# Sales cycle length

> Canonical page: https://wayhatch.com/glossary/sales-cycle-length/
> Evidence label: Research evaluated. Definitions: https://wayhatch.com/about/evidence-labels/
> Updated: 26 October 2026 (2026-10-26). Publisher: wayhatch, wayhatchai@gmail.com

Sales cycle length is the time from an opportunity’s creation to its close, usually measured in days for won deals.

Cycle length sets how far ahead pipeline has to be built and how realistic each close date is. A deal open well beyond the usual cycle is a forecast risk, whatever its stage says.

Measure from opportunity creation date to closed-won date and report the median by segment, since a few long enterprise deals distort the average. Track time in each stage as well, to see where deals slow down.

Related terms: [Stage definitions](https://wayhatch.com/glossary/stage-definitions/), [Win rate](https://wayhatch.com/glossary/win-rate/), [Pipeline coverage](https://wayhatch.com/glossary/pipeline-coverage/)

Workflow: [Pipeline review and forecast hygiene](https://wayhatch.com/workflows/pipeline-review/)