Proposal Win/Loss Analysis

Situation

Over time, a Big Four accounting firm, that had historically outsold the competition, began to notice a dip in their win rates. As firm leaders began to explore why this was happening, they found that they were missing the mark in their pursuit efforts. This contrasted sharply with what firm leaders were hearing from many of their pursuit teams, who shared that they were simply getting “beat on price.” Firm leaders realized they needed an objective third party to help them gain perspective on why their win rates had declined so sharply.

Engagement Focus

We worked closely with firm leaders and business development team members to determine the scope of the analyses, customize the approach and debrief format, and develop coaching interventions for pursuit teams. At this time, firm leaders decided to launch the win/loss debriefs firm-wide for all significant proposal opportunities. Following the engagement, we synthesized our findings into a customized best practices guide for the firm.

Outcome

As a result of this initiative, firm leaders were able to develop a more complete understanding of why their win rates had declined and what needed to be done to reverse the trend. Ultimately, the insight gained through win/loss analysis was broadly disseminated throughout the firm through:
• firm leadership meetings
• coaching and training workshops
• client case studies

This initiative was credited with helping the firm sharpen their competitive edge and reaffirm their dominant position.