In this informative webinar about voice of customer (VoC) feedback strategies, Customer Experience experts Evan Klein and Andela's Akua Sencherey share their best practices and tips for Sales Win-Loss Analysis and Competitive Intelligence Market Research. https://www.satrixsolutions.com

1. Sales Win-Loss & Competitive Intelligence
Evan Klein
Founder & President
Satrix Solutions
evan@satrixsolutions.com
linkedin.com/in/evanbklein/
Akua Sencherey
Senior Product Marketing Manager
Andela
akua.sencherey@andela.com
linkedin.com/in/akuasencherey

2. The Value of Competitive Intelligence:
If you knew everything your competitors were doing or planning, what could you
do with that information?

3. The Value of Competitive Intelligence:
Sales Marketing
C-Suite
•Understand competitors perceived
strengths & weaknesses
•Improve sales forecasting
•Build out your competitive
battlecards
•Counter “FUD”
•Win more competitive deals
•Ensure your messaging stands out
/ differentiates from your
competitors
•Find ‘white space’ to adjust your
content marketing strategy,
launch a new social media
campaign, etc.
•Ensure you are present where
your competitors are
•Track your ‘share of voice’ vs your
competitors
•Better anticipate/prepare for
competitor moves
•Identify gaps/advantages /market
opportunities
•Make more educated decisions –
pricing, investments, priorities,
strategic transactions, etc.
•Plan more effectively for emerging
competitors
•Benchmark against the competition

4. The Value of Competitive Intelligence:
Product Service / Support HR
•Fine tune your roadmap to
compete more effectively
•Update pricing and packaging
•Watch for offerings that your
target market may find
compelling
•Highlight the benefits of your
culture vs your competitors
•Monitor who your competitors
are hiring to gain insights into
their strategy
•Deliver better service – use to
differentiate
•Gain insights into how
competitors will attack / attempt
to steal your customers

5. Risks of not acquiring competitive intelligence
Decision making
tunnel vision.
Sales, Marketing,
R&D, Service, HR –
can all suffer
without
competitive data
and insights.
Competitors can
outperform you…
And you may not
understand why.
Your company can
lose market
share…
And share of
wallet.
Competitors can
become
emboldened…
If they have
continued success
over you.

6. Who are your competitors?
Direct competitors are
competitors who are directly
targeting your customers.
Potential competitors target
the same kinds of customers
but aren’t selling in your
market area and aren’t likely
to.
Indirect competitors are
businesses that are in the
same category, but they sell
different products and
services than you. You’re still
doing similar things, but the
target market is different.
Future competitors are like
potential competitors, but
they’re much more ready and
likely to enter your market.
Replacement competitors
are those who provide an
alternative to the services
that you offer that solves the
same pain points.

7. Acquiring competitive intelligence
Public Information
• Press releases, articles, awards,
videos, webinars, etc.
• Company websites
• Research firms (Forrester,
Gartner, IDC, etc.)
• Ratings, review and comparison
sites (Glassdoor, G2,
TrustRadius, others)
• SEC filings (public companies),
like earnings reports, annual
reports, etc.
• Tradeshows & events
• Google insights
• Social media monitoring
• Job postings
Product/Service Insights
• Mystery Shopper
• Hiring competitor’s employees
• Competitive assessment
services
• Pricing comparisons
• Gap Analysis
• Product teardowns
Customer Insights
• Surveys
• Win-Loss Analysis
• Churn Analysis
• Customer Advisory Board
• Competitive Benchmarking &
Research
• Focus Groups

8. Gathering CI through seller & customer insights
• Customer Surveys
• Customer Advisory Boards
• Sales Win Loss Analysis
• Customer Churn Analysis

9. Uncovering the real drivers of wins, losses & churn
Time to Value
Sales Team
Effectiveness
Roadmap / Vision
Strength of RFP
Response
Demo / Proof of
Concept / Sandbox
Reporting / Analytics
Market Perception /
References
Features /
Functionality Ease of Use / UI Pricing / Value
Implementation /
Customization /
Configuration
Integrations / API’s
+ Competitive dynamics across all dimensions

10. Sales Win Loss (& Churn) Program – Best Practices
Target the relevant
accounts
Who? - The most
senior level contact
who was involved
in the decision
Someone who is:
- Independent & objective
- Seasoned & professional
- Strong active listening
skills
- Root cause experience
What are your
objectives?
What are you hoping to
learn?
Remember:
- Build rapport
- Remain agile
- Respect silence
- Listen for cues; probe
- Validate what you hear
- No leading questions
Identify takeaways
Share and discuss
Act on themes
Identify the
best candidates
to interview
Identify who
will conduct the
interview
Prepare a semi-
structured
guide
Conduct and
record the
interview
Summarize,
socialize and act

11. Sales Win-Loss Interviews – Sample Questions
 What prompted you to evaluate our offering? What was the problem you were looking to solve? How were you approaching that before?
 How was it that we were considered in the first place?
 Please describe the process your company went through when evaluating your options. (Note the stages of the evaluation and probe on each)
 How many other companies were considered? Which ones?
 What were the primary reasons you selected us or an alternative?
 Were there components of our offering or those of our competitors that resonated with you? Did you feel our offering was deficient in any way?
 What could we have done better through the entire sales process? Do you recall any missteps?
 Who at your company was involved in the decision? Was it unanimous?
 Did you speak with references? What feedback did they share?
 Were there any other factors that contributed to your decision (customer list, case studies, industry relationships, reputation, partners)?
 Is there anything else we should know to help improve our chances of winning business in the future?
 What would have to happen for you to reconsider working with us in the future?
 How was our salesperson / team perceived?
 Overall, how would you characterize your interactions with our people?
 How did our sales execution compare to others?
 Did your decision-making process include the use of a scorecard or weightings? If so, what criteria did you evaluate companies on?
 How did we score compared with other companies considered? What product/service elements were most important to you?
 What would you identify as our strengths vs. the competition? Weaknesses?
 How did we compare on cost / value?
 What were some of the main differentiators between our offering and others you considered?
 (if won) How are we performing so far on the post sales process?
 (if time remaining) – include Marketing related questions

12. Afterwards
Dos
• Create a transcript
• Start establishing themes after
~10 completed interviews
• Share with relevant personnel
• Offer kudos to appropriate people
• Replicate success
• Act on the insights
• Refine your approach or
objectives as needed
Don’ts
• Keep the feedback to yourself
• Negate what you’ve heard
• Scold anyone (i.e. salesperson)
• Embarrass anyone
• Use the transcript or feedback
outside your organization

13. Common pitfalls of “do it yourself”
• Flawed design
• Data quality issues
• Limited analytical aptitude
• Confirmation bias
• Failure to put insights to use
• Inconsistent execution

14. Satrix Solutions Contact Info
SATRIXSOLUTIONS.COM EVAN@SATRIXSOLUTIONS.COM 623.229.1414