Customer churn doesn’t always show up in the form of complaints or cancellations. Often, it begins quietly—with reduced order sizes, fewer SKUs, or less engagement from your buyer. One of the smartest ways to identify and avoid churn? Track lifetime account value (LAV).
LAV measures the long-term potential of a customer—not just their current spend. It includes:
Total revenue over multiple years.
Service adoption (e.g., technical support, fabrication add-ons).
Renewal and referral behavior.
When glass distributors focus on LAV, they reframe the account from “What have they bought lately?” to “What’s this customer worth over 3–5 years?”
Use LAV to:
Spot early churn indicators (e.g., reduced reorder velocity).
Prioritize engagement for accounts with high LAV but low recent activity.
Shift sales focus toward relationship-building, not just quoting.
A distributor in Chicago used LAV scoring to create a churn-risk dashboard. It flagged eight accounts trending downward—four of which were recovered through proactive outreach, including new product trials and service reengagement.
Avoiding churn isn’t just about reacting faster. It’s about seeing the full value of the account—and protecting it before it slips away.
