Win/Loss Analysis: How to Turn Customer Insights Into Revenue
Feb 20, 2025
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Drew Giovannoli, founder of Buried Wins, is an expert in competitive intelligence and win-loss analysis. In this discussion, he emphasizes the importance of focusing on won deals rather than fixating on losses. Drew shares insights into identifying ideal customers and leveraging competitive intelligence to enhance sales strategies. He outlines common pitfalls in Win/Loss programs and reveals how alignment between sales and marketing can significantly boost success.
Focusing on analyzing won deals rather than obsessing over lost opportunities can lead to better customer acquisition strategies.
Competitive intelligence gathered from former competitor employees provides valuable insights for refining positioning and sales strategies.
Implementing timely win/loss interviews allows for richer feedback that can directly inform and improve marketing and sales tactics.
Deep dives
The Shift Towards Interactive Demos
B2B websites are increasingly criticized for their overwhelming narratives that obscure product clarity. Many visitors leave without understanding what the product offers, highlighting a need for a more straightforward presentation. Companies like Novatic are addressing this issue by creating interactive product demos that enable potential buyers to see the product in action. This approach has shown tangible results, with businesses that implement these demos experiencing significant boosts in website conversion rates and inbound leads.
2025 State of Interactive Demos Report Insights
The 2025 State of the Interactive Product Demo report reveals key findings about the evolving buyer preferences in the B2B space. Buyers now demand greater control over their purchasing decisions and want straightforward, ungated access to product information. The report identifies that top-performing demos tend to be engaging and easily accessible, which contributes to higher overall buyer satisfaction. Additionally, proper use cases and strategic implementations of these demos can lead to more effective sales processes.
The Importance of Understanding Customer Needs
Many companies fail to effectively gather feedback once they grow past the startup phase, leading to missed opportunities for improvement. Product marketers are encouraged to conduct win-loss interviews, allowing them to gain insights directly from customers about what influenced their purchasing decisions. This feedback can address both wins and losses, ensuring that marketing strategies align with actual buyer motivations. By understanding not just why they lost a deal but also why they won, companies can refine their approach to target the right audience.
Enhancing Competitive Research Strategies
Competitive research is critical for product marketers, yet traditional tactics often yield limited insights. Instead of just secret shopping, reaching out to former competitors' employees can provide rich information about market positioning and strategy. Conducting these interviews allows companies to uncover insights such as how competitors structure their sales processes or how they engage with similar client bases. By focusing on these in-depth conversations, companies can better understand their competitive landscape and adjust their strategies accordingly.
Implementing Effective Win-Loss Programs
To successfully implement win-loss programs, companies should focus on gathering direct insights from customers shortly after the buying decision has been made. Timing is essential; capturing feedback while the experience is still fresh leads to richer and more detailed responses. Additionally, the process should involve presenting findings in a clear format to stakeholders, making it easier to turn insights into actionable strategies. Emphasizing the importance of concise and meaningful reporting ensures that the findings are not only heard but also lead to tangible changes in marketing and sales approaches.
Episode #221: Strategy | In this episode, Matt Carnevale sits down with Drew Giovannoli, founder of Buried Wins, to dive deep into Win/Loss analysis and how product marketers can use it to drive better sales, positioning, and competitive strategy. Drew shares how he helps B2B companies turn customer insights into revenue-driving decisions, plus the three key changes every product marketer should make to get promoted.
Matt and Drew cover:
Why you shouldn’t obsess over lost deals - and how to focus on winning more of the right customers instead.
How competitive intelligence can shape your positioning and sales strategy.
How to structure Win/Loss programs to influence product, sales, and marketing strategies.
Timestamps
(00:00) - - Introduction to Drew
(04:13) - - What is Win/Loss analysis and why it matters
(06:50) - - Why companies obsess over lost deals (and why that’s a mistake)
(09:08) - - The real value of analyzing won deals instead of just losses
(11:39) - - How to identify your best customers and find more like them
(13:31) - - The power of competitive intelligence in shaping positioning and sales
(15:44) - - How to ethically gather insights from former competitor employees
(18:54) - - Common mistakes companies make when running Win/Loss programs
(21:09) - - How to structure a Win/Loss interview for maximum insights
(25:27) - - The key questions to ask during Win/Loss interviews
(28:45) - - Why sales and marketing alignment is critical for Win/Loss success
(32:10) - - How Win/Loss analysis can influence product roadmap decisions
(34:55) - - The best way to present Win/Loss findings to executives
(37:25) - - How to turn insights into action and drive real business impact
(40:30) - - A step-by-step guide to launching a Win/Loss program
(43:37) - - Final takeaways and advice for product marketers
B2B websites are filled with too much story, too much narrative these days. You visit a website and you have no idea what the product does and how it works.
This is why Navattic has become a popular product for B2B Marketers. They help you build interactive demos so you cangive buyers a real look at the product before they ever talk to sales.
And guess what - it works. They found that companies using interactive demos with Navattic have seen up to a 25% lift in website conversion rates and a 10-20% increase in inbound leads.
They just released their 2025 State of the Interactive Product Demo report, and it proves just how much more control B2B buyers want over the buying process. Buyers have more access to information than ever, and companies are finally catching up by making their product front and center.
Their report breaks down the top-performing demos, why ungated demos drive higher engagement and the best use cases and strategies for making them work.