Definition
Deal slippage is when opportunities expected to close in a period move out to a later period. It reduces forecast reliability and complicates capacity planning.
How to use it
- Track slippage rate by stage; late-stage slippage is especially costly.
- Slippage often signals weak qualification, procurement delays, or missing champions.
Why this matters
This term matters because small changes compound in SaaS metrics. Use consistent definitions by cohort and segment so you can diagnose retention, payback, and growth quality.
Practical checklist
- Write a 1-line definition for "Deal Slippage" that your team will use consistently.
- Keep the time window consistent (weekly/monthly/quarterly) when comparing trends.
- Segment results (channel/plan/cohort) before drawing big conclusions from blended averages.
- Sanity-check with a related calculator from the same category on MetricKit.
- Read the related guide (e.g., Sales ops metrics hub: quota, pipeline, win rate, and capacity planning) for context and common pitfalls.
Where to use this on MetricKit
Calculators
- Net New ARR Calculator: Calculate net new ARR from new, expansion, contraction, and churned ARR movements.
- ARR Waterfall Calculator: Build an ARR waterfall: starting ARR + new + expansion - contraction - churn = ending ARR.
- Burn Multiple Calculator: Calculate burn multiple: net burn / net new ARR (a growth efficiency metric).
- Unit Economics Calculator: Model CAC, payback, LTV, and LTV:CAC together from ARPA, gross margin, and churn.
- Bookings vs ARR Calculator: Compare bookings vs ARR (and cash) for a contract with term length and one-time fees.
Guides
- Sales ops metrics hub: quota, pipeline, win rate, and capacity planning: A practical hub for sales ops planning: quota attainment, pipeline coverage, required pipeline, sales capacity with ramp, and OTE math.
- Pipeline coverage and sales cycle math: set realistic targets (and avoid sandbagging): A practical guide to pipeline coverage: connect quota, win rate, sales cycle length, and CAC/payback constraints to set realistic growth targets.