Why it’s Worthwhile — Even Fun — To Do a Win/Loss Interview

What’s it like to be interviewed by one of our researchers?

Here at IcebergIQ, we talk to people every day on behalf of our clients. We spend up to 30 minutes with each person on a call.

Yes, 30 minutes! Think about that — busy people willingly give that much time to talk with a total stranger, in detail, about their evaluation and purchase decisions. 

Why would someone agree to this?

Well, we do offer a gift card or a donation to a charity of choice in appreciation for someone’s time. That’s standard market research protocol and it definitely helps encourage participation.

But people also find genuine value in the interview experience itself.

"It's really exciting when I get to share our story and share about our company and where we are headed,” one buyer told us. 

“It's fun. Thank you for listening to me as well because I'm pretty passionate and excited.”

People also tell us: 

• They want to help -- they’re happy to give feedback because they know it will help our clients improve their products and services.

• If they had a negative experience, it can be cathartic to talk with a neutral third party, especially after an evaluation that may have taken weeks if not months (we’re kind of like a “deal therapist.”)

• They want to explain their decision. One person said: “I wanted to do this interview. We nearly bought your client’s product but didn’t. I want to tell them what happened!”

Our interviews are genuine, unscripted conversations, not a series of “yes” or “no” or “please rank on a scale of 1 to 10” questions. We ask questions in a way that encourages the interviewee to be in storytelling mode, as he or she shares the journey they went through.

It’s a chance to debrief an important decision with an impartial observer, and people often say the conversation deepens their understanding of their own decision.

In short, we at IcebergIQ learn a lot from our interviews. Our clients learn a lot. And interviewees learn a lot, too. Everyone benefits, because it’s all about the learning.