Shortening sales cycles: where in the process the time goes

In short

Measure the waiting times between steps first, not the total duration — that is where most of it sits.
Five points typically cost the most time, and three of them are in your own house.
The most effective measure is agreeing the next step with a date at the end of every conversation.
Pressure does not shorten but lengthen — it produces avoidance rather than decisions.

First measure where the time sits

The total duration says nothing about where you can act. It only becomes useful once the time between the individual steps is visible.

Section	What gets measured	Who is waiting
Enquiry to first contact	hours to days	you
First contact to first conversation	days	both
First conversation to proposal	days to weeks	you
Proposal to response	weeks	the customer
Response to close	days to weeks	both

Across twenty completed cases from the last year, that breakdown is enough to see where the time is actually spent. In most cases the three largest items are not where you would assume.

Worth knowing

The largest single loss of time nearly always sits between the first conversation and the proposal — so entirely in your own house. One to three weeks often pass between the conversation and the proposal going out, filled with internal coordination and waiting for someone else's input.

The customer is not idle during that time: they gather comparative quotes, talk internally, and the initial interest loses urgency. A proposal arriving three days after the conversation meets a different situation from one arriving after three weeks — even if it is identical in content.

The five points and what works at each

1. Responding to the enquiry

Loses: hours to days. Works: an immediate acknowledgement with a stated time, a call back within one working day, a fixed owner with a stand-in rule.

Effort: 4 hours, once

2. Finding a time

Loses: 3 to 10 days. Works: two specific proposed times in the first contact instead of "when suits you?" — or a booking link.

Effort: 1 hour

3. Producing the proposal

Loses: 1 to 3 weeks. Works: a proposal template with prepared building blocks, a fixed deadline of three working days, and gathering every necessary detail during the conversation.

Effort: 1 day, once

4. The customer's decision phase

Loses: weeks. Works: asking about the decision path during the conversation and agreeing the next step with a date — not following up with no appointment.

Effort: none, just a question

5. Formalities

Loses: days to weeks. Works: providing contract documents and data protection details up front rather than after the yes — they then run in parallel with the decision.

Effort: 2 hours, once

The one question

The most effective single measure costs nothing: at the end of every conversation, the next step gets agreed with a date.

Not "I will be in touch", but: "I will send the proposal by Thursday. Does it suit you if we have a short call about it on Tuesday?" That puts an appointment in both sides' calendars — and nobody has to follow up, because the next contact is already agreed.

Tip The second useful question in a first conversation is: "Who has to agree at your end, and how does that work with you?" The answer reveals whether a decision is possible in two weeks or in two quarters — and both are usable information, unlike an assumption.

From practice

Trying to shorten the cycle through pressure — time-limited offers, more frequent follow-ups — regularly has the opposite effect. Anyone feeling pushed evades, and a clear answer turns into "I will get back to you".

What actually shortens it is relief: taking off the customer the work standing between them and the decision. The internal summary they can pass on; the answer to the question their boss will ask; the contract documents already reviewed. The cycle shortens when you take on work, not when you create pressure.

Prompt

Help me find out where the time goes in our sales process.

Our recent cases (per row: date of enquiry, date of first
contact, date of first conversation, date of proposal, date of
response, date of close or rejection):
[paste table]

In addition:
- How proposals come about with us: [description]
- Who has to contribute internally: [roles]
- Do we ask about the decision path in the first conversation?
  [yes/no]
- Do we agree an appointment at the end of a conversation?
  [yes/no]

Tasks:
1. Work out the median duration per section and show which three
   sections consume the most time.
2. For each of those three, tell me whether the waiting time sits
   with us or with the customer.
3. Name per section the concrete measure with the best ratio of
   effort to effect.
4. Phrase two questions for our first conversation: one on the
   decision path, one on agreeing a next appointment at the end.
5. Name what work we could take off the customer so their
   internal decision runs faster.

Do not invent durations. Where data is missing, say which.

In closing

Measure first where the time sits — usually not where you would assume. In most cases the largest items are in your own house: between enquiry and response, between conversation and proposal.

And the most effective measure costs nothing: agree the next step with a date at the end of every conversation. Everything beyond that is relief for the customer — not pressure on them.

Common questions

How do you shorten a sales cycle?

By first measuring where the time is actually spent — the waiting times between steps, not the total duration. As a rule the largest items are in your own house: between enquiry and response, and between the first conversation and the proposal.

Where does most of the time go?

Nearly always between the first conversation and the proposal — often one to three weeks, filled with internal coordination. The customer is not idle during that time: they gather comparative quotes, and the initial interest loses urgency.

What is the most effective single measure?

Agreeing the next step with a date at the end of every conversation — not "I will be in touch" but a specific time for the next contact. The appointment then sits in both calendars, and nobody has to follow up.

Does building pressure help?

No, it regularly has the opposite effect. Anyone feeling pushed evades, and a clear answer turns into a postponement. What shortens it is relief: taking off the customer the work standing between them and the decision — a summary they can pass on, reviewed contract documents, the answer to their manager's question.

Which question should you ask in a first conversation?

"Who has to agree at your end, and how does that work?" The answer shows whether a decision is possible in two weeks or in two quarters. Both are usable information — unlike an assumption, which the entire plan otherwise rests on.

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