How to Create a Win-Loss Survey: Step-By-Step Guide (2025)

Let’s face it: you can’t interview every buyer who makes a decision about your product. Even if you could, your calendar (and sanity) wouldn’t survive it.

That’s where win-loss surveys come in. 

These efficient, scalable tools allow you to gather valuable buyer feedback at scale. 

No scheduling headaches or calendar Tetris.

And if you design them correctly – and leverage them alongside in-depth win-loss interviews – they’ll become the backbone of your win-loss analysis program.

Here’s the challenge though: despite appearing straightforward, many companies get them wrong. 

They create surveys that are too vague (producing unactionable data), too long (killing response rates), or too focused on what they want to hear rather than what buyers need to share.

In this guide, we’ll show you how to create win-loss surveys that not only get responses but produce insights you can actually put to work.

What Is a Win-Loss Survey?

A win-loss survey is a structured questionnaire that helps you understand why buyers chose you (or didn’t) right after they make their decision. While one-on-one interviews might be the gold standard for win-loss analysis, surveys will play a crucial complementary role in your program.

Think of it this way: interviews give you depth, surveys give you breadth. 

A well-designed survey can collect 80-100 data points in just seven minutes, helping you validate patterns across hundreds of deals. 

That’s why mature win-loss programs use both tools: surveys to spot trends at scale and identify areas worth investigating, and interviews to get the full story behind those trends.

When to Use a Win-Loss Survey vs. a Win-Loss Interview

Choosing between surveys and interviews shouldn’t be an either-or decision. It’s about knowing when to use each to maximize the value of your win-loss analysis program. 

Here’s how to decide which tool fits your specific goals.

Use surveys when:

• You need quick feedback at scale to validate hunches about win-loss patterns
• You want to collect consistent data across your entire buyer base
• You’re tracking specific metrics over time (like product satisfaction or sales effectiveness)
• The deal size or strategic value doesn’t warrant a full interview

Use interviews when:

• You need to dig deep into complex buyer decisions based on large deal sizes
• You want to dig into the specifics of a highly competitive deal
• You want to explore unexpected feedback that surfaced in surveys

Leveraging Surveys in Conjunction with Interviews

Here’s how surveys complement and enhance win-loss interviews. 

First, they help you identify the perfect interview candidates. When a buyer’s survey responses reveal interesting patterns – whether it’s unexpected product feedback or a unique competitive situation – that’s your signal to schedule a deeper conversation (if it aligns with your learning objectives).

Second, they give you a head start on your interviews. When a buyer has already shared initial feedback through a survey, you can jump straight into the details that matter: 

“Your survey mentioned concerns about our API integration. Let’s dig into the specific challenges you encountered.”

This two-step approach ensures you’re not just interviewing random buyers, but having focused conversations with the ones who can provide the most valuable insights.

Getting Started: Creating Your First Win-Loss Survey

Now that we’re straight on the fundamentals, let’s move on to creating your first set of surveys.

Step 1: Define Your Learning Objectives

Creating an impactful win-loss survey starts with having a clear understanding of what you’re trying to achieve. This begins by defining your win-loss learning objectives.

Learning objectives are the specific outcomes you want to achieve with your win-loss program. They’re not just abstract goals – they’re the concrete areas of your business you need to investigate and improve.

Strong learning objectives should:

• Align with company goals
• Address stakeholder needs
• Drive specific actions
• Be measurable

For example, rather than a vague objective like “understand our competitive position,” you might focus on “identify which specific product features are causing us to lose deals to Competitor X in the enterprise segment.”

Your learning objectives will guide every question you include (and exclude) from your survey. Without them, you risk creating a survey that collects interesting but ultimately useless data.

Key Areas to Focus On

To make your survey effective, map your win-loss questions to one or more of these core learning objective buckets:

• Business Drivers: What triggered their search for a solution? What problems did they need to solve?
  
• Selection Process: How did they evaluate different solutions? What did their comparison process look like?
  
• Product Experience: Which features mattered most? How well did the product meet their needs?
  
• Pricing and Packaging: How do they view the pricing structure? What’s their perception of overall value?
  
• Sales Experience: How helpful was the sales team? What could have improved the process?
  
• Buying Process: Who made the final decision? What approvals were required?
  
• Demo Experience: How effective was the product demo? What stood out (good or bad)?

Prioritize What Matters Most

You can’t cover everything in a single 7-minute survey. Work with your stakeholders to identify the most pressing insights for your business right now. By focusing on a few high-priority areas, you’ll create a survey that delivers actionable results without overwhelming respondents.
📌 If you’re pressed for time and need a quick list, check out our blog featuring 31 win-loss interview questions to ask.

Step 2: Use the Right Mix of Questions

Getting your question mix right can mean the difference between surface-level data and insights that actually drive decisions. Here’s what you need:

Rating Questions

These are your survey workhorses, helping you quantify buyer perceptions across product, sales, and competitive dimensions. The key? Consistency. Use the same 1-5 scale throughout your survey and always label what those numbers mean.

Open-Ended Questions

Think of these as your chance to let buyers tell their story. They’re perfect for understanding the “why” behind decisions, capturing unexpected feedback, and getting detailed competitive insights.

But use them wisely – they’re the most demanding for buyers to answer. Stick to 3-4 per survey and save them for your most critical learning objectives.

Yes/No Questions

Sometimes you just need a clear answer. Use these for qualifying questions like “Did you evaluate other solutions?” or “Was pricing a factor?” They’re also great for triggering relevant follow-ups – if someone evaluated competitors, you can then ask which ones.

Pro Tip: Think about the flow between question types. Use Yes/No to qualify, ratings to measure, and open-ended to understand the why.

Step 3: Design for Data Analysis

Most companies dive straight into writing questions without thinking about how they’ll analyze the responses later. 

Your secret weapon? Metadata.

You can think of metadata as the individual data points that will let you easily slice and dice survey responses later when it’s time to conduct analysis. 

For example, collecting metadata on ‘company size’ and ‘region’ lets you analyze how enterprise buyers in Europe respond differently than SMBs in North America.

Essential Metadata to Collect

Make sure to capture these key data points:

• Company size (revenue and employees)
• Industry
• Region
• Deal size
• Product version evaluated
• Buyer’s role
• Purchase timeline

Pro Tip: Check your CRM first. Many of these data points might already be there. Don’t waste survey time asking what you already know!

Plan Your Rating Scales

Rating scales let buyers quantify their responses (usually from 1-5 or 1-10), making it easy to measure and compare feedback across deals. When using them:

• Use the same scale throughout
• Label what each number means
• Include N/A options for irrelevant questions
• Add “Other” fields to catch unexpected responses

Structure Open-Ended Responses

While rating scales give you numbers, open-ended questions give you stories. Plan how you’ll categorize these responses – look for common themes like “pricing concerns” or “missing features” that can help quantify what buyers are really saying. Tools like Buyer Pulse can help automate this analysis, but even a simple spreadsheet with response categories will help you spot patterns.

Step 4: Distribute Your Survey

The final step is getting your survey into buyers’ hands at just the right time. The easier you make it for buyers to respond, the more insights you’ll gather. Simple right?

Distribution Best Practices

Your distribution strategy can make or break response rates. Here’s what works for us:

Send from a Real Person

• Use your sales rep’s email, not “noreply@company.com”
• Leverage the existing relationship with the buyer
• Keep the tone personal but professional

Time It Right

• Send within 30 days while memory is fresh
• Avoid Mondays (too busy) and Fridays (too late)
• Consider time zones for global buyers
• One follow-up max, 3-4 days after first email

Nail the Outreach

• Keep subject line short and to the point: “Feedback on your [Company] evaluation?”
• Keep the email brief – explain why their input matters and how long it’ll take
• Make the survey link prominent and easy to click
• Include a clear call-to-action button
• Avoid spam triggers, including words like “Survey” or “Free.”

Automate the Distribution & Analysis Process

Manually managing survey distribution can be super time-consuming.

Do yourself a favor and automate the process with a tool like Klue’s 360° Win-Loss. It integrates directly with your CRM to send surveys automatically when deals close – whether they’re wins, losses, or churns.

With Buyer Pulse, you get:

• Automated follow-ups to gently remind buyers without spamming them.
• A centralized library where all survey responses are stored for easy searching.
• AI-powered insights that identify key themes, trends, and competitor mentions in real time.

If automation isn’t an option yet, start with basic CRM workflows to flag closed deals and use email templates for outreach. 

Ultimately, the key here is creating a repeatable process that doesn’t eat up your whole day.

To see a full demo of Buyer Pulse, watch the video below👇

Step 5: Maximize Those Response Rates

You’ve designed the perfect survey and set up distribution. Now let’s make sure buyers actually complete it. Here are some Klue insider tactics that we use to drive response rates:

Keep It Short and Sweet

Ryan Sorley, Founder & CEO of Klue Win-Loss, swears by the seven-minute rule. Any longer and response quality drops dramatically as survey fatigue sets in. 

Not sure if your survey hits the mark? Take it yourself, then have stakeholders try it. Their experience will tell you everything you need to know.

Nail Your Survey Introduction

Your survey’s first impression can make or break completion rates. Here’s a basic template that works:

Thank you for taking time to share feedback about your experience with [Company].

This survey typically takes 7 minutes to complete. Your responses will be kept confidential and used only for internal improvement efforts.

[If applicable] As a thank you for your time, you’ll receive a $25 gift card upon completion.

Make sure to include:

• Clear time commitment
• Confidentiality statement
• Purpose of feedback
• Any incentive details

Use Incentives Strategically

Sometimes you need extra motivation to get responses, particularly for lost deals or competitive situations where insights are especially valuable. Consider offering:

• Digital gift cards ($25-50)
• Charitable donations
• Executive summary sharing
• Early access to new features

Pro Tip: Save your incentives for when you really need them because overusing them can lead to lower quality responses (i.e. people who just want free stuff hurrdily answering your questions.)

Good Luck!

Creating effective win-loss surveys isn’t rocket science, but it does require intention and planning. 

The difference between surveys that collect dust in buyers’ inboxes and ones that drive real insights often comes down to the fundamentals we’ve covered in the article:

• Aligning your survey questions with clear win-loss learning objectives
• Designing your surveys for data analysis first
• Keeping your surveys short (remember that 7-minute rule)
• Automating distribution with tools like Klue’s Buyer Pulse.

Ready to put all this info into action? Grab our template below to start presenting these insights to your executive team.