Run a churn-save on the real reason, not the stated one.
“This account says it is leaving over price, but is that really why?”
Diagnoses the actual cause, matches commercial and non-commercial levers to it, and runs a multi-touch save sequence.
What this skill does
Takes an at-risk account and builds the play to save it: the real reason it is slipping (which is rarely the reason first given), the levers you can actually pull (commercial and not), and a multi-touch sequence with owners and dates so the save is a plan, not a hope. It is honest about when an account is not savable, so you spend your effort where it pays.
Inputs
- Works today with: the risk signal you saw, the account's history, who the sponsor and users are, usage trend, open issues, and the renewal date. Paste it or upload your notes.
- More powerful connected to a CRM: it reads the account, ARR, renewal date, contacts, and open cases automatically.
- Sharper with a product-analytics tool: shows whether usage is actually falling, and where it fell off first.
- Sharper with a support or ticketing tool: surfaces the unresolved pain the customer may not be naming.
How it works
- 1Diagnose the real reason
The stated reason ("too expensive") is usually a symptom. Trace it to the root: low adoption, a lost champion, an unresolved escalation, a use case that never landed, a reorg, a competitor. Show the evidence, usage trend, ticket history, sponsor activity, that points to the real cause. Fix the wrong reason and you lose the account anyway.
- 2Match levers to the cause
Commercial levers (discount, shorter term, right-sizing seats, a pause) fix commercial problems. Non-commercial levers (an executive sponsor, re-onboarding, a new use case, a roadmap commitment, a success plan reset) fix value and relationship problems. Most saves need the non-commercial lever first; the discount alone rarely holds.
- 3Build the multi-touch sequence
A save is a sequence, not a single call. Space the touches across the save window: an acknowledgment, a working session on the real issue, a value or plan reset, an executive touch, the commercial conversation last. Each touch has an owner, a date, and a goal. One heroic email saves nothing.
- 4Set the exit criteria
Name what "saved" looks like (renewed, re-engaged, a signed plan) and what "not savable" looks like (no sponsor will engage, the decision is made above your line). Call it early. Effort spent on a dead account is effort stolen from a savable one.
- 5Escalate deliberately
Say when to pull in a leader or an executive sponsor, and for what. Escalation is a lever, not a panic button. Use it on the touch where a peer-level voice changes the room.
Output format
SAVE PLAY · sample account · renewal in 52 days
Stated reason: "too expensive"
Real reason: adoption fell after the champion left; usage down sharply
Evidence: weekly seats dropped by half, sponsor quiet 40 days, 1 open escalation
Levers:
Non-commercial (first): new exec sponsor intro, re-onboard the team, reset the plan
Commercial (last): right-size seats to actual usage, hold the rate
Save sequence (52-day window):
1. Day 0 CSM acknowledge, book a working session
2. Day 5 CSM resolve the open escalation
3. Day 14 CSM+Lead re-onboarding + plan reset with the new sponsor
4. Day 30 Exec executive-to-executive value check
5. Day 45 CSM commercial conversation, right-size to usage
Exit criteria: saved = signed plan + renewal. Not savable = no sponsor engages by day 20.
Tips
- The diagnosis names a root cause with evidence, never just the stated reason.
- Commercial levers are matched to commercial causes, not thrown at value problems.
- The sequence has owners and dates on every touch, and the commercial ask comes last.
- The play states its exit criteria, including when to stop. Not every account is savable.
Turn account data into a QBR that earns the renewal.
Value delivered, adoption vs stated goals, risks named first, the roadmap, and one outcome-tied expansion ask.
Build the plan that predicts the renewal a year out.
Translates the customer's goals into measurable outcomes, time-to-value milestones, and the leading indicators that flag risk early.