How to calculate Sales Cycle Length
Sales cycle length is the average number of days between creating a deal and winning it. It tells you how long revenue takes to arrive.
Formula
Sales cycle length = average of (close date − created date) for won dealsSQL query
This example assumes: deals(id, stage, amount, created_at, closed_at). It is written in PostgreSQL syntax; date functions differ slightly in MySQL, BigQuery and SQLite, and your column names will differ from these.
SELECT AVG(closed_at::date - created_at::date) AS avg_days_to_close
FROM deals
WHERE stage = 'won'
AND closed_at >= DATE '2026-01-01';Common mistakes that make Sales Cycle Length wrong
- Averaging only won deals hides how long lost deals dragged on; report both if the gap matters.
- A few very long deals pull the average up; the median is often more representative.
- Deals re-opened and re-created reset the clock, so the cycle looks shorter than it was.
Ask for Sales Cycle Length in plain English
Instead of writing the query yourself, you can type the question. SchemaChat turns it into SQL against your connected database or uploaded file, runs it, and shows the SQL and the figures it used so you can check the answer before you share it. It does not replace your judgement about the definition: check that the query matches the formula your business uses.
- What is our average sales cycle for won deals this year?
- How does sales cycle length differ by deal size band?