Sales Cycle Length
Also: Sales CycleTime to Close
The average time from first qualified contact to a closed deal.
Why it matters
Cycle length determines how quickly revenue materialises and how much cash you tie up while deals progress. Shortening it accelerates pipeline velocity and improves cash flow without any new leads. It also shapes forecasting and how much pipeline you need in flight.
How it is calculated
Sales Cycle Length = average number of days from opportunity creation to closed-won across deals
What good looks like
Cycle length depends heavily on deal size and segment, enterprise cycles run months, self-serve runs days. Track it by segment and watch for creep, a lengthening cycle quietly drags down velocity and cash flow.
In the European market
European sales cycles, especially in the DACH region and for enterprise procurement, often run structurally longer than US equivalents because of consensus buying, procurement processes, and a more deliberate trust-building norm. That is a market characteristic, not a failure, and it should shape pipeline coverage and cash planning. Benchmark cycle length per market so a naturally longer German cycle is not read as a stalled motion.
Related terms
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