Analytics Page: Average Time to Lose by Deal Size Chart

Overview

The Average Time to Lose by Deal Size chart shows how long lost deals remain in each sales stage before being marked as lost, segmented by deal size. It helps Sales Ops understand where and when deals tend to fail, and how loss patterns differ based on deal complexity.

This view highlights whether deals are failing early due to poor fit, or late after extended evaluation and effort.

How to Read the Chart

• Each sales stage is shown along the horizontal axis.
• Bars represent the average number of days lost deals spend in each stage.
• Deal sizes are shown side by side for comparison.
• Longer durations indicate delayed exits and potential inefficiencies.

For example, when larger deals spend significantly more time in later stages before being lost, it may indicate late-stage objections, legal friction, or misaligned stakeholders.

What This Chart Is (and Isn’t)

This chart is:

• A way to understand where losses occur in the sales process
• A comparison of loss timing by deal size
• Useful for identifying late-stage risk and wasted effort

This chart is not:

• A signal that longer deals should always be abandoned sooner
• A measure of rep performance
• A substitute for root-cause analysis

How Sales Ops Should Use This

• Identify stages where deals are lost after extended time
• Introduce earlier exit criteria for deals showing high-risk signals
• Improve qualification and expectation-setting for larger deals
• Use loss timing to refine forecasting and pipeline hygiene

For example, if large deals are consistently lost late in evaluation or redlines, Sales Ops may want to tighten qualification or escalate stakeholder alignment earlier.

Sales Ops – Recommended Actions

Early Exit & Pipeline Hygiene

• Encourage earlier disqualification when risk signals persist.
• Reduce time spent on low-probability deals, especially large ones.

Process Improvements

• Add clearer exit criteria for late stages.
• Introduce checkpoints or escalation paths for deals exceeding expected stage duration.

Forecast & Resource Planning

• Adjust forecast confidence for deals approaching historical loss timing thresholds.
• Use time-to-loss patterns to guide resource allocation and prioritization.

Trend Monitoring

• Track changes in loss timing by deal size over time.
• Treat shifts as signals to revisit qualification standards or deal governance.

Important Interpretation Notes

• This chart shows historical averages, not prescriptive timelines.
• Longer time to loss does not imply a deal should have been closed earlier without context.
• Deal size is one of many factors influencing loss timing.
• Always interpret this data alongside deal context, stage criteria, and qualitative insights.