What is Slippage Rate?
Slippage rate quantifies a forecast's biggest hidden enemy: deals that keep sliding to next period. A high rate means your close dates are fiction.
Because it is measurable per rep, it turns a systemic accuracy problem into a specific coaching target.
Short answer
Slippage rate is the share of deals whose close date pushes out of the period they were forecast to close in. If 20 of 100 forecast deals slip to a later period, the slippage rate is 20 percent. Measuring it per rep and segment reveals whether close dates are being set honestly or optimistically, and chronic slippage destroys forecast accuracy.
Key takeaways
- Percentage of deals whose close date moves out of period.
- Directly undermines forecast accuracy.
- Measured per rep and segment to find the cause.
- Chronic slippage signals weak qualification or optimistic dating.
Why it matters
A forecast is only as good as its close dates. If a rep's deals routinely slip, leadership plans on revenue that never arrives on time. Slippage rate makes that pattern visible so it can be coached.
How Ardovo handles it
Ardovo tracks slippage rate per rep and segment, and Rook warns before a close date when a deal shows no recent buyer activity, giving reps a chance to re-engage or re-date honestly before the slip happens.
Frequently asked questions
How do you calculate slippage rate?
Divide the number of deals whose close date moved out of the expected period by the total number forecast to close in that period. If 20 of 100 slip, the slippage rate is 20 percent.
What causes a high slippage rate?
Optimistic close dates set to the calendar rather than the buyer's process, missing compelling events, and weak qualification. Most slippage traces back to dates that were never grounded in the buyer's real timeline.
Why track slippage rate per rep?
Because it turns a systemic forecast problem into a specific coaching target. A rep whose deals chronically slip has a broken dating or qualification habit that data makes visible and coaching can fix.