Overview
Closed lost reasons are one of the most important fields for understanding why deals slip, yet they’re often meaningless. Sellers skip the field, pick vague answers like “bad timing” or “n/a” just to pass a validation rule and close the opp, or simply forget to update it.
Meanwhile, the real reasons - tighter budgets, stronger competitors, missing champions - live in call recordings and email threads. Leaders never see them. RevOps can’t analyze them. Sellers miss the chance to learn from what actually happened.
Without trustworthy closed lost data, forecasting is unreliable, coaching breaks down, and systemic weaknesses in your process or product stay hidden.
With Scratchpad, there’s a better way.
The Scratchpad unlock
Scratchpad ensures closed lost reasons are always accurate and complete - both retroactively and going forward.
Backfill past data: Populate months of missing reasons with AI backfill, using context from calls and emails.
Capture every new loss: Suggest or auto-apply reasons for future opps with AI CRM updates, so data stays consistent without extra work.
Turn data into insight: Spot sales process gaps, product weaknesses, and coaching opportunities to improve win rates.
This transforms closed lost from a neglected field into a powerful source of insight for your business.
Get started in minutes
1. Connect data sources
Calls
Record directly in Scratchpad or sync from Gong, Zoom, etc.
Emails
Sync Gmail conversations to bring deal-critical context into Scratchpad
2. Create closed lost reason prompt
Define how you want AI to capture and phrase closed lost reasons - tailored to your sales process.
Example prompt
Example prompt
You are updating the “Closed Lost Reason” field for this opportunity. Identify the reason this opportunity was marked closed lost, or why the prospect decided not to move forward.
Summarize in 1–2 sentences using the prospect’s words where possible, and include any referenceable links.
Categories may include: budget, timing, competition, missing functionality, no decision, or other.
3. Capture closed lost reasons
Retroactively
Run AI Backfill on past opportunities from any Scratchpad view
Select the closed lost reason field and how you want updates applied (suggest or auto-fill)
Instantly fill months of gaps with accurate, conversation-backed closed lost reasons
Going forward
AI surfaces suggested closed lost reasons automatically, right in your workflow.
Reps can review, accept, or adjust with a single click
Every new loss is captured with full context - no chasing reps, no missed insights
Curious to learn more? Schedule a 1:1 session with our team!