Tactic Toolkit30MPC × PandaDoc

How to Lock In Every Contract Renewal

As sellers, we put so much time and effort into closing new deals. But the easiest revenue to close is the deal you’ve already won.

01Earn the Renewal with Value LoopsJump to chapter → 02Spot the At-Risk Warning SignsJump to chapter → 03Run These Plays to Save At-Risk RenewalsJump to chapter →

Most account managers think the renewal window starts 90/60/30 days out from the contract end date so that’s when they start taking action. But by then, it’s way too late.

Contract renewals aren't negotiated at the finish line. They're earned through every outcome you deliver over the life of the contract.

So today we're breaking down the account management loop, how the loop breaks, and what to do when it does:

  1. Earn the Renewal with Value Loops
  2. Spot the At-Risk Warning Signs
  3. Run These Plays to Save At-Risk Renewals

Let's lock ’em in.

Chapter 1

Earn the Renewal with Value Loops

You might try the new restaurant in town because you believe they have the best steaks. But you don’t need to see a dessert menu until they prove they know how to make delicious food.

The same goes for your customer contracts. Before your client even considers renewing, you have to earn the opportunity by proving the promises believed during the sales process actually proved to be true.

To earn your opportunity for renewals, continuously run this 4-step loop on every account:

The Account Management Loop

Click each step in the loop ↑

Step 1 of 4

Identify an executive outcome.

This is where you figure out what initiatives matter most to your client so you can become a part of executing them. Here are some ways to identify executive outcomes at every stage of the contract:

  • Handoff - The rep who sold the deal will know the initial executive outcomes
  • Implementation - As more stakeholders are introduced to the project there are more opportunities to hear what outcomes exist
  • Mid-Engagement - Ask your CSM or POC to warm-intro you to executive leadership so you can ask directly.
Step 2 of 4

Deliver value proof.

Build the plan to execute with your CSM and ensure the executive outcome remains the focus throughout the entire project.

Step 3 of 4

Communicate it back.

Gather the results and present them to your client so they can acknowledge the value.

Step 4 of 4

Find the next outcome and repeat.

Run the loop as many times as you can. If the next loop won’t wrap up before the renewal date, start the renewal conversation now.

Notice the account management loop isn’t something you start 90 days out from renewal. It should begin as soon as the client is signed and handed off for implementation. Every completed loop between then and the contract renewal date is evidence that you'll bring to the renewal conversation.

Now that you know how to run the loop, let’s look at what to do when it stalls.

Chapter 2

Spot the At-Risk Warning Signs

Remember, we’re only ordering dessert if the steak is phenomenal. But delivering a phenomenal steak takes more than a great cut cooked to perfection. Things like slow service, bad sides, and dull ambiance will spoil even the best entree.

The 4-step account management loop is no different: even the best product can fall short if the loop breaks down at any stage. And when it does, your customer won’t just skip dessert. They’ll never come back.

A breakdown in the loop is a clear warning sign that your account may not renew. That’s why it’s critical to run the loop constantly. The sooner you spot the warning sign, the sooner you can fix it.

Here are the warning signs at each stage of the loop, and how to respond:

Stage 1

Identify an Executive Outcome

Warning Sign

You’re not able to get a clear sense of an executive outcome. While your POC likely has at least an idea of what company-wide initiatives are currently meaningful, they may not have a great sense of actual priority or how they are being measured.

Response

Multithread below-the-line to build a point-of-view on current executive outcomes and eventually gain access to above-the-line leadership to validate. (We’ll share some actual tactics in Chapter 3.)

Stage 2

Deliver the Proof

Warning Sign

You’re able to get the executive outcome, but you’re failing to contribute to the initiative. There are likely one of two things happening:

  1. Product fit is wrong - you’re trying to sell steak to vegans
  2. Product is the right fit - you’re failing elsewhere: slow service, bad sides, dull ambiance
Response

Obviously #1 spans way too far out of your control to address. But #2 will require you to investigate. You likely need to partner with your CSM and Product team to identify how to adjust your plan to increase the returns or value provided.

Stage 2 in the wild

Say you sell an online ordering platform to a restaurant group, and the executive outcome is to grow average order size 20% by end of Q2. Two months in, you’re only up 5%. Your CSM digs into usage data and finds the upsell prompts (“Add fries for $3?”) were never turned on during implementation at half their locations. The CSM turns them on and retrains those managers.

Stage 3

Communicate It Back

Warning Sign

Your economic buyer isn’t aware of the impact your product and team are making. While no one wants to be stuck in the loop, the good news is that if you’re getting stuck here you’ve essentially delivered a great steak and overall guest experience, you just need them to acknowledge it.

Response

If multithreading isn’t getting you within reaching distance, consider putting together a 1-page business case and work your contacts to try and get it in front of your buyer.

Whether you can’t find the outcome, can’t move the number, or can’t get anyone to notice, a broken loop is a renewal at risk. Here are three plays to get it moving again before it’s too late.

Chapter 3

Run These Plays to Save At-Risk Renewals

As soon as you spot a warning sign you have to go all in to fix it before the likelihood of renewal dwindles. Here's how to turn at-risk accounts back into renewals:

Play 1

Play Cupid: Match-Make Colleagues to Customer Stakeholders

Don't play Superman and try to save the renewal by yourself, instead play cupid. Not every stakeholder wants to talk to the “sales person” and your title alone will keep you from accessing a portion of their org chart.

For those you can’t reach, play cupid and match-make your colleagues with their stakeholders, that way the account management loop gets worked from multiple angles.

Besides heart-shaped arrows, here are the keys:

  1. 1
    Match personalities. Your zany CMO probably isn't right for their quiet technical lead. Here are some fail safe pairs:
    • CXO ↔ POCshows them they're important
    • Technical ↔ Technicallet the geeks speak
    • CXO ↔ CXOstatus matching
  2. 2
    Prep your colleague. Share the account details: what they bought, recent loops, current loop status. Then give them the ONE thing you need from the conversation, like validating an executive outcome or acknowledging the value delivered.
  3. 3
    Don't let the love fizzle. Set reminders for your colleagues to follow up with their match. Pairing your CEO with theirs once is nice. Getting them texting and their relationship alone can lock in the next renewal.
Play 2

Build a 1-Page Business Case

A 1-page business case packages the results from every loop you’ve run into something your economic buyer can read in two minutes. And if you’ve been running the loop, most of it is already written.

Keep it to these 5 blocks:

1-Page Business Case
  1. Priority-Driven Headline: Use the exec’s own language for the initiatives you’ve supported.
  2. Why They Bought: The original problem and executive outcome, in their numbers.
  3. What You Delivered: The results from each loop, current vs. target.
  4. What’s Next: The next outcome you’ll go after together, and what it’s worth to them.
  5. Required Investment: What the upcoming renewal looks like (term, scope, price) and what both teams commit to for the next outcome.

Use plain formatting, no branded deck. It should look like something their team wrote, not your marketing team. You may even consider hand delivering it…

Play 3

Get On Site

Ending a contract is easy but ending a relationship is much harder. Turn your accounts into relationships by making an effort to get in front of them BEFORE they’re an at-risk account.

Use the visit to run the account management loop live:

  1. 1Celebrate recent wins.Open by recapping recent proof of value.
  2. 2Share your hypothesis on what's next."We heard you're focused on improving X. Here's how we can help."
  3. 3Set the next step.Agree on the next outcome and when you'll come back with a plan to hit it.

Use these plays to keep the loops running, and your customers won’t just renew, they’ll be asking for the dessert menu.

FAQ

Contract renewal questions, answered

When should account managers start the renewal conversation?

Earlier than 90/60/30 days out. The account management loop should begin as soon as the client is signed and handed off for implementation. If the next loop won’t wrap up before the renewal date, start the renewal conversation now.

What is the account management loop?

A four-step cycle you run on every account: identify an executive outcome, deliver value proof, communicate it back, then find the next outcome and repeat. Every completed loop is evidence you bring to the renewal conversation.

What are the warning signs a customer won’t renew?

A breakdown at any stage of the loop: you can’t get a clear sense of an executive outcome, you’re failing to contribute to it, or the economic buyer isn’t aware of the impact you’re making.

How do you save an at-risk renewal?

Run three plays: play cupid by match-making colleagues with customer stakeholders, build a 1-page business case for the economic buyer, and get on site to run the account management loop live.

What software helps track contract renewals?

PandaDoc, an agreement management software, tracks renewals with custom, time-based alerts, an upcoming renewals dashboard, and AI data extraction that pulls key terms and renewal timelines from your contracts.

Know an AM with renewals coming up?Send them this toolkit before their next renewal window.

Never let a renewal sneak up on you

Track every renewal, pull key terms with AI, and get the renewal signed with PandaDoc.

Start a free trial →
30MPC × PandaDoc