Quote win rate by customer type: what lost quotes reveal

Most owners know their overall quote win rate. Few know where the quotes are lost, and that is where the price decision is made.

1. The problem: one win rate hides the story

Say you win 35% of quotes. That single figure blends your best accounts with your worst, small orders with large ones, and quotes won at list price with quotes won only after a 10% discount. If you cut prices across the board to lift the 35%, you give margin away on customers who were never going to leave. If you hold prices everywhere, you may lose good orders in one pocket of the market without noticing.

2. The evidence: costs are moving faster than quotes

According to the ONS producer price bulletin for August 2026, UK manufacturers' input prices rose 6.1% in the year to August, while factory gate (output) prices rose 3.7%. When costs rise faster than selling prices, every quote that goes out on last quarter's price list carries a thinner margin than you think. The next ONS release is due on 21 October 2026, so check the latest figures before you quote this week.

The gap is not only an ONS finding. In the Bank of England's Decision Maker Panel for September 2026, 57% of firms expected to increase prices and 70% expected lower profit margins. Most firms are repricing and absorbing cost at the same time, which makes a blind price change a risky response.

3. The solution: a win table by customer type

Build one table from your last 6 to 12 months of quotes. For each quote record the customer type, the order size band, the discount given and the outcome, won or lost. Then compare win rates and average discounts across the groups.

The table answers three questions. Where do you win with little or no discount? Where does a deeper discount fail to change the outcome? And where do losses cluster at the top of your price range?

One caution: a lost quote is not always a price loss. Zilliant, a pricing software firm, notes that freight, packaging, payment terms and delivery requirements can also decide a quote, and that assuming price is the only reason "can lead to unnecessary margin erosion". Record a loss reason, even a rough one, before you act on the numbers.

For illustration only (illustrative figures): trade customers might win at 52% with an average 4% discount, while one-off buyers win at 28% with an average 11% discount. The discount is buying very little in the second group.

4. Why the rhythm matters

The same source makes a point that suits a regular review: win-loss data should prompt a closer look at pricing, but it is not an automatic signal to change prices, and trends need watching over time. With the Bank of England's next Decision Maker Panel release due on 30 October and its rate decision on 5 November, costs and expectations will keep shifting. A monthly look at the table is enough to catch drift early.

Tips and tricks for this week

• Add a "reason lost" field to every quote record, even if it is a drop-down with five choices.
• Compare the average discount on won quotes with the average on lost quotes.
• Find the customer group where you win without discounting, and protect that price.
• Set a minimum margin on every quote and flag anything below it for sign-off.
• Revisit quotes 30 days after sending, so open ones are not counted as lost too early.

If you want a quick view of where your margin stands, try our Business Health Check.