What is Deal Slippage?

The definition of deal slippage is a sales term used to describe opportunities that were forecasted to close within a specific time period but fail to do so and are pushed into a future date. Unlike lost deals, slipped deals remain in the pipeline but introduce uncertainty in revenue forecasting and pipeline accuracy. 

Deal slippage is common in B2B sales, where long sales cycles, multiple stakeholders, and complex approvals often delay decision-making. 

Instead of closing as expected, these deals require additional follow-up, renegotiation, or further stakeholder alignment, often stretching over weeks or months. Identifying and addressing slippage is critical for maintaining forecast reliability and attaining consistent revenue growth.

How to Identify and Track Deal Slippage

Tracking deal slippage begins with understanding your sales pipeline in real time. A deal is considered “slipped” when it was forecasted to close in a specific period, often a quarter, but is pushed to a later date without being closed or marked lost.

To identify slippage:

1. Monitor Close Dates: Compare current close dates with past forecasts. If a deal’s close date changes multiple times, it’s likely slipping.
   
2. Use CRM Deal Stages: Watch for deals that stagnate in later stages for longer than your average cycle.
   
3. Track Forecast Variance: A growing gap between committed pipeline and actuals often signals widespread slippage.

Tools to track deal slippage

Tools like Revenue.io can automate alerts when high-risk deals are pushed or delayed, allowing teams to act before the quarter ends.

Establish regular pipeline reviews where reps justify close dates with buyer signals (e.g., signed contracts, confirmed meetings). Tracking slippage helps sales leaders understand where deals get stuck and why, turning gut instincts into data-backed decisions.

Common Causes of Deal Slippage (And How to Prevent Them)

Deal slippage usually stems from a mix of external and internal factors that delay closing. Here are some of the most common causes, and how to prevent them:

1. Multiple Stakeholders:
   B2B deals often require approval from finance, legal, and procurement. Mitigate this by identifying decision-makers early and using mutual action plans.
2. Lack of Urgency:
   When prospects don’t feel pressure to act, timelines drift. Tie solutions to time-sensitive pain points or ROI deadlines.
3. Incomplete Discovery:
   If reps miss key objections or requirements, deals stall late in the sales funnel. Train reps to dig deeper during qualification.
4. Poor Forecast Discipline:
   Reps may overcommit or rely on wishful thinking. Use historical close rates and deal-stage data to set realistic expectations.
5. Admin Delays or Contract Hurdles:
   Legal red tape can hold up closing. Preempt issues by sharing documentation early and aligning legal stakeholders in advance.

Preventing slippage requires both better sales hygiene and tighter operational processes. 

Deal Slippage vs. Lost Deals: What’s the Difference?

Though often confused, deal slippage and lost deals are very different, and knowing the distinction is critical for sales forecasting and pipeline health.

Deal Slippage
A slipped deal hasn’t closed yet; it’s been delayed, not lost. The close date has been pushed into a future period, often due to extended decision-making, stakeholder delays, or procurement blockages.

Lost Deals
A lost deal is one where the buyer has explicitly said “no,” chosen a competitor, gone dark, or is no longer pursuing the purchase. It’s removed from the forecast and typically marked with a reason for loss.

Here’s why the distinction matters:

• Slippage affects forecast reliability.
  
• Lost deals affect win rates and postmortem analysis.

Treating slipped deals like closed-won opportunities distorts your pipeline. Treating them like lost deals may cause premature disengagement. The best practice? Create a separate “slipped” status in your CRM and revisit the deal with a refreshed engagement plan.

How Deal Slippage Impacts Sales Forecast Accuracy

Deal slippage is one of the top threats to accurate sales forecasting. When a deal expected to close in Q3 slips into Q4 (or further), it throws off revenue projections and can erode executive trust in your pipeline data.

Here’s how slippage hurts forecasting:

• Inflated Commit Forecasts: Deals count multiple times across periods, creating a false sense of progress.
  
• Missed Targets: Teams fall short of quota despite solid-looking pipelines.
  
• Erratic Revenue Flow: Revenue recognition becomes unpredictable, affecting budgeting and hiring.

Key Signals to Protect Sales Forecast

Slippage often signals underlying issues like misalignment with buyer timelines, poor qualification, or overconfident reps. It also suggests that deals were forecasted based on gut feeling, not verified buyer signals.

To protect forecast accuracy:

• Enforce strict rules for moving deals between stages.
  
• Review close-date changes weekly.
  
• Use tools like Revenue.io to flag risk patterns and auto-surface slippage across the team.

Accurate forecasting doesn’t mean predicting the future perfectly, it means managing risk and identifying patterns early. Addressing slippage is step one.