How much of the work you pitch for do you actually win?
The share of proposals and qualified opportunities that turn into signed work. It shows how effective the sales process is, and makes the pipeline far more useful for planning.
Get a finance reviewOpportunities won ÷ (Opportunities won + Opportunities lost) × 100
Often 20% to 40% for qualified proposals in professional services, and higher for repeat clients and referrals.
The number or value of opportunities won, divided by the number or value of opportunities that reached a decision (won or lost) in the period. It is usually tracked by service, source of lead and size of opportunity.
Win rate turns pipeline value into a realistic forecast. It also shows where effort is wasted: a low win rate on a certain type of work or client usually means the business is pitching for the wrong things, pricing poorly or losing to a better offer. Improving win rate is often cheaper than generating more leads, and it frees time spent on proposals that were never likely to succeed.
Only count opportunities that reached a decision, and define what counts as qualified so the figure is not flattered by easy wins or diluted by speculative enquiries. Track it by value as well as by number. Record why deals are lost, since the reasons matter more than the rate. Review it quarterly, as small numbers can swing sharply month to month.
Most owner-managed businesses don't, or they work it out in a way that flatters the result. We'll calculate it from your own numbers and show you what it's telling you.
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