Flume roundtable with AEO: The rebooking risk you’re probably ignoring

At a recent Flume-led roundtable for the AEO Sales Leadership Group, industry leaders came together to discuss one of the biggest, yet most overlooked, threats to growth: the rebooking risk.

While most teams focus on winning new business, fewer are looking closely at why existing clients don’t come back. That blind spot is costing more than many realise.

Why this matters: Client Lifetime Value is the growth lever

Dan Dixon from William Reed, opened the session by framing the opportunity. He stressed that the Sales Development Group is here to tackle core sales challenges, and client lifetime value (CLV) should be front and centre. Raoul agreed—and warned that failing to focus on the full customer journey means leaving money on the table.

Raoul commented  “businesses using the bow tie model (which aligns pre-sale and post-sale activity) saw a 47% increase in CLV and a 3.8% jump in expansion revenue. That’s a big win, especially in today’s tougher sales climate”.

The problem: Why clients leave (and why they don’t rebook)

Top reasons why reasons clients don’t rebook:

• Expectations weren’t met.
• The relationship wasn’t strong enough.
• They didn’t see the value clearly.
• Pricing didn’t align with perceived return

The opposite was also true: when clients felt heard, supported, and part of a strategic plan, they were more likely to stay and grow. Factors like FOMO (fear of missing out), smart onboarding, and regular value reminders made a big difference.

Raoul introduced the idea of the “double jump”—looking ahead at future needs and selling based on where the client wants to go, not just what they need today.

The solution: The bow tie model

The bow tie model maps both sides of the client journey:

• Pre-sale: Define your ideal client (ICP), understand triggers that make them ready to buy, and qualify the deal properly.
• Post-sale: Deliver on promises, drive impact fast, and stay close to the client to expand and retain.

Most teams focus heavily on the left side (new bus). The right side (post-sale growth) is often under-resourced

What came out of the roundtable

This interactive session identified gaps in their the groups own sales and account processes. A few themes came up again and again:

• Teams need better client education—especially around audience behaviours and expected outcomes.
• Sales, marketing and ops teams must align more closely to create a smooth experience.
• Qualifying poor-fit deals out is just as important as qualifying the right ones in.
• Understanding why clients leave can help you find new ones that stay longer.

Taking these themes, the group then looked at practical steps to strengthen client retention and reduce rebooking risk:

• Teach clients about their audiences and what success looks like.
• Align internal teams so clients aren’t passed from one disconnected function to another.
• Dig into lost accounts and figure out what went wrong.
• Balance incentives—reward both new wins and long-term renewals.
• Use triggers (like mergers or product launches) to spot the best-fit clients early.
• Build in formal qualification to avoid wasting time on deals that won’t close or won’t last.

Looking ahead

If you want predictable growth, you can’t afford to ignore the rebooking risk. Client retention and expansion must be built into your sales strategy from the start.

This session was one of many in the ongoing Flume and AEO collaborations. If you’re interested learning more about CLV and implementing the bow tie model in your team, reach out to Flume.