How to Shorten the Sales Cycle: 20 Strategies to Streamline the Sales Process

Selling a specific product or service generates the same revenue whether the sale takes 30 days or 90—but the longer it takes, the more it costs. Some costs, such as salaries and support, are directly tied to the sales process. Others come from lost opportunities, as salespeople keep engaging with the same prospects instead of pursuing new ones. Slower sales cycles limit revenue and inhibit growth; over time, this situation becomes unsustainable. And yet, despite advances in technology, many sales cycles continue to get longer. In a study by RAIN Group, 43% of sales leaders report that sales cycle times have increased; only 16% say they’ve shortened. That trend can be reversed: Proven tactics exist to accelerate the sales cycle and boost sales.

What Is the Sales Cycle?

A sales cycle is the series of steps a salesperson takes to convert a prospect into a paying customer. Sales cycles can be—and, too often, are—haphazard, but they shouldn’t be. Effective sales cycles are orderly, predictable, and replicable, executed repeatedly to yield sales as efficiently as possible.

If that suggests that there’s a single, ideal sales cycle waiting to be implemented…well, no. The optimal sales cycle depends on the industry, target audience, product or service complexity, sales strategy, and other factors. Each business must tailor its process to its unique needs. It’s not surprising, then, that there is no consensus on how many stages a sales cycle “should” have. Some argue as few as three, others claim as many as 10.

While the number of stages varies, all sales cycles share key processes: identifying prospects, qualifying and nurturing leads, overcoming objections, and closing the deal. Each of these stages takes time. How much time depends on several factors, such as product complexity and price. Some short sales cycles wrap up in days; most take a few weeks. Long cycles last at least six months and some stretch beyond two years.

Within those ranges, companies can (and should) tighten their sales cycles as much as possible to drive revenue and growth.

Key Takeaways

• Effective sales cycles are executed repeatedly to yield sales as efficiently as possible.
• Shortening the sales cycle benefits more than the bottom line. It also improves cash flow, makes it easier to forecast, and optimizes the use of resources.
• A shorter sales cycle is an inevitable result of building a sales process on a foundation of efficiency, alignment, and engagement.
• Technology is a linchpin in any effective sales cycle because it automates routine tasks.

What Are the Benefits of Shortening the Sales Cycle?

Common sense tells us that the faster a prospect becomes a buyer the better: The less time and fewer resources used to generate revenue, the more efficient and, therefore, more profitable a business. But because sales is a complex process, a shorter sales cycle does more than boost the bottom line; it offers additional, nuanced benefits across the organization, such as:

• Enhances cash flow: The faster a sale closes, the sooner a business has cash in hand. Faster access to cash helps companies grow and maintain financial stability by reducing reliance on credit. This makes it easier to manage budgets and provides more working capital. It also improves cash flow analysis by making revenue timing more predictable.
• Ensures a consistent buyer experience: A shorter sales cycle stems from a highly structured process—one that keeps the salesperson in control. Without it, the buyer dictates the pace, leading to inconsistent experiences. A refined, systematic process benefits buyers through clear expectations, greater personalization, faster responses to their needs, and reduced buyer fatigue.
• Helps qualify leads: Too often, salespeople keep working with a prospect who will never become a buyer. That results in sales that not only collapse late in the process but waste a lot of time. A shortened sale cycle encourages salespeople to fully qualify leads early, ensuring that they’ll be focusing on prospects with real potential.
• Improves resource allocation: Shorter sales cycles naturally optimize how time, money, and effort are spent. By reducing the time needed for each sale, salespeople can close more deals within the same time frame; it’s a classic example of getting more from existing resources. Faster cycles can also improve coordination between departments (such as sales and customer service), spurring more efficient use of shared resources.
• Improves forecasting: An undisciplined sales process makes revenue forecasting, cash flow forecasting, and, sometimes, even product forecasting difficult, because every sale follows a different trajectory. A shorter, structured sales process provides predictable timelines, clearer milestones, faster feedback from prospects, and more frequent updates from the sales team—all of which supports more accurate, informed forecasts.
• Reduces sales costs: Cutting a sales cycle from six months to three doesn’t just close deals faster, it reduces costs on every deal. Shorter cycles save on salaries, marketing materials, and usage fees for customer relationship management (CRM) systems. They also allow companies to allocate fixed costs (such as rent, utilities, technology, and administrative support) across a higher volume of revenue.

Strategies to Shorten the Sales Cycle

Shortening a sales cycle isn’t really about saving time, per se. Simply compressing a chaotic six-month process into three months is more apt to result in greater chaos and fewer sales. Instead, the goal is to build a sales process upon a foundation of efficiency, alignment, and engagement, where saving time becomes an inevitable outcome. Here’s how to do that.

1. Demonstrate Your Value Early in the Relationship

Selling on price is a losing strategy. Even having the lowest price doesn’t guarantee customer satisfaction or loyalty. It also doesn’t foster engagement; if the prospect doesn’t like the price, the conversation ends. Selling value, however, drives engagement and builds long-term relationships. Value is established by speaking to the prospect’s needs, differentiating how those needs will be met, and proving a track record of success.

Setting a tone of trust and engagement early in the sales process captures and holds prospects’ attention. One way to do this is by sharing relevant insights, such as industry reports, white papers, or case studies that can be used to help prospects make knowledgeable decisions. This not only reinforces the sales representative’s expertise but also accelerates the sales cycle because prospects who see a clear solution to their problem are more likely to keep moving through the pipeline. And, by demonstrating a commitment to solving the prospect’s problem (not just getting a contract signed), you foster stronger, long-term relationships.

2. Make Sure You’re Speaking With the Right Person

No matter how engaged a prospect is, pitching to someone without the authority or budget (or both) to buy is a waste of time. Worse still is making that discovery late in the sales process and having to start over with someone else. It pays to properly qualify a prospect (or prospects) at the outset.

Increasingly, purchase decisions involve multiple stakeholders. For example, Inbox Insight reports that more than 80% of B2B technology purchases involve four or more decision-makers. Engaging all decision-makers simultaneously whenever possible—a practice known as multithreading—can keep the process moving efficiently and prevent roadblocks down the line.

3. Plan Sales Conversations Before You Have Them

Sales conversations are only successful if at least some objectives have been met, and objectives can only be met if they are clearly defined. Ditch spontaneity in favor of planning every conversation. Smart plans are best built around five questions:

• What is the goal for this prospect?
• What is the goal for this meeting?
• Going in, what are our strengths?
• Going in, what are our vulnerabilities?
• Based on the answers, what’s the next step?

In short, salespeople should begin every conversation with a clear idea of what’s needed to keep the buying process moving forward.

4. Address Any Potential Requirements the Customer Has ASAP

If a prospect has any deal-breaking requirements, it’s best to know them from the outset. When the product or service offered can’t meet those requirements, the salesperson can respectfully bow out, saving time for both parties.

When the product or service does meet the requirements, addressing them early strengthens credibility, prevents misunderstandings, and eliminates false assumptions. It also stops competitors from stepping in to meet the prospect’s needs first.

5. Uncover and Address Objections Often

Although many salespeople dread objections, they can actually help the sales process. They’re proof that a prospect is engaged. Disengaged prospects won’t raise objections, leaving salespeople unaware of what’s standing in the way of the sale. When obstacles are clear, salespeople can address them and keep the sales process moving forward. Aim to pursue and address objections early in the process.

6. Thoroughly Understand Objections Before Handling

In their eagerness to overcome objections, salespeople sometimes react before fully understanding what problem they’re trying to solve. Suppose, for example, that a prospect expresses concern about pricing. An unskilled salesperson might immediately counter with reassurances that the product is competitively priced—a response that assumes the prospect is hesitant about the overall price. But if the real concern is financing terms, hidden fees, or payment structure, that response misses the mark.

Savvier salespeople dig deeper. They might say, “I hear your concern about pricing. Would you mind sharing what specifically worries you? Is it the overall cost, how the pricing is structured, or something else?” Probing further ensures that the real obstacle is addressed, not the salesperson’s original assumption.

7. Ensure Your Pricing Process Is Transparent

Anyone who has ever balked at undisclosed fees knows that buyers don’t like surprises. Bobbing and weaving about pricing doesn’t just frustrate prospects, it can stall or even derail the sales process. Lack of pricing clarity opens the door to last-minute objections, erodes the prospect’s trust, and makes the deal harder to close.

8. Tailor the Sales Experience to Each Customer

A guy who uses the same pickup line on every potential date is a running gag in countless movies and sitcoms—it’s funny because it doesn’t work. The same is true in sales. Even if prospects share the same problem, they may be looking at it from different perspectives.

A training director, for instance, wants to understand what employees need to learn to use a new system, while a finance leader is more interested in the system’s ROI. Learning styles also vary. The trainer may want a visual presentation highlighting key points, while the CFO prefers an itemized report. Ignoring those differences by offering a one-size-fits-all presentation slows the sales process.

9. Address the Pain Points of Each Stakeholder

Every prospect is different, and so are their pain points. While a procurement manager wants to be sure that she can live with the contract terms, the operations director wants to confirm that the new system is easy to use and won’t generate complaints. To keep the sales process flowing smoothly, the salesperson must address each stakeholder’s specific concerns.

10. Align With Your Marketing Team on Talking Points

Mixed messages—even seemingly minor ones—can slow the sales process. Imagine a prospect who finds survey results on a company’s website claiming its automation boosts productivity by 40%. Excited, the prospect makes an inquiry, only to hear the salesperson state that it improves productivity by 36%. Now, the prospect wonders which stat is correct, or whether the survey is even real. The discrepancy sows doubt, and doubt sows delay.

Of course, alignment goes both ways. While marketing should make sure its sales counterpart is equipped with the right messaging, sales teams should provide real-world feedback on what resonates with prospects. Regular collaboration helps refine positioning and eliminate inconsistencies to ultimately build trust with buyers.

11. Map Where the Prospect Is Using a Qualifying Framework

Is it productive for a salesperson to spend an hour with a prospect who’s mildly interested and may not have a budget? Possibly, if mild interest grows to enthusiasm and eventually a sale. But that same hour is probably better spent engaging with three prospects who are actively seeking a solution and have known budgets.

Enter qualifying frameworks, such as lead scoring, BANT (budget, authority, need, timeline), CHAMP (challenges, authority, money, prioritization), and the buying funnel. These qualifying approaches are used to rank and prioritize prospects based on the likelihood of their becoming customers. Though specific criteria for each framework can vary from one company to another, all focus on key factors, such as budget, decision-making authority, and readiness to buy. Understanding these factors can help salespeople shorten the sales cycle by enabling them to focus their energy on those most likely to buy.

12. Build Rapport by Being Authentic

When someone “comes across as a salesperson,” it’s rarely intended as a compliment. In that context, “salesperson” is shorthand for loud, pushy, and overly confident—in other words, inauthentic. Serious prospects don’t want a performance; they want a conversation. And conversations typically flow from trust, which is best established by authenticity. Sales bravado might land a meeting, but that meeting will be just the start of a long, uphill battle to earn real trust.

13. Use Social Proof

Social media influences everything—the popularity of specific travel destinations, decisions at the voting booth, even B2B purchases. It makes sense: B2B buying decisions are often public within companies, exposing the decision-maker to criticism—or even career damage—if things don’t work out. That’s why evidence of past success, known in marketing circles as “social proof,” is often seen as a bulwark against disaster. Social proof takes several forms, including customer testimonials, reviews and ratings, case studies, and trust badges, all of which help reassure prospects that they’re making the right choice.

14. Respond to Inquiries Promptly

By definition, an inquiry comes from a prospect who is actively engaged. Every hour a lead languishes extends the sales process an hour longer than it needs to be. Worse, it gives the prospect time (and motive) to hunt for other solutions. Responding promptly not only keeps the sales process moving but also builds trust and positions the salesperson as an invested ally.

15. Incentivize the Purchase

Even actively engaged prospects may not feel urgency to move toward a “yes.” Often, there are reasons for taking it slowly: other job demands, peer pressure to make the right choice, internal approval processes, and so on. And there are rarely incentives to speed up the process.

That’s where strategic incentives come in. Offering perks (such as a limited-time discount, favorable payment terms, or additional features) can create that favorable sense of urgency. Often, that urgency then becomes the tipping point for prospects who are on the fence, dragging their heels, or trying to find the energy to fight for a higher-up’s approval.

16. Advance the Sale Through Incremental Closing

Getting a prospect to say yes to one giant ask at the end of the sales process is much tougher than securing a series of small commitments along the way. That’s why skilled salespeople approach sales as a series of incremental closings. To do that, they set themselves clear goals for each conversation.

These goals should serve the salesperson, the prospect, and the process. For example, an early goal might be to obtain the contact’s direct contact information to make communication easier. The next might be securing the participation of another stakeholder. And so on. Each small commitment nurtures engagement, builds a habit of saying yes, and yields valuable information that can be used to propel the sale.

17. Keep Your Contact Lists Up to Date

If the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over while expecting different results, then chasing cold prospects fits that definition. Yet, many salespeople never take the time to clean up their contact lists. Instead, they keep reaching out to prospects who have never responded, who disengaged after expressing initial interest, or who have unsubscribed to emails. Every minute spent chasing dead leads is a minute not spent moving active leads farther down the funnel. Up-to-date contact lists can make sure effort is being expended where it’s most likely to pay off.

18. Make Closing the Deal Easy

Once a prospect decides to buy, the last thing anyone wants is a complicated purchasing process. And yet, it often is.

One common deal-breaker is forcing the client to make an all-or-nothing choice—to either commit to the entire half-million-dollar purchase or walk away empty-handed. A better approach is to offer a smaller entry point to prove value, such as an assessment, consulting session, or pilot program. Another obstacle may be confusion about exactly what must be done to finalize the deal; that’s easily resolved by itemizing the steps. Finally, there’s the contract itself. No salesperson should waste time setting up an in-person signing meeting when electronic document services make it easy for buyers to sign anytime, anywhere.

19. Manage Expectations Through Post-Sale

For an ice cream truck, a sale ends the moment the customer walks away. Not so in B2B sales. Done well, a B2B purchase should be only the beginning of a long, fruitful, and mutually beneficial relationship. But that relationship can unravel quickly if the buyer has post-sale questions and the salesperson is nowhere to be found.

Salespeople should be readily available to provide training, offer support, and help the buyer clear any hurdles. The onboarding period is also a great time to get candid feedback about the buying process. Those insights can be used to refine the process for the next buyer.

20. Leverage Technology to Automate Manual Tasks

Salespeople spend their time selling, right? Not necessarily. HubSpot’s 2024 report on sales trends revealed that the average salesperson spends less than two hours a day actually selling. The rest of the time is spent on administrative tasks, emails, and prospecting. That’s like spending only two hours of an eight-hour travel day actually driving somewhere and then wondering why the cross-country trip is taking so long. Inefficiency is inefficiency.

Fortunately, automating many tasks can free up major blocks of time that salespeople can use to sell. CRM software, for instance, can make it easier to track leads, make follow-up calls, and enter data about customers, while configure, price, quote (CPQ) software can speed up proposal generation and pricing approvals. Sales activities that can be automated include lead generation, lead scoring, scheduling, and even email outreach.

Close More Deals With CPQ Software

Automating lead scoring and email blasts are great time savers, but imagine the time that could be gained by automating complex sales proposals. Yes, that game changer is possible. NetSuite CPQ is a powerful tool that lets salespeople easily configure, price, and quote even complex products with multiple configurations or variations. NetSuite CPQ further automates the transition from sales to delivery by generating bills of material (BOM), routings, and work orders.

Because NetSuite CPQ fully integrates with other NetSuite tools, including NetSuite’s Enterprise Resource Planning, CRM, and ecommerce solutions, it builds proposals using pricing, inventory, and profitability data already in the system. That effectively makes every salesperson an expert capable of producing error-free proposals in any sales channel.

Sales will always take time. Using that time can be undisciplined, largely controlled by the prospect, and costly. Or it can be used carefully, following a proven process that’s efficient and drives sales. A disciplined process is essential for companies focused on long-term growth and sustainability.

Sales Cycle FAQs

How long is a typical sales cycle?

Several factors influence how long it takes to make a sale, such as industry, product complexity, and price. Generally, high-ticket sales take longer (from months to years), while smaller, simpler sales may be completed in 30 days or less. Given these variations, companies may want to benchmark sales of similar products in their industry.

How do you deal with a slow sales cycle?

There’s no single sales process available to energize a sluggish sales process. Boosting efficiency demands well-considered adjustments to the sales process, aimed at streamlining the process, increasing prospects’ engagement, and eliminating bottlenecks.

How can I enhance my sales process?

Complex processes are best optimized by separating them into their component parts and then optimizing each of those parts. For sales, those components include:

• Clearly defining the sales process
• Creating profiles of ideal customers
• Leveraging technology
• Personalizing communication with prospects
• Ensuring that salespeople have the resources they need
• Improving the qualification of leads
• Strengthening relationship-building skills
• Creating superior sales content
• Monitoring key performance metrics
• Regularly reviewing and refining the sales process

Is there a best day to close a deal?

Because there are so many variables in sales, there is no widely experienced “best” day for finalizing sales. That said, some salespeople have observed that they are more likely to close sales midweek (when people are most focused on work) and at the end of the month or quarter.