The objective is common in B2B Sales: we need to close more deals in less time. The approach to get there is often common as well. A focussed improvement effort on how they can close a deal faster. They calculate the average number of days it takes to win a deal, and, then try to determine which bottlenecks can be removed to go faster.

Surprisingly, the real value is often not in the average days to win, but in the average days to lose: the Salesreps inability to kill their darlings. The average days it takes to lose a deal is often high, sometimes even higher than the average days to win.

What if the time spend on losing deals can be reallocated to deals they can win? The impact of increased focus on these winners can be tremendous. Have you checked your average days to lose a deal? What’s your improvement potential?