Customer Trust: The Silent Killer of 2026 Revenue Plans

Brian Shea
Oct 3
2 min read

Updated: Oct 10

Do your customers really trust your teams, or are they staying out of convenience until a better option comes along?

It’s an uncomfortable question, but one every CEO needs to wrestle with before locking in a 2026 revenue plan.

The Trust Problem in Today’s Market

Forrester’s 2025 CX Index found customer experience quality in North America hit its lowest point ever, with more companies declining than improving. Trust, once lost, is rarely regained.
Buyers are ruthless. In 2025, most short-list only 1–3 vendors before deciding. If trust slips, you don’t get another shot.
Retention is the growth engine. With acquisition costs soaring, CSOs are betting on expansion revenue from current accounts. But a weak trust foundation breaks that strategy.

The Hidden Risk to 2026

Churn is not just a client experience problem—it’s a revenue math nightmare.

A 5% churn on a $100M base = $5M gone overnight.
At a 25% win rate, your new-logo team needs $20M in pipeline to patch the hole.
If trust erosion drags win rates to 20%, the pipeline requirement jumps to $25M—just to stand still.

That’s before you even attempt growth. Suddenly, your “ambitious” 2026 plan becomes a scramble drill.

CEO Gut-Check

Ask yourself and your ELT:

Can your customers articulate—right now—why staying with you is safer than switching?
Do your account leaders run executive business reviews that prove progress on customer outcomes, or do they just report activity?
Are you measuring and closing the experience gaps that kill trust—or just sending out NPS surveys?

What To Do About It

Build a retention system as rigorous as your new-logo system. Map moments that matter, risk signals, and save plays.
Tie CX and retention metrics to renewal probability in forecasts, not vanity scores.
Scenario test your revenue plan: what pipeline/win-rate lift would be required to offset 2%, 5%, and 8% churn?

The Bottom Line

Customer trust isn’t a “soft” concept. It’s the single most material risk to your 2026 revenue plan. Ignore it, and your sales team will be forced into impossible pipeline math. Invest in it, and you protect—and grow—the most reliable revenue you have.