What are some of the biggest challenges you've encountered running a win/loss program internally, that made you seek an external partner?

The number one reason to seek an external partner is to neutralize internal bias. The reverse of that coin is external partners don't understand the industry. There is also a distinction to be made between click-through w/l programs and 1:1 interviews. Former requires a good internal perspective of data and its quality. The latter is all about the ability of the interviewer to double- and triple-click into an answer to find the "why".

Oh boy, this is like opening Pandora's box for me! Some other challenges I've faced, and why at previous companies we chose to work with Clozd (assuming you have the budget for it!):

Internal Bias and Politics:

• Sales reps might downplay their role in lost deals (or WHY they lost. For example, "cost/price" is often not the real reason for losing a deal), or paint an overly rosy picture of successful ones. This internal bias can skew the data and make it difficult to extract objective insights.

• An external partner brings neutrality to the interview process, reducing the influence of internal politics and ensuring a more objective assessment of the win/loss factors.

Resource Constraints:

• Conducting win/loss interviews can be time-consuming. Building a program from scratch, including interview guides, analysis frameworks, and reporting tools, requires dedicated resources.

• An external partner brings the expertise and pre-built infrastructure to manage the win/loss program efficiently, freeing up your internal team to focus on other high-impact projects, including the win/loss read out.

Limited Reach and Participation:

• Internally conducted interviews might not reach high-level decision-makers at customer companies, who can provide valuable insights into the buying process.

• An external partner has a broader network and experience in securing interviews with key players at customer companies, leading to richer and more comprehensive data.

Tailoring the Program:

• Adapting the win/loss program to cater to different product lines, sales channels, or customer segments can be complex.

• An external partner can offer experience in tailoring win/loss programs to various scenarios, such as company size (SMB vs. Mid-Size vs. Enterprise)

Happy to learn more about what challenges you're facing and how to overcome them, either with Clozd or internally as an individual Product Marketer!