Interview script
Win/loss interview question scripts
Eight questions in order. 30-45 minutes. Conducted by an interviewer independent of the deal (external agency or senior executive); the AE who lost the deal does not run the interview.
The full eight-question script
Buyer company: _______________________________
Buyer contact: _______________________________
Deal outcome: closed-won / closed-lost
Interviewer: _________________________________
Interview date: __ / __ / 202_
OPENING (1 minute)
'Thank you for taking 30 minutes. We're [salespeople.co.uk / agency
name] talking with you on behalf of [vendor]. We're looking for an
honest read on the evaluation - what worked, what didn't, what would
have changed your mind. Nothing you say is for attribution; the
synthesis goes to [vendor] but your name doesn't.'
QUESTION 1 - TIMELINE
'Walk me through the timeline of your evaluation as you remember it.'
[Lets the buyer reconstruct without leading. Listen for moments
they remember as significant.]
QUESTION 2 - INFLECTION POINT
'When did you first feel like a decision was forming?'
[Surfaces the inflection point. Often different from when the
formal decision happened.]
QUESTION 3 - CRITERIA TESTED
'What were the most important criteria you were evaluating against?'
[Tests the buyer's stated criteria against the vendor's
assumed Decision Criteria.]
QUESTION 4 - CRITERIA EVOLUTION
'Which factors mattered more than you expected as the evaluation progressed?'
[Surfaces criteria the team didn't know to surface.]
QUESTION 5 - VENDOR POSITIONING
'How would you describe each vendor's positioning in one sentence?'
[Reveals positioning gaps in the vendor's message.]
QUESTION 6 - DECISION FACTOR
'What specifically tipped the decision?'
[The headline answer. Often less truthful than the answers
around it.]
QUESTION 7 - COUNTER-FACTUAL ** must-ask **
'If we could go back and do one thing differently, what would have
changed your mind?'
[The most useful question. Surfaces what the vendor could have
controlled.]
QUESTION 8 - FORWARD-LOOKING
'What advice would you give the next vendor pitching you on this
category?'
[Surfaces buyer education gaps; forward-looking.]
CLOSE
'Thank you. The synthesis publishes back to [vendor]
on [date]. If we want to follow up on a specific point, can we
contact you?'
Three questions every closed-lost interview must include
If time is short, ensure questions 1, 4, and 7 are asked. They triangulate the structural reason the deal was lost: question 1 produces the buyer's narrative; question 4 produces the evolving criteria; question 7 produces the controllable counter-factual. The intersection is the structural insight.
Volume and cadence
10-15 interviews per quarter at 100-150 person UK SaaS scale. Mix wins and losses approximately 1:2 or 1:3. Below 10 per quarter, individual conversations dominate the synthesis and patterns don't emerge. Above 50, the analysis cost outweighs the marginal interview's signal.
Who runs the interview
Independence matters most. External agency for the bulk; executive interviews (CEO, CRO) for the highest-value lost deals; internal sales operations for win interviews on routine deals. The AE who lost the deal does not run the interview.