July 12, 2024

Running a Win/Loss Review That Changes Something

Every proposal ends in a decision, and that decision is data. Most firms file it away without reading it.

Review both wins and losses

Losses get attention because they sting. Wins get a celebration and nothing else. But a win reveals what the client valued, and that is precisely what you need to repeat. Most firms hold these reviews rarely because they feel awkward, yet a plain and friendly format makes them ordinary.

Set a rule that every proposal above a size you choose gets a short review, whatever the outcome. Schedule the review within two weeks of the outcome, while memories are fresh.

Ask the client, briefly

A short call or a three-question email works better than a survey. Ask what mattered most, where you were strongest and what you would change. Keep it optional and thank them whatever they say. Choose a size threshold that gives you a manageable number of reviews each quarter, and hold to it.

Expect politeness. Clients often soften feedback, so listen for patterns across several conversations rather than reading one comment as truth. Use the same questions each time so that answers can be compared.

Look inward as well

Some causes sit inside your own process: a late start, a thin team section, a fee that arrived after two revisions. Compare the proposal timeline with the outcome and see whether rushed work loses more often. Do not press for detailed criticism, since a polite answer is still useful when several of them point the same way.

With a small number of deals the pattern will be uncertain. Treat it as a question to keep asking, not a conclusion. Invite the person who wrote the draft, since they know what was left out.

Keep the format short

One page per review is enough: the opportunity, who decided, the stated reason, your own view and one thing to change. Longer forms do not get filled in. Be honest that some losses are simply bad luck, such as a client with a long-standing relationship elsewhere.

Assign a single owner to complete them so the reviews happen on a schedule and not when someone has spare time. Keep the tone curious and not accusatory, or people will avoid taking part.

Turn findings into edits

A review is useful only if something changes: a paragraph in the library, a step in the intake questions, a rule about when to decline. Each quarter, pick two or three findings and assign the change to a named person. The point of the review is to fix a habit or a template, and not to assign blame to the person who wrote the draft.

Tell the team what was changed and why. That connects the effort of the review to a visible result. File the reviews where the next team can find them when a similar client returns.

Count the silent ones too

Reviewing only proposals that reached a decision leaves out the ones that never got a reply. Note how many went unanswered, since that is also a result and often the largest group. A few unanswered proposals in a row may say more about targeting than about writing.

Keep the count honest and the conclusions modest. Avoid over-reading a single result, and wait for a pattern before changing a rule.

Share the results in a plain summary

Once a quarter, write half a page for the partners: what was won, what was lost, what clients said and what has changed as a result. Keep it factual, and name the changes that came out of it.

People engage with reviews when they see them lead to action. If the summary only lists outcomes, it will be read once and forgotten. If it shows a paragraph revised or a step added, it becomes part of how the firm works.

VIPMarketing Editorial