Measuring from different start points
Some deals from first meeting, others from opportunity created. The number becomes meaningless.
Free sales template
Sales cycle stages template
The sales cycle is the journey a buyer takes from first recognising a problem to signing a contract, and sales cycle length is how long that takes. This template sets out six buyer-side stages, what the seller should do and watch for at each, and a tracker to measure your own cycle length stage by stage so you know where time is lost.
What it is and when to use it
The sales cycle looks at the deal from the buyer's side. The buyer notices a problem, explores options, evaluates a shortlist, gets approval, signs and then implements. Your sales process and pipeline stages should map onto these buyer stages, not the other way round.
Sales cycle length is usually measured from when a qualified opportunity is created to when it is closed won. Some teams measure from the first meeting, which is useful for outbound because it includes the time between the SDR's meeting and the AE qualifying the deal. Pick one start point and use it every time.
Long cycles are rarely fixed by pushing harder at the end. They are usually caused earlier: a deal qualified without the real decision maker, a proposal sent before the approval process was known, or a buyer who never agreed a reason to act by a date. The stall signals column in this template is there to catch those early.
Who uses it
Account executives
Match each open deal to the buyer's real stage and plan the next step that moves the buyer, not just the CRM.
Sales managers
Measure cycle length by stage, find the slowest stage and coach to it.
Founders
Set realistic expectations for cash flow and hiring by knowing how long a new deal really takes.
The sales cycle stages template
Every section and column, with what to write in each. Use the fill-in version below to type straight into it and copy, print or download the result.
1. Buyer stages and seller actions
Write what your buyers actually do at each stage. The days column is your own median, not a target.
| Buyer stage | What the buyer is doing | What the seller does | Stall signals | What speeds it up | Your median days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Problem recognised | Notices a cost, risk or missed goal | Outbound reaches them with a relevant reason to talk | No one owns the problem | A trigger: new leader, deadline, incident | Days |
| 2. Exploring options | Researching approaches, talking to peers and vendors | First meeting and discovery | Only gathering information, no date in mind | Agreeing what happens if they do nothing | Days |
| 3. Evaluating a shortlist | Comparing vendors against criteria | Demo, workshop, references, business case | New stakeholders appear late | Mapping every stakeholder early | Days |
| 4. Approval | Building internal agreement and budget | Help the champion write the case | Champion goes quiet, budget meeting moved | Mutual plan with dates and owners | Days |
| 5. Contract | Procurement, legal, security review | Paperwork, terms, questionnaires | Legal review not started | Sending terms and security answers early | Days |
| 6. Implementation | Onboarding and first value | Handover to delivery | No kick-off date | Kick-off agreed before signature | Days |
2. Sales cycle length tracker
Use closed won deals from the last two to four quarters. Split by segment if deal sizes vary a lot.
| Segment | Deals closed won | Median days, first meeting to qualified | Median days, qualified to closed won | Total median days |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Segment 1 | Number | Days | Days | Days |
| Segment 2 | Number | Days | Days | Days |
| All deals | Number | Days | Days | Days |
3. Cycle review
| Field | What to write |
|---|---|
| Slowest stage | The stage with the longest median days or the most deals stuck past it. |
| Why deals stall there | Look at the last five deals that stalled. Was it a missing stakeholder, no reason to act, or paperwork? |
| What we will change | One change to the process or the qualification criteria, with an owner and a review date. |
Fill it in online
Type into the template, or load the worked example and edit it. Nothing you enter is stored or sent anywhere: it stays in this browser tab until you copy, download or print it.
Empty fields copy as {{placeholders}} so you can see what is left to fill in.
Formulas
How to measure the cycle. Medians are usually more honest than averages, because one deal that took a year drags the average out.
| Metric | Formula | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Sales cycle length | Close date minus opportunity created date, for closed won deals | Report the median as well as the average. |
| Outbound cycle length | Close date minus first meeting held date | Shows the full time from an SDR-booked meeting to revenue. |
| Days in stage | Date left stage minus date entered stage | Find the slowest stage. |
| Sales velocity | (Opportunities x win rate x average deal size) / cycle length in days | Shortening the cycle lifts velocity as much as raising win rate. |
Worked example
An Australian B2B company using outsourced SDRs. The company is described, not named, and the figures are illustrative.
Worked example: a Sydney HR software company
A Sydney company sells learning and compliance software to Australian employers with 200 to 2,000 staff. An outsourced SDR team books first meetings with heads of people and learning. The AEs felt deals were taking longer, so they measured the cycle across the last three quarters.
The day counts are illustrative.
1. Buyer stages and seller actions
| Buyer stage | What the buyer is doing | What the seller does | Stall signals | What speeds it up | Your median days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Problem recognised | Audit finding or compliance deadline | SDR calls with the deadline as the reason | Problem owned by nobody | Named compliance date | Not measured |
| 2. Exploring options | Talking to two or three vendors | First meeting and discovery | No date to act | Cost of a failed audit agreed | 12 |
| 3. Evaluating a shortlist | Demo with HR and IT | Demo and a sandbox trial | IT security joins late | IT invited to the demo | 18 |
| 4. Approval | Head of people asks finance | Business case support | Budget meeting moved twice | Mutual plan with finance date | 34 |
| 5. Contract | Procurement and security questionnaire | Questionnaire and terms | Legal not started | Terms sent with the proposal | 21 |
| 6. Implementation | Rollout to staff | Kick-off with success team | No kick-off date | Kick-off booked at signature | Not counted |
2. Sales cycle length tracker
| Segment | Deals closed won | Median days, first meeting to qualified | Median days, qualified to closed won | Total median days |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 200 to 500 staff | 14 | 9 | 61 | 70 |
| 500 to 2,000 staff | 8 | 13 | 102 | 115 |
| All deals | 22 | 10 | 74 | 84 |
3. Cycle review
- Slowest stage
- Approval, with a median of 34 days. Contract was second at 21 days.
- Why deals stall there
- In four of the last five stalled deals, finance was first involved after the proposal. The people leader had not built a business case.
- What we will change
- From now on, AEs ask in discovery who signs off spend over the threshold and offer a short business case template before the demo. Review in one quarter.
What to notice
- The overall median of 84 days hid a big difference by size. Larger employers took 115 days, so the plan now uses separate cycle lengths for each segment.
- Sending contract terms and security answers with the proposal is a cheap fix that took days off stage 5.
How to use it, step by step
- Write the buyer's stages. Use your last ten won deals and describe what the buyer did, in their words, at each stage.
- Match seller actions to buyer stages. For each buyer stage, write what your team does to help the buyer move on.
- List the stall signals. What did you see in stalled deals before they stalled? Those are your early warnings.
- Pick a start point and measure. Opportunity created or first meeting held. Pull closed won deals and calculate median days in total and by stage.
- Split by segment. If deal sizes or buyer types differ, measure each separately. One average hides the differences.
- Fix the slowest stage. Choose one change, assign it, and measure the same stage again next quarter.
Common mistakes
Using averages only
One very long deal distorts the average. Report the median as well.
Pushing at the end
Discounts in the last week rarely fix a long cycle. The cause is usually in qualification or approval.
Ignoring the buyer's calendar
Financial year end, board meetings and budget cycles set the pace. Ask about them in discovery.
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FAQ
Sales cycle stages template questions
Straight answers from the team that runs outbound for Australian B2B companies.
Still have questions?
Book a 30-minute callFrom the buyer's side: problem recognised, exploring options, evaluating a shortlist, approval, contract and implementation. Your sales process and pipeline stages should map onto them.
For each closed won deal, subtract the opportunity created date from the close date, then take the median and the average. Outbound teams often also measure from the first meeting held.
It depends on deal size, buyer and how many people are involved. Measure your own from closed won deals, split by segment, rather than relying on a general figure.
Find the slowest stage first. Common fixes are involving the real approver earlier, agreeing a mutual plan with dates, and sending contract terms and security answers with the proposal.
Often. Many Australian buyers set budgets for the year starting 1 July, so deals that need new budget can speed up before June or wait until July. Ask about budget timing in discovery.
The sales cycle is the buyer's journey and its length. The sales process is the steps your team takes. Map one onto the other so every seller action moves the buyer forward.
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