Data-backed insights from 939 B2B companies (Q1-Q3 2025)
B2B win rate by sales stage averages: Discovery 40% → Qualification 55% → Proposal 70% → Negotiation 85% → Closed-Won. Stage-to-stage conversion varies by segment: SMB progresses faster (75% avg), Enterprise slower (55% avg). Biggest drop-off: Qualification to Proposal (-20pt). Top performers maintain 80%+ stage progression through strict qualification (MEDDIC/BANT). Pipeline velocity improves 35% with clear stage criteria. Source: Optifai Sales Ops Benchmark 2025 (N=939 companies, Q1-Q3 2025)
100 deals → 40 deals to next stage
40%
progression rate
40 deals → 22 deals to next stage
55%
progression rate
22 deals → 15 deals to next stage
70%
progression rate
15 deals → 13 deals to next stage
85%
progression rate
13 deals → 13 deals to next stage
100%
progression rate
Overall win rate: Starting with 100 Discovery deals, only 13 close (13% overall win rate). This accounts for deals lost at every stage, not just final close rate.
Poor fit, no budget, not decision-maker, tire-kickers
40%
progress
Biggest drop-off stage. Requirements unclear, no urgency, went dark
55%
progress
Price objections, competitor chosen, internal champion lost
70%
progress
Last-minute blockers, legal issues, budget frozen
85%
progress
Biggest leak: Qualification → Proposal (55% conversion). This is where most deals die. Improve with better discovery, MEDDIC qualification, and champion validation.
75%
avg progression
Discovery
50%
Qualification
70%
Proposal
80%
Negotiation
90%
Faster decisions. Fewer stakeholders. Shorter eval cycles.
63%
avg progression
Discovery
40%
Qualification
55%
Proposal
70%
Negotiation
85%
Industry average. Multiple stakeholders. Formal evaluation process.
55%
avg progression
Discovery
30%
Qualification
45%
Proposal
60%
Negotiation
80%
Lengthy evaluation. Many decision-makers. Complex procurement.
Top 10% of sales teams maintain 80%+ stage-to-stage progression rates by following these practices:
Only advance qualified deals
Weed out 40% of bad-fit deals at Discovery. Higher downstream conversion.
Checklist to advance
Rep can't move to Proposal until champion confirmed, budget approved, etc.
3+ stakeholders engaged
Avoid single-threaded deals. Engage champion + economic buyer + end users.
Co-created with buyer
Agree on timeline, steps, decision criteria. Reduce ghosting by 65%.
Test champion's influence
Ask: "If you recommend us, what happens?" Validate true champion.
Alert if deal stalls
Deals stuck 10+ days trigger manager intervention. Prevent pipeline rot.
Problem: No real need or urgency
Fix: Ask: "What happens if you don't solve this?" Quantify pain. Create urgency.
Problem: No champion or budget
Fix: Validate champion. Ask: "Is budget approved?" Don't waste time on unfunded deals.
Problem: Missing stakeholders
Fix: Before sending proposal: "Who else needs to see this?" Present to full buying committee.
Problem: Unexpected objections
Fix: Use MEDDIC Decision Criteria. Agree on evaluation criteria early to avoid surprises.
Deals spend different amounts of time in each stage. Tracking stage velocity helps identify bottlenecks:
If > 21 days: Poor qualification. Reps chasing unqualified leads.
If > 30 days: Missing info. Unclear decision process. No urgency.
If > 25 days: Ghosting. Competitor evaluation. Lost champion.
If > 20 days: Red flag. Legal review, procurement delays, budget freeze.
Total average sales cycle: 12 + 18 + 15 + 10 = 55 days (Discovery to Close). Deals that exceed stage benchmarks are 3x more likely to be lost.
This analysis is based on CRM pipeline data from 939 B2B companies tracking stage progression between Q1-Q3 2025. Win rate is calculated as deals advancing to next stage divided by total deals entering current stage. Stage names standardized across different CRM systems.
Data sources: CRM systems (Salesforce, HubSpot, Pipedrive), sales analytics platforms, and industry reports (SaaStr, Pavilion benchmarks).
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