What is Deal Slippage?
Deal Slippage is a core concept in modern B2B revenue. Here is a clear, accurate definition, why it matters, and how Ardovo handles it.
Short answer
Deal slippage is when an opportunity fails to close by its expected date and pushes into a later period. Chronic slippage wrecks forecast accuracy and signals qualification or process problems. Tracking slippage rate, the share of deals that move their close date, is a core forecasting discipline.
Key takeaways
- A deal's close date pushing from one period into the next.
- Chronic slippage destroys forecast accuracy.
- Often caused by weak qualification or missing decision-maker access.
- Slippage rate is a key metric to track and reduce.
Why it matters
A forecast is only as good as its close dates. If deals routinely slip, leadership plans hiring and spending on revenue that never arrives on time.
How Ardovo handles it
Ardovo tracks how often each rep's deals slip and why, and Rook warns before a close date when a deal shows no recent buyer activity, giving reps time to re-engage or re-date honestly.
Frequently asked questions
What causes deals to slip?
Unconfirmed decision makers, no compelling event, missing budget approval, and optimistic close dates set to please a manager. Most slippage traces back to weak qualification earlier in the cycle.
How do you reduce slippage?
Qualify for a compelling event and real timeline, build a mutual action plan, multithread to the economic buyer, and set close dates from the actual cycle length rather than hope.