Win/Loss Surveys

What's a well-known but seldom-done tactic to close more sales?

Win/loss surveys.

Here's how they work:

• 3 days after a deal has closed lost, send them a survey asking why they didn't choose you.

• Do this 5-10 times, and you'll see patterns in the responses.

• Codify the patterns into insights.

• Use the insights to make changes to your sales process.

• Those changes will result in more closed won deals.

Pro-tip 👉 don't do this once in a while. Instead, automate sending closed lost surveys as a part of your post-sales process.

Why?

You'll have an ongoing stream of valuable feedback you can use to improve your sales process.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a win/loss survey, and when should it actually be sent?

A survey sent about 3 days after a deal has closed lost, asking directly why the prospect didn't choose the business, timed close enough to the decision that the reasoning is still fresh.

Why does sending win/loss surveys 5-10 times matter before drawing conclusions?

Because patterns only become visible across multiple responses, a single survey response might reflect an isolated situation, but repeated feedback reveals consistent, actionable trends.

What should happen after identifying patterns in win/loss survey responses?

Codifying those patterns into clear insights, then using them to make specific changes to the sales process, turning raw feedback into concrete action rather than just observation.

Why does automating win/loss surveys matter more than doing them occasionally?

Because automating them as part of the post-sales process creates an ongoing stream of valuable feedback, rather than relying on inconsistent, one-off efforts that miss capturing the full pattern over time.

What's the ultimate payoff of consistently running win/loss surveys and acting on the insights?

More closed-won deals, since changes made to the sales process based on real, repeated feedback directly address the actual reasons prospects have been choosing not to buy.