Paul · Jun 4, 2023

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Why Ad-Hoc Win-Loss Programs Fail

Conveying the value of win-loss insights to executives isn’t the hard part.

It’s getting organizational buy-in to launch a formal win-loss program — and not an ad-hoc, side-of-desk-style program.  

That’s why Vijay Gupta‘s (former Microsoft, Adobe, Salesify) number one piece of advice for businesses is to invest and start a formal win-loss program ASAP. 

“Win-loss is a situation where you have to invest first before you harvest. And you can’t harvest by investing in it on-and-off with an ad hoc time commitment and ad hoc resources.”

Vijay Gupta, Chief Growth Officer at Emplifi

The success of your win-loss program, beyond proper resourcing, hinges on how you position your win-loss program internally — which comes down to:

1️⃣ Obvious ownership of the program

• Which department
• And which individuals within that department?

2️⃣ Clear comms:

• What are the goals of the program?
• How are you going about achieving those goals?
• And how are you going to share those win-loss insights as they come?

3️⃣ Bright internal branding:

• Give your win-loss program a name
• Take your program — and your insights — on an internal roadshow to show it off.

Ad hoc programs often seal their own fate. An unsystematic process yields unreliable data.

But if you follow Vijay’s advice, you’ll be on your way to unlocking the kinds of insights that get you a seat at the head table.

You may even end up with a ‘C’ in your title someday like Vijay.

Shippin’ off to Boston

Alright, alright, we get it. These market conditions are…not ideal.

The good news is that enablement folks are the answer to competing in a tough market. The less good news is that it means you need to up your game — fast. 

We figured you could use a bit of a breather from the grind. You might even be looking for a chance to connect, chill and learn from some badass revenue leaders. 

We’ve got something juicy for you: The Enable-mint Roadshow: Boston; Refreshing Cocktails. Candid Conversations, hosted by our buddies from the Product Marketing Community, Sales Enablement Society, and The Enablement Squad.

Come to Beantown, get yourself a lobster roll, catch a Sox game, and learn from some of the best in the business. 

Compete Content from the Vault

A curated list of blogs and resources to start your weekend off right

✍️ Breaking Down the Four Walls: Accessing Competitive Intel from Your Sellers, by Adam McQueen

Bridging the Gap: The Secret to a Winning Partnership between Compete and Product Teams, with AirTable’s Alex McDonnell 

✍️Win-Loss Musings by LucidLink’s, by Eric Holland

️Competing in an Insanely Crowded Market, with AmexGBT’s Chelsea Pula

Coffee & Compete Community Corner

The most untouchable professional question of them all…

Our friends Andy McCotter-Bicknell and The Compete Network partnered up to answer that unasked, unspoken, but uber-important question. 

Click on the post below to check out 7 findings from the 2023 Salary Transparency report