The Physics of Churn: A Sales Ops Framework

The Physics of Churn: A Sales Ops Framework
Customer Entropy

Newton’s First Law states that an object in motion stays in motion unless acted upon by an unbalanced force. In Sales Operations, your customer is the object. Their renewal is the motion. And Churn? Churn is the unbalanced force.

Too often, organizations treat Churn as a mystery, a sudden, emotional decision made by a client. But as an Operator, I reject that. Churn is not emotional; it is physical. It is the result of Friction overcoming Momentum.

If we view customer retention through the lens of physics, we stop trying to "save" customers and start building systems that make leaving physically difficult.

Here is the framework.

1. The Coefficient of Friction (Day 1 Readiness)

In physics, static friction (getting an object to move) is always higher than kinetic friction (keeping it moving). The same is true for your customers.

The most dangerous moment in the customer lifecycle is Day 1. This is where the "Coefficient of Friction" is highest. If a customer signs a contract but doesn't have everything they need immediately, logins, data access, and hardware—their momentum hits a wall.

  • The Friction Point: The gap between "Signed" and "Ready." Every hour a customer spends waiting for a setup email or a license key is energy lost to heat (frustration).
  • The Ops Fix: We don't need "nicer" onboarding calls; we need Day 1 Readiness Protocols. Automate the provisioning process so that the moment the deal closes in Salesforce, the "Welcome" packet with all necessary tools is triggered via API.
  • The Goal: Zero-Touch Setup. If the customer has to ask, "What do I do next?", you have failed the physics test.

2. Entropy (The Ghosting Effect)

The Second Law of Thermodynamics tells us that in a closed system, entropy (disorder) always increases.

If you leave a customer relationship alone, it naturally decays. The first sign of this decay isn't a cancellation email; it's Silence.

  • The Symptom: The customer becomes hard to contact. They skip QBRs. They stop replying to "check-ins." This isn't because they are busy; it's because the gravity of your value has decreased, so you are no longer important enough to reply to.
  • The Ops Fix: You must inject energy into the system before the silence becomes permanent.
  • The Build: I build scripts that track "Last Contact Date" alongside usage metrics. If a customer hasn't engaged in 30 days, an automated sequence fires—not to "check in," but to deliver a high-value insight that forces engagement. We treat silence as a P1 operational failure.

3. Gravity (Building Value)

Gravity is the force that attracts two bodies to each other. In business, Gravity = Value.

The larger the mass of the value you provide, the harder it is for the customer to reach "Escape Velocity" (Churn).

  • The Mistake: Most companies rely on "Relationship Gravity" (liking the sales rep). This is weak gravity.
  • The Goal: We need "Data Gravity."
  • The Ops Fix: Lock the customer into your ecosystem by getting your data into their systems. When your API feeds their daily dashboard, you become part of their infrastructure.

The Equation

To solve for Retention (R), we must balance these forces:

      Momentum + Gravity
R = -----------------------
      Friction + Entropy

As Sales Ops leaders, our job is not to "make customers happy." Our job is to manipulate the variables in this equation.

  1. Decrease Friction by guaranteeing Day 1 Readiness.
  2. Counteract Entropy by detecting silence early and re-injecting value.
  3. Increase Gravity by becoming infrastructure, not just software.

Churn isn't bad luck. It's just physics. And physics can be engineered.