Deal slippage is when a deal forecast to close in one period misses it and its close date moves into a later month or quarter.
What slip rate tells a leader
A slipped deal is still open, and the buyer may still be interested. Slip rate is the share of deals in commit that do not close in the period they were forecast for. A deal that slips once is common; a deal that moves period after period is a warning that nobody on the buyer's side is driving it.
For a benchmark, a Clari leader put the best teams at converting "around 80% of the deals that they have in commit". Timing matters too: a deal that slips on day 75 of a quarter does more damage than one that slips on day 30, because there is less time left to replace it. Tracking slip rate helps a leader plan around it. Each slip also has a cause on the deal itself, and it is usually a buyer step that never happened, often a signer who was never in the room. A moved close date is a cheap moment to find that step, because the deal is still alive.
The most useful question on a slipped deal is "Who on the buyer's side picked the new date?" If the answer is the rep, the new date is a guess and the deal will probably slip again. If the champion picked it after checking with finance or the signer, the date has an owner. In the rep's own words, the weak version is "They said end of month should work." The strong one is "Jordan checked with finance: approvals run every second Tuesday, so the 14th is the earliest they can sign."
Our deal risk guide lists the evidence to check, and how to qualify out a deal covers the repeat slippers that should leave the pipeline.
A close date that moves on day 70
On day 70 of the quarter, a rep moves a $55,000 deal from this month to next. Before the forecast call, the rep talks it through with Caty on a call. The date came from the champion; the buyer's finance team runs a two-week approval that nobody planned for. The rep plans a call with the champion to map the approval steps and agree a date both sides own, and books it for the next morning. (Illustrative example.)
- 01The date movesA $55,000 deal slips to next month
- 02Talk it through with the coachBefore the forecast call
- 03Find the missing buyer stepA two-week finance approval nobody planned for
- 04Book the champion callMap the approval, agree a date both sides own
Related terms
FAQ
How do you calculate slip rate?
Take the deals in commit at a fixed point in the period, count how many did not close by the end, and divide by the total. Measure from the same point every period, such as week two of the quarter, so the rate is comparable.
Why do deals slip?
Most slip because a buyer step was missing when the date was set: the person who signs had not agreed, procurement or legal had not started, or the date was the rep's estimate. Fewer slip because the buyer lost interest.
What should a manager do when a close date moves?
Ask what changed on the buyer's side and which step was missing, then plan the next conversation with the rep. If no buyer step explains it and the deal has moved more than once, test whether it should stay in the pipeline.