Until October, a lost deal in this client’s Salesforce didn’t record who won it. We added a competitor field and a one-click close-lost button, and reps were using both within a week.
SalesforceWin-loss dataOctober 2026From The FullFunnel Dozen
The new close-lost step
Competitive Solution Chosen
Select 1 of 12 competitors▾
Move to closed lost
Illustration of the new closed-lost step in Salesforce.
The short answer
Structured loss data came from two small changes, made after a broader audit of the org: a Competitive Solution Chosen field covering 12 competitors, and a button that moves a deal to closed lost in one step.
SystemSalesforce
Competitors listed12
IssueOctober 2026
How it worked
Problem, fix, proof
01
The problem
What was missing?
Two things. The org had built up fields that needed cleanup, and nothing recorded which competitor a lost deal went to. Without a field for it, there was no way to count losses by competitor.
02
The fix
What did we change?
We started with an audit, then made the smallest changes that would produce usable loss data:
A field audit across multiple objects, with cleanup recommendations
Reviews of validation rules and of roles and permissions
A Competitive Solution Chosen field listing 12 competitors
A button that moves a deal to closed lost in one click
Pick the competitor. Close the deal. One step.
03
The proof
How do we know reps use it?
Reps picked up the field first, then the button a week later. The client has also worked through the field audit object by object, leaving comments and making updates, and is using it to decide which fields to hide or remove.
The result
What changed?
The team can now answer “who did we lose to?” from data instead of memory.
