# How to Build a Win/Loss Competitive Analysis Framework
In the competitive Australian business landscape, knowing why a customer chose you—or, more importantly, why they chose a competitor—is the difference between stagnant growth and scaling rapidly. A Win/Loss Analysis Framework is a systematic process that moves your strategy from guesswork to data-driven precision, allowing you to double down on your strengths and fix the leaks in your sales funnel.
By understanding the specific triggers that influence Brisbane and wider Australian consumers, you can optimise your pricing, refine your service offering, and empower your sales team to handle objections with confidence.
Prerequisites
Before you begin, ensure you have the following:- A basic CRM (Customer Relationship Management) tool or a structured spreadsheet.
- Access to your recent sales data (wins and losses from the last 3–6 months).
- A neutral mindset (be prepared to hear constructive criticism about your business).
- A list of your top 3–5 direct competitors.
---
Step 1: Define Your Objectives
Before diving into the data, you need to know what you are looking for. Are you losing purely on price? Is it a lack of brand awareness in the local market? Or is a competitor offering a specific feature you lack? Write down three key questions you want this framework to answer. Screenshot Description: A simple document or digital whiteboard showing three columns: 'What we want to know', 'Who we are asking', and 'How we will use the data'.Step 2: Segment Your Data
Export your sales data and categorise your leads into 'Closed Won' and 'Closed Lost'. To make this framework effective, focus on 'high-intent' losses—those who went through the full sales process but chose a competitor—rather than leads that simply went cold or weren't a good fit.Step 3: Identify Your Main Competitors
In the Australian market, you aren't just competing against global giants; you’re often up against local specialists. List your competitors and categorise them:- Direct Competitors: Offer the same service at a similar price point.
- Indirect Competitors: Offer a different solution to the same problem.
- The 'Status Quo': The prospect decided to do nothing at all.
Step 4: Create a Standardised Feedback Survey
Consistency is key to data analysis. Create a survey (using tools like Google Forms or Typeform) with a mix of quantitative (rating scales) and qualitative (open-ended) questions. Key questions to include:- On a scale of 1-10, how did our pricing compare to the provider you chose?
- What was the primary reason you chose [Competitor Name] over us?
- How would you rate our communication speed during the proposal phase?
Step 5: Schedule 'Post-Mortem' Interviews
While surveys are great for volume, interviews provide the 'why'. Reach out to a handful of lost prospects and offer a 10-minute chat.Pro Tip: In Australia, people value honesty and 'fair dinkum' feedback. Frame the request as a way for your local business to improve its service to the community. Often, people are more than happy to help if they feel their opinion is valued.
Step 6: Map the Decision Criteria
Create a matrix that lists the factors most important to your customers. Common criteria include:- Price/Value for money
- Technical expertise/ABN longevity
- Local presence (Brisbane-based support vs. offshore)
- Brand reputation/Reviews
- Proposed timeline
Step 7: Analyse the 'Win' Reasons
Don't just focus on the losses. Analyse your wins to see if there is a pattern. If 80% of your wins mention your "local expertise," that is a core pillar of your marketing strategy that should be highlighted in your Google Business Profile and website copy.Step 8: Categorise the 'Loss' Reasons
Group your losses into buckets. For example:- Product/Service Gap: We don't offer what they need.
- Sales Execution: We took too long to follow up.
- Pricing: We were significantly more expensive without justifying the value.
- Relationship: They had a pre-existing connection with a competitor.
Step 9: Conduct a Gap Analysis
Compare your strengths against the competitor's strengths. If a competitor is winning because they offer a 24-hour response guarantee and you take 48 hours, you have identified a clear operational gap that needs closing.Step 10: Present Findings to the Team
Gather your sales and marketing teams. Present the data visually using charts that show the percentage of losses attributed to each category. Screenshot Description: A pie chart showing 'Reasons for Loss' with segments like 'Price', 'Competitor Features', and 'Timing'. Beside it, a bar graph comparing your business ratings against 'Competitor A' and 'Competitor B'.Step 11: Create an Action Plan
Data without action is just trivia. For every major 'Loss' reason, create one actionable task.- Example: If losing on price, create a 'Value Stack' PDF that explains why your higher price includes more long-term savings for the client.
Step 12: Review and Repeat Quarterly
The market changes. A new competitor might enter the Brisbane market, or an old one might hike their prices. Set a recurring calendar invite to update your framework every 90 days.---
Pro Tips for Success
- Be the 'Secret Shopper': Occasionally have a friend or colleague go through a competitor's sales process to see how it feels compared to yours.
- Check Local Reviews: Monitor the Google Reviews of your competitors. If customers are complaining about their slow service, highlight your fast service in your sales pitches.
- Incentivise Feedback: If you're struggling to get lost prospects to talk, offer a small token of appreciation, like a $10 digital coffee voucher.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Being Defensive: If a prospect says your sales person was pushy, don't argue. Take the note and use it for training.
- Focusing Only on Price: Often, prospects say "it was too expensive" because they didn't see the value. Dig deeper to find the real reason.
- Ignoring 'No Decision': If a lead chose no one, your marketing failed to create a sense of urgency. This is a different problem than losing to a competitor.
Troubleshooting
- "Nobody is responding to my feedback requests": Try changing the subject line of your email to something more personal, like "Quick question regarding your recent enquiry with [Your Business Name]". Also, ensure you are sending the request within 48 hours of the loss.
- "The data is inconsistent": This usually happens when the sales team isn't logging 'Loss' reasons correctly in the CRM. Standardise the dropdown options in your CRM to ensure clean data.
- "We don't know who we lost to": Train your sales team to ask the question: "I understand you've decided to go in a different direction; would you mind sharing which provider you've chosen so we can better understand our place in the market?"
Next Steps
Once you have your framework in place, it's time to refine your messaging to beat the competition. Read our guide on Optimising Your Google Business Profile to ensure you're winning the visibility battle before the sales call even happens.Need help identifying your competitors or setting up your analytics? Contact the team at Local Marketing Group for a strategy session.