You should look her up in ELF and then make contact. Tell her I
referred you to her. Good luck!
Don
|
| Hi there again,
Wish to say thanks to all for responding via mail. A lot of ideas. Wish
to now post a sample template (courtesy of Phil Captain @ zpo - ASIA
Training) for others to review too.
Thank you.
THE WIN / LOSS REVIEW
1. A win/loss review is a process to enable the account team to clearly
analyze and understand the reasons why they have won (or are winning)
a piece of business; or have lost (or are losing) a major sales
opportunity (s).
2. It is also a strategy tool to get back into the account - to pursue
other opportunities.
The Win/Loss Review has two distinct parts :
1. Customer Review - which is an opportunity to get the customer's
feedback and/or perceptions.
2. Internal Review - which is an opportunity for you to debrief with
management and other resources as appropriate.
It should be conducted with the customer before conducting it internally.
The win/loss review is both strategic and tactical.
1. The Customer Review allows you to :
Learn why you did not get the order - from customer's perspective.
Find out where Digital best fits in new opportunities with this
account. This would not have come to light otherwise.
2. The Internal Review allows you to :
Find out the real reasons you did not get the order so you can learn
from that and better set the strategy in the future.
The win/loss review can flush out other opportunities in the account, even
if you have lost the current account you are working on. This is the
result of asking the customer "where does Digital best fit" or "what new
opportunity should we pursue in the near future?"
Lecture on Win/Loss Review (continued)
A win/loss review is not "an inquisition to fix blame."
1. Who should participate ?
All those individuals who had a significant part in the opportunity or
who could benefit from the participation.
2. Timing ?
The review should be held at the right time. For a win/loss review,
this is usually soon after the order is signed. For a loss review,
this preferably before the order is lost, so that there is still time
to save the situation.
3. Overall tone ?
The review should focus on the good things that happened as well as
the areas needing improvement. Though it may be critical, it must be
constructive and a definite learning experience. The review must end
on a positive note!
Win/Loss Review Questionnaire
The following questionnaire can help both the manager and the account
manager evaluate the situation. Both the manager and sales person should
fill out copies of the questionnaire, and then compare and discuss.
This is by no means a comprehensive list of questions. It is not necessary
to use every question during a review. However, these questions may be
used to structure the review.
First, make the external call on the customer prior to the internal
review.
The purpose is three fold :
1. To clearly understand why Digital did not get the business.
2. To keep the relationship alive.
3. To determine what other opportunities Digital can pursue (possibly the
same one)
After the customer win/loss review, conduct an internal win/loss review :
1. First, decide which member of the Digital team should be present.
2. Schedule the review so that there is no reason for members of the team
not to attend.
3. The account manager should be able to describe the sales situation
succinctly.
4. If documented, you may want to consider sending the review to
attendees prior to the meeting.
5. Allow enough time for the review to be completed and an action plan
developed.
Steps for a Customer Review :
1. If possible, the review should be made with the customer that
positions you and your manager at a level higher in the
decision-making structure.
2. The account manager should make the appointment, if possible. If it is
not possible, or they are being rejected, then it is up to the sales
manager to attempt to get an appointment.
3. It should be made clear to the customer that the call is not intended
to disagree or reverse their decision. Rather, the customer must be
convinced that we sincerely and genuinely want to understand our
strengths and weaknesses so that we can better support and service
this account in the future and have the opportunity to be the vendor
of choice.
4. Ask the customer what areas or opportunities he/she believes Digital
should be pursuing. This opens new sales opportunities. if the
customer answers negatively, at least you know where you stand.
The Win/Loss Review Questionnaire
An Account Manager should be able to provide answers to these questions
during any account review as well as for a win/loss review.
For the Account Manager
Was the account qualified ?
Were digital and the customer in agreement regarding the need(s) ?
Was Digital the preferred vendor ? If not, who was and for what reason
(s).
Was there a clear account strategy ?
Were the people instrumental in the decision-making process correctly
identified ?
Did we correctly assess the decision criteria and confirm the criteria
with each of the decision makers ?
Was the Digital solution presented to and agreed to by each of
these people ?
Was the solution cost-justified in a manner consistent with the customer's
cost measurement methods ?
What were the danger signals ? What corrective actions were taken, if any?
Were barriers and objections anticipated ? If so, was a strategy
implemented to avoid or overcome them ?
If objections were raised by the customer, how were they handled ?
Was an RFP and proposal necessary? If so, which vendor did the RFP specs
tend to favor?
Was the risk of doing Business with Digital analysed ? If so what was it ?
Did we have the appropriate relationships with the key decision makers ?
How did we measure our relationship value ?
Did we have the proper political alignment with the KEY PEOPLE ? Why ?
Did the support Resources :
Respond enthusiastically when needed ?
Do a thorough job in their assigned task ?
Interact well with the customer ?
Follow the account manager's direction ?
Provide the account manager with timely feedback ?
ANALYZE A SALE YOU LOST (where you had a fighting chance of winning)
____________________________________________________________________
| |
| 1. Think of a highly competitive sale that you finally lost and |
| write down the Decision Criteria you think the customer used |
| to make that decision. |
| |
| ---------------------------------------------------|
| | 2. Now think about how the customer saw you in |
| | terms of these criteria. Note : Rank the |
| | criteria as this customer saw you, not as you |
| | see your own strengths and weaknesses. |
| | |
\ / --------------------------------------- |
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CUSTOMER CRITERIA CUSTOMER VIEW OF YOU
CRUCIAL STRONG
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INCIDENTAL WEAK
How well do they match ?
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