Question Methodology

How did Clozd develop its win-loss question methodology?

The Clozd question methodology is designed to make internal win-loss analysis simple and scalable. Clozd is a global leader in win-loss analysis. For years, our consultants have provided win-loss analysis services to leaders in many industries. Now, we have applied our expertise towards the development of an innovative methodology and toolkit for capturing win-loss data from opportunity owners within Salesforce.

The questions that are built into the Clozd win-loss feedback form have been carefully tested. We have narrowed the question set down to a total of 3 (for wins) or 4 (for losses) questions that take less than 90 seconds for a salesperson to complete. The design of the form strikes a careful balance between richness and efficiency. With Clozd, you’ll capture critical and surprisingly detailed win-loss insights while minimizing the effort required on the part of your busy salespeople.

Additionally, our question methodology has been designed with the “end in mind,” meaning it has been optimized for reporting and analysis. The data we capture flows seamlessly into Clozd’s insightful, out-of-the-box reports and dashboards.

What questions are included in the Clozd form?

The Clozd win-loss feedback form consists of 3 or 4 questions, depending on the outcome of the opportunity. There are 4 questions for losses, and only 3 questions for wins.

Here is a screenshot and explanation of each question:

Question 1: Outcome

This question is only presented for losses. The purpose of this question is to clarify whether the prospect spent money elsewhere (lost to competitor) or did not spend money at all (lost to no decision). This is an important distinction that influences how the data should be analyzed.

Since a salesperson may not have the answer, we provide an “Unknown” option in order to minimize the capture of inaccurate data.

Question 2: Primary Competitor

For both wins and losses, it is important to capture the “primary” competitor. If lost, which competitor won? If won, who was your biggest threat?

Knowing the primary competitor allows for powerful analysis of win-loss data based on head-to-head encounters with specific competitors. For this reason, we do not ask for multiple competitors. We focus only on the most significant/influential competitor.

Some companies may already have a custom opportunity field where opportunity owners tag competitors. Even in those cases we include this question in the form in order to (a) ensure the highest level of accuracy since the form is completed after the opportunity has closed rather than early in the sales process, and (b) we want to focus exclusively on the primary competitor.

As before, we allow the rep to select “Unknown” as needed to minimize inaccuracies.

Question 3: Why

We have found that it’s important to provide an area where the salesperson can explain the outcome of the opportunity in their own words. This is the only open text question in the form, so that we can keep the form brief and minimize the amount of typing.

Opportunity owners will usually only share a few sentences, but the insights are often very rich when analyzed in association with the other data they provide.

Question 4: Decision Drivers

The Decision Drivers question is the most unique and most important question that Clozd presents to the opportunity owner. This dynamic, matrix-style question allows the opportunity owner to designate which Decision Drivers influenced the outcome of the opportunity. They can quickly and easily rate both positive and negative drivers.

For a complete explanation of Decision Drivers, click here.

When an opportunity owner rates a category, the category expands to reveal more specific Decision Drivers, like this:

This interactivity of this Decision Drivers question gives opportunity owners the chance to be more precise with their feedback. Only categories that are moved from neutral (to positive or negative) will expand to reveal the underlying drivers.

Please note that each organization can customize its list of Decision Drivers during the app setup process. For more details, click here.

Optional: Primary Contact

At the end of the form, companies may require reps to validate the primary contact name and email for the opportunity. The primary contact is the individual with whom the opportunity owner had the most contact during the sales process and should know decision-making details. Capturing contact info here helps organizations easily compile a list of buyers who may be contacted in the future as part of an ongoing win-loss program.

This optional question can be easily toggled on or off from the Clozd setup page.

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Can questions be added or removed?

No. With the exception of the primary contact field, the only aspect of the form that can be modified is the list of Decision Drivers. For more details about Decision Drivers, click here.

There are many reasons we do not allow users to add or remove questions from the form, including:

• Standardization of reporting. By standardizing the question methodology, Clozd can offer powerful out-of-the-box reporting capabilities.
• Conciseness. To ensure a high-level of engagement/participation from opportunity owners the form needs to be brief. Based on our testing, adding additional questions severely impacts participation rates.
• Single purpose. The Clozd form is intentionally focused on win-loss analysis, not other data collection. Other information you want to know about an opportunity should be collected using custom fields on the opportunity object.
• Universal methodology. Based on our testing and experience, the set of questions we have developed are universally applicable across industries. The only modification needed is the customization of Decision Drivers.

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