Customer Insights

A tech company was puzzled by their hit-or-miss sales record. They were winning some deals but losing just as many, and they couldn’t figure out why.

Here’s the shocker: it wasn’t about their product at all. It was their sales team playing Good Cop, Bad Cop – without realizing it.

Our win-loss deep dive uncovered a wild contrast. Happy customers praised their “helpful” and “constructive” sales experience. But the ones who walked away? They painted a picture of pushy reps, generic demos, and pricing that was cloudier than a foggy day in London.

This split personality approach was costing them dearly – up to 20 deals every quarter were slipping through their fingers.

The takeaway? Your sales process can make or break you. It’s not just what you’re selling, but how you’re selling it.

By simply treating prospects the way they want to be treated – with tailored demos and transparent pricing – this company could dramatically boost their win rate. Sometimes, the easiest fix is just remembering the golden rule of sales: treat your prospects like you’d want to be treated.

An AI-enabled sales automation company was scratching their heads over a string of lost deals. They were confident in their product, but something wasn’t clicking with prospects.

Here’s the blindspot: They were selling as if their solution existed in a bubble.

Our win-loss research unveiled a forehead-slapping revelation. The company was nailing the “what” of their product but fumbling the “how.” Prospects couldn’t envision how this shiny new AI tool would play nice with their existing tech stack.

This oversight was costing them big time. Potential customers were walking away, not because they didn’t like the product, but because they couldn’t see how to implement it without causing chaos.

The lesson? In today’s interconnected tech world, it’s not enough to explain what your product does. You need to paint a clear picture of how it fits into your customer’s existing ecosystem.

By shifting their focus to address implementation concerns head-on, the company could turn skeptical prospects into confident buyers. Remember, in B2B tech sales, context is king!

A tech company was shouting into the void with their content marketing. Their webinars were ghost towns, and their ebooks were collecting digital dust.

They thought they were nailing it with cutting-edge topics. But here’s the kicker: they were completely missing the mark on what their audience actually wanted.

Our win-loss interviews didn’t just uncover sales insights – they revealed a goldmine of marketing intel. Turns out, the company was creating content they thought was cool, not what their customers found valuable. Talk about a facepalm moment!

This tone-deaf approach was bleeding their marketing budget dry and leaving their sales pipeline parched.

The lesson? Win-loss research isn’t just for sales – it’s a secret weapon for razor-sharp content marketing too.

By tuning into their audience’s real interests, the turnaround was jaw-dropping. Webinar attendance surged by 2900%. Ebook downloads exploded by over 9900%. And the real kicker? Marketing-generated sales opportunities went from zilch to hero.

Remember, in content marketing, sometimes you need to stop talking and start listening. And win-loss interviews? They’re your front-row seat to your audience’s true desires.

A big data company was scratching their heads over a string of lost deals. Their cutting-edge solution should have been flying off the virtual shelves, but instead, they were hitting wall after wall.

They thought they were speaking the language of data. Turns out, they were using the right words but talking to the wrong crowd.

Our win-loss deep dive uncovered a jaw-dropping revelation: their marketing was attracting data visualizers when they needed to be wooing data stewards. It’s like trying to sell a gourmet cookbook to fast-food lovers – wrong audience, wrong message.

This persona mix-up wasn’t just costing them deals – it was setting them up for a customer satisfaction nosedive down the road.

The lesson? In the world of B2B tech, one size definitely doesn’t fit all. Knowing your product is only half the battle – you need to know your buyer inside and out.

By shifting their focus to the data accuracy crowd, the company didn’t just boost their win rate – they laid the groundwork for long-term customer success. After all, the right message to the wrong person is just noise.

Remember, in B2B sales, it’s not just about selling your solution – it’s about solving the right problem for the right person. Miss that mark, and you’re not just losing a sale – you’re programming future churn into your business model.

An eProcurement software company was banging its head against the wall, wondering why their seemingly perfect solution wasn’t flying off the shelves.

They’d convinced themselves their target buyers were clueless pencil-pushers – think “guy with the red stapler” from Office Space. Talk about misreading the room!

Our voice-of-the-market research dropped a truth bomb: these buyers weren’t just “getting it,” they were light-years ahead. The real kicker? They understood the vendors’ frustration better than the vendors understood them. Ouch.

This colossal misunderstanding wasn’t just tanking sales; it was poisoning their entire go-to-market strategy.

The lesson? Never assume your customers are the problem. If you think they “don’t get it,” chances are, you’re the one missing the point.

By flipping the script and addressing the real obstacles these savvy buyers faced, the results were staggering. Webinar registrations shot up 600%, and SQLs exploded by 1000%.

Remember, in B2B sales, sometimes the biggest win comes from admitting you don’t know everything about your customers. A little humility can go a long way – right to your bottom line.

A channel management software company was convinced they had their competition all figured out. Their CRM told them they were losing to one key rival, mostly on price. Slam dunk diagnosis, right? 

Wrong. Their data was about as accurate as a fortune cookie.

Our voice-of-the-market research blew their assumptions out of the water. In just 10 days and 6 interviews, we uncovered a reality so different, it was like we were talking about a different company altogether.

The facepalm moments just kept coming. Losses to their supposed arch-rival? Overstated by 100%. Their trusty CRM? Wrong 67% of the time on both the winning vendor and the reason for the loss. And price? It was the culprit in only a third of the cases.

This dumpster fire of misinformation wasn’t just skewing their competitive strategy – it was leading them down a rabbit hole of wrong decisions.

The real kicker? Half the time, prospects didn’t even know who they were. Talk about an identity crisis!

The lesson? Your CRM is only as good as the info you feed it. Garbage in, garbage out – and in this case, garbage strategy.

By confronting the harsh truths from real customer conversations, they could finally start fighting the right battles. Because in B2B sales, knowing why you really lose is the first step to figuring out how to win.

Remember, folks – sometimes the most valuable insight is finding out that everything you thought you knew is wrong. It’s not about having a crystal ball – it’s about having crystal clear data.

An IT management software company was scratching their heads over a string of “lost” deals. They thought they knew why – budget constraints, existing relationships, the usual suspects. But they decided to dig deeper.

Enter the win-loss analysis. What we uncovered left them slack-jawed.

Turns out, in many cases, they weren’t losing deals – they were never even in the game. Their sales team and channel partners were pulling a vanishing act that would make Houdini jealous.

The real shocker? Some “prospects” didn’t even know our client existed. RFP deadlines whooshed by, emails vanished into the ether, and opportunities evaporated faster than spilled coffee on a hot sidewalk.

This wasn’t just a communication breakdown – it was a full-blown disappearing act. And it was costing them not just deals, but entire market segments.

The lesson? Sometimes, your biggest competitor is your own invisibility. All the cutting-edge features in the world won’t help if your prospects don’t know you exist.

By uncovering this blindspot, the company didn’t just improve their sales process – they redefined their entire go-to-market strategy. Because in B2B sales, being present is more than half the battle.

Remember, a win-loss analysis isn’t just about understanding why you lose – sometimes it’s about discovering you were never really competing in the first place. It’s not just a sales tool – it’s your reality check on your entire market presence.

A business process software vendor was gearing up to take on the industry giants with their shiny new automation module. They thought they had an ace up their sleeve. Turns out, they were playing a losing hand.

Their strategy? Bundle the new module with their core solution, jack up the price, then offer a massive 50-75% discount for quick decisions. They assumed customers would jump at such a “great deal.” 

Boy, were they wrong.

Our win-loss research uncovered a cringe-worthy truth: this “irresistible offer” was actually raising red flags left and right. Customers weren’t seeing a bargain – they were seeing desperation.

One prospect put it bluntly: “They offered a 50% discount right out of the gate. It made the company seem less credible.” Another was even more direct: “They said it’s $200,000, but if we sign now, it’s only $50,000. How is that discount even believable?”

This pricing rollercoaster wasn’t just costing them deals – it was damaging their reputation. Customers started questioning not just the offer, but the company’s stability and sincerity.

The blindspot? Thinking that a steep discount would be seen as generous rather than desperate. This misstep cost them 25% of potential deals, bleeding $221,000 in just half a pilot project.

The lesson? In B2B sales, your pricing strategy doesn’t just affect your bottom line – it shapes your entire market perception. A discount too good to be true probably is, and your customers are savvy enough to know it.

Remember, in the world of enterprise software, credibility is currency. Don’t trade it away for a quick sale. Sometimes, the most expensive mistake is undervaluing your own worth.

A top-tier management consulting firm thought they were playing by the rules. Stick to procurement, follow the protocol, don’t ruffle any feathers. Sounds like a solid plan, right?

Wrong. Dead wrong.

Our win-loss research uncovered a jaw-dropping reality: by following the rules to a T, they were actually shooting themselves in the foot.

Here’s the kicker: while our client was dutifully sticking to procurement, their competitors were cozying up to business stakeholders, bypassing the formal process altogether. The result? A treasure trove of single-source opportunities our client never even knew existed.

But wait, it gets better (or worse, depending on your perspective). The procurement folks – the very people our client thought they were appeasing – were actually craving more interaction. One procurement manager laid it out bluntly: “If they want to do a better job, they need to spend more time building relationships here in procurement and with business leaders. Stop by and see us sometimes. Don’t show up only when there’s an active project.”

This relationship void wasn’t just costing them goodwill – it was bleeding revenue. They lost 30% of potential deals, translating to a staggering $277,000 in missed opportunities during just the pilot project.

The lesson? In B2B sales, especially in complex, regulated industries, relationships aren’t just nice to have – they’re your lifeline. Following the rules is important, but not at the expense of building genuine connections.

Remember, in the world of high-stakes consulting, being a vendor is transactional. Being a trusted partner? That’s transformational. Don’t let fear of overstepping keep you from stepping up. Sometimes, the most professional thing you can do is get personal.