Template

Win-loss review template

Look back at deals you recently won and lost — ideally with the buyers' own words — to learn what really decided them, and change what you sell or how you sell it.

45 minutesFor Sales, product, marketing and whoever ran the buyer interviewsAgenda room
Change the agenda first

The agenda, with a time for each part

  1. The deals we are looking at5 min
    • Which wins and losses, and why these?
  2. What buyers told us15 min
    • In their words, why did they choose us — or not?
  3. Patterns10 min
    • What came up more than once?
  4. What it means for the product7 min
    • Is there a gap we keep losing on?
  5. What it means for how we sell8 min
    • What should sales say, show or stop doing?

How the notes read afterwards

A made-up example, so you can see the shape. In a real call each line carries the words that were said and who said them.

Deals. 6 wins, 5 losses from the last quarter.

Buyers said. Wins: setup in a day. Losses: three said they could not see how it fits with their accounting software.

Product. An accounting integration comes up in 3 of 5 losses.

Sales. Show the accounting export in every demo from Monday (Dan).

Running it well

Ways to change it

MonthlyTwo deals each month, one won, one lost.
After a big lossA single deal, the full story, within two weeks.

When to skip it. If you have closed too few deals to see a pattern; collect buyer interviews until you have five or six.

Questions

What is a win-loss analysis?

A review of won and lost sales deals, ideally including interviews with the buyers, to understand why customers chose or rejected you.

Who should conduct win-loss interviews?

Ideally someone other than the salesperson who ran the deal, so buyers speak more openly.

How many deals should a win-loss review cover?

Enough to see patterns — often five or more wins and losses each quarter.

What happens in the room

Everybody joins from the link, with no account. The agenda sits beside the call and each item fills in with what was said about it, under the name of the person who said it.

More templates

Forecast callEach salesperson or team says which deals will close this period and how sure they are, so the business has a number it can plan around.Territory planningDecide who sells to whom next year: split accounts and regions fairly, match them to people's strengths, and set what each territory should bring in.Partner introduction callA first call with a possible partner — a reseller, an agency, another product — to see whether you serve the same customers and could each help the other win.Contract negotiation callWorking through the open terms of a contract with the other side: what each needs, what each can give, and what goes back to lawyers — so the deal closes without surprises.Proposal walkthroughInstead of emailing a proposal and waiting, walk the buyer through it live: check it matches what they asked for, answer questions, and agree the next step.Upsell conversationWith a customer who is doing well: review what they have achieved, spot where more would help them, and offer it only if it fits — a conversation, not a pitch.Sales coaching sessionA manager and one salesperson look at a real call or deal together, pick one skill to improve, and practise it — so coaching changes what happens on the next call.Customer success reviewThe success team goes through its customers by health — who is thriving, who is at risk, who is quiet — and agrees what to do about each one before it becomes a cancellation.

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