The opportunity inside every lost customer

Losing a customer never gets easier. And losing a deal you thought was a sure thing? That one stings. It’s hugely frustrating. Deflating. Sometimes a little personal.

And so it’s easy to box it off as a Sales issue. Or something for Customer Service to fix. But here’s the truth: every churned customer, every lost deal: it’s a marketing signal. 

And if you know how to watch and listen … it can be one of your most powerful sources of insight.

Not just why they left—but why they had to.

Sometimes churn has nothing to do with your product or service. The market moves. Priorities shift. A new regulation lands.

What your customer needed six months ago… simply no longer matters today.

Last week, I talked about the importance of staying right on the edge of where your customer’s at — mentally and contextually. Churn is often what happens when we miss that edge. It's the cost of falling out of sync with how their world is changing.

That’s not a failure.

But if we ignore it, we miss the chance to reposition our offering. To evolve. To stop the next wave of churn before it happens.

The Churn Signal Loop.

Here’s the loop I come back to when trying to learn from loss:

1️⃣ What did we think they wanted?
Go back to the Job or pain point your positioning focused on. Was it still true?

2️⃣ What did they prioritise instead?
What pulled their attention away: Was it speed? Simplicity? A different factor entirely?

3️⃣ What do we need to shift: message, product, or just our mindset?
Use it to sharpen your value prop or re-segment your audience.

This isn’t about blaming sales & marketing. It’s about empowering them, with real market insight.

Marketers who close the loop, win.

When we treat churn as “not my department,” we stay reactive. But when marketers lean in; when we listen, investigate, and adapt - we build positioning that stays relevant. Even as the market moves on.

You’re not just telling the story of the product.
You’re telling the story of why it still matters today.

Quick Gut Check.

✅ When did we last review why we lost a deal or customer?
✅ Are we picking up patterns in what’s changed for them?
✅ Is our message still the best answer to their evolving priorities?

If you're not sure—it might be time to take a closer look. And if you haven't already, now’s the time to embed a Closed/Lost feedback loop. Whether it's a short post-demo survey, direct follow-ups, or a regular internal roundup of insights, make it a habit!

If we all create a lightweight, well-oiled programme for learning from these painful but valuable scenarios, they’re not just data points—they’re directional signals

P.S. I’m delighted to be speaking at Scotland’s Growth Meet-up 🚀, next week in Edinburgh! If you’re around, you can sign up here.