How to Tag Win-Loss Interviews

Companies with top-tier win-loss programs do more than collect great feedback – they organize it with precision. 

Their edge? A tagging system that transforms scattered interview responses into structured data points that then reveal long-term win-loss patterns. 

In this guide, we’ll show you how to:

1. Structure your tagging framework for maximum insights
2. Apply tagging best practices
3. Avoid the common tagging pitfalls that derail analysis

Let’s get started.

📌 Need a complete win-loss overview? Check out our ultimate guide to win-loss.

What Is Win-Loss Tagging, and Why Does It Matter?

Win-loss tagging is the practice of labeling interview responses with specific topics/themes (like “Product” or “Pricing”), subtopics/decision drivers (such as “Ease of Use” or “AI Capabilities”), and metadata (like “Win Driver” or “Sentiment Negative”).

Here’s a basic example: when a buyer says, “Your onboarding process took too long, which is why we ultimately went with Competitor X,” you would tag this feedback as:

1. Topic/Theme: Implementation
2. Sub-Topic/Decision Driver: Onboarding Process
3. Metadata: Outcome: “Loss,” Loss Driver: “Implementation Time,” Competitor: “Competitor X,” Sentiment: “Negative”

Instead of letting buyer quotes float aimlessly, you’re systematically “pinning” each insight to relevant topics. This transforms unstructured feedback into structured data you can analyze and track over time.

The benefits of tagging are twofold:

1. Immediate clarity – you can quickly surface the most important insights from each interview by searching through your most relevant tags. 
2. Pattern recognition – over time, your tagged database will become a long-term intelligence asset that reveals trends across dozens or hundreds of deals. 

Understanding Tag Structure

Before jumping straight into tagging, let’s break down the three main elements you’ll work with:

1. Topic Tags (Themes)

Topics are your high-level buckets for organizing feedback. Common examples include:

1. Product: For functionality or technical feedback from buyers
2. Sales Process: For comments on rep responsiveness or sales experience
3. Pricing: For cost-related insights, including feedback on pricing models and perceived value

A useful approach is to align topics with the core areas of your buyer’s journey – anything that consistently influences a purchase decision or renewal.

2. Sub-Topic Tags (Decision Drivers)

Where topics are broad, sub-topics (sometimes called “sub-tags”) add granularity within each topic. For instance, within “Product,” you might have labels like:

1. Ease of Use: For feedback about user experience and intuitive design
2. Automation Capabilities: For comments about workflow automation and time-saving features
3. Integration Requirements: For insights about connecting with other tools and compatibility issues

Sub-topics help you pinpoint exactly what the buyer is referencing. They should be clear, concise, and widely understood by your team.

3. Metadata

Metadata offers a second dimension to your tags, telling you more about the significance of each piece of feedback. Examples include:

1. Region: Tags feedback by geographic location (EMEA, APAC, NA, etc.) to identify regional differences in buyer preferences and competitive dynamics
2. Segment: Categorizes by company size, industry, or use case to discover how different buyer groups evaluate your solution
3. Outcome Driver: Indicates whether a statement contributed to a Win, a Loss, or a Churn
4. Sentiment: Flags how the buyer felt about a product or interaction – positive, negative, or neutral
5. Competitor: Associates the feedback with a competitor’s name when the buyer mentions them specifically

By consistently applying metadata, you’ll know not just what the buyer said, but why it mattered in the final outcome.

Topic Tag Taxonomies in Win-Loss

Most organizations start with a set of “out-of-the-box” tags to capture the usual suspects in a win-loss analysis. Below are the most commonly used tags we leverage at Klue (these also directly align with the individual segments of our win-loss interview structure):

Default Topic Tags

Featured QuotesUse this to highlight standout statements that capture an important theme. For instance, if a buyer says, “Your platform changed our sales process overnight,” you might tag it as a Featured Quote to share with stakeholders.

PricingCovers all cost-related feedback – whether the buyer found the pricing too high, too low, or perfectly aligned with value. You might also track discounting strategies here.

ProductSpans features, user experience, and technology performance. It can also include sub-topics like “UX,” “Performance,” or “Integration.”

Win-Loss Topic Tags

Evaluation DriversReasons the buyer sought a new solution or considered switching. If they mention “scalability issues with our old vendor,” you’d note it under “Evaluation Drivers” → “Scalability.”

CriteriaThe specific yardsticks the buyer used to compare solutions—e.g., “ease of integration,” “compliance requirements,” or “contract flexibility.”

Resources LeveragedAny materials or channels buyers used to inform their decision – like analyst reports, peer recommendations, or third-party review sites.

CompanyFeedback about your overall organization, including brand perception, reputation, or even financial stability if it came up in discussions.

SalesMentions of the sales process itself – how the reps handled demos, responded to queries, or negotiated timelines.

Churn/Renewal Topic Tags

Renewal ReasonsThe factors that influenced a buyer to renew, such as consistent performance, partnership potential, or lack of a strong enough alternative.

Churn ReasonsAll the causes behind a decision not to renew – pricing friction, product limitations, poor support, or a new internal policy shift.

Service & SupportReferences to technical support, onboarding, or account management. This can reveal if you’re retaining customers based on strong service (or losing them if service is lacking).

Renewal ExperienceTracks how smoothly or poorly the renewal process went. If the buyer says, “It felt like we had to chase you for the renewal,” you’ll want to capture that feedback here.

Tagging Best Practices: Dos and Don’ts

A well-structured system aligns everyone’s interpretation and ensures that the data you gather is both accurate and actionable. Below is a quick list of guidelines to keep your tagging on track.

Do:

1. Keep tags consistent across interviews – Use the same tags for similar feedback, regardless of how buyers phrase it.
2. Use clear, specific language in your tags – Choose descriptive labels like “Automation Capabilities” rather than vague ones like “Lack of Features.”
3. Tag all relevant themes within a single response – If a buyer mentions both integration issues and pricing, tag both – don’t pick just one.
4. Regularly review and refine your taxonomy – Schedule periodic reviews to ensure your tags evolve with your product and market.
5. Document your tagging guidelines – Create a reference document so new team members can maintain consistency.
6. Base tags on explicit customer feedback, not interpretations – Tag what they actually say (“setup took two weeks”), not what you think they mean.
7. Focus on clear catalysts for change when tagging evaluation drivers – Look for statements like “Our old system wasn’t scalable” to identify true drivers.
8. Be consistent with sentiment tracking – If you mark one negative product comment as “Negative Sentiment,” do the same for all others.
9. Document all competitive mentions with specific competitor tags – This helps track how often competitors appear in deals and in what context.

Don’t:

1. Include duplicate tags – Applying the same tag multiple times to one piece of feedback skews your analysis results.
2. Create new tags for one-off mentions – Unusual feedback like “didn’t like the color scheme” rarely needs its own tag.
3. Over-tag irrelevant information – Casual remarks that didn’t influence the deal outcome don’t need tagging.
4. Use vague or broad tag categories – Refine general tags like “Tech Issues” into specifics like “Integration Errors.”
5. Forget to apply metadata – Without sentiment or outcome drivers, you can’t identify what truly influences deals.

Common Scenarios (with Examples)

Sometimes it helps to see how tags work in real-world interactions, so we’ve outlined a handful below:

1. Evaluation Drivers

Buyer quote: “We needed a new solution because our old tool was slow and couldn’t scale with our growth.”

Tags:

1. Topic/Theme: Evaluation Drivers
2. Sub-Topics/Decision Driver: Scalability, Performance

Metadata:

1. Outcome Driver: Win (if this was a deciding factor in choosing your solution)

2. Product & Sales Feedback

Buyer quote: “Your interface is incredibly user-friendly; our team picked it up in no time.”

Tags:

1. Topic/Theme: Product
2. Sub-Topic/Decision Driver: Ease of Use

Metadata:

1. Sentiment: Positive
2. Outcome Driver: Win (if this was a deciding factor)

3. Competitor Mentions

Buyer quote: “Competitor A had a cheaper product, but it lacked the advanced analytics we needed.”

Tags:

1. Topic/Theme: Pricing
2. Sub-Topic/Decision Driver: Analytics

Metadata:

1. Competitor: Competitor A
2. Outcome Driver: Win (if advanced analytics sealed the deal)

4. Churn/Renewal Indicators

Buyer quote: “We decided not to renew because the customer support rarely resolved our issues.”

Tags:

1. Topic/Theme: Churn Reasons
2. Sub-Topic/Decision Drivers: Support Limitations

Metadata:

1. Outcome Driver: Churn
2. Sentiment: Negative

Tagging Win-Loss Data in Klue

For teams using Klue’s Win-Loss platform to manage their win-loss interviews, the tagging process is designed to be intuitive while maintaining all the analytical power you need to extract meaningful insights.

The platform keeps everyone on the same page with standardized tags, making it easy for teams to collaborate and maintain consistency as you analyze your win-loss data across interviews.

That’s a Wrap!

Behind every great win-loss insight is a well-organized tagging system. 

The good news? If you’ve followed this guide, you should have:

1. A clear structure for organizing buyer feedback
2. Practical do’s and don’ts for consistent tagging
3. The foundation for turning scattered insights into actionable intel

Oh – and if you’re ready to learn more about win-loss? Check out our guides on:

1. Sourcing win-loss interviews
2. Conducting win-loss interviews with buyers
3. Scaling win-loss data collection