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Intermediate

What is win rate

Also known as: win ratio

Definition

Win rate is the share of decided deals that you won: won deals divided by won plus lost. Deals that are still open stay out until they are decided.

Why it matters

Win rate shows how well you do once a deal is on the table.

Common mistakes

Counting open deals in the total, which lowers the rate with deals that have not been decided yet.

Related terms

Worked exampleIllustration

Last quarter's 15 opportunities

Illustrative: a fictional renovation planning studio counts the opportunities it had last quarter.

  1. The quarter

    3 won, 9 lost and 3 still open.

    15

  2. Win rate

    Won divided by won plus lost. The open ones wait.

    3 ÷ (3 + 9) = 25%

  3. The trap

    Counting the open ones too gives a lower number, and it is wrong, because they have not been decided.

    3 ÷ 15 = 20%

  4. Small numbers

    With 12 decided deals, one more win or one more loss moves the rate by several points.

    4 ÷ 13 ≈ 31%, 3 ÷ 13 ≈ 23%

The open deals wait for next quarter's count.

Illustration

Open deals do not count yet

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  • Won: 3
  • Lost: 9
  • Open: 3

Win rate

3 ÷ (3 + 9) = 25%

Win rate 25%: 3 won out of 12 decided. Open deals: 3, and they wait until they are decided.

Tap an open deal to decide it: won, then lost, then open again.

The studio's 15 opportunities last quarter. Tap an open deal to decide it, or count the open ones too to see the trap.

Definition

Win rate is the percentage of your decided opportunities that you won in a given period: won deals divided by won plus lost deals. Count each deal in the period it was decided, not the period it was opened, and leave open deals out until they are decided. Close rate is a different measure. Salesforce defines it as won deals divided by all leads, so it answers a different question.

Why it matters

A falling rate can point to your price, a new competitor or proposals sent to people nobody checked. It also tells you how many opportunities you need: at 25% you decide about four for each one you win. No single number fits every business, so track your own, by quarter, and compare it with itself.

Directly related: Opportunity, Sales Velocity, Conversion Rate.

Formula

(Closed-Won Deals / Total Closed Deals) * 100

Improvement tips

  • Check need, decision, budget and timing before you send a proposal, so the proposals go to people who can buy.
  • Ask every lost customer one short question about why, and write the answer next to the deal. After ten answers you will see a pattern.
  • Track the rate by quarter and by type of work, because one number can hide a service that sells well next to one that does not.

Common mistakes

  • Mixing win rate with close rate. Win rate divides won deals by opportunities, close rate divides them by all leads, and the two tell different stories.
  • Assuming every lost deal was about price without asking the customer.

Related terms

SalesIntermediate

Opportunity

A sales opportunity is a qualified prospect in active talks, recorded as a deal with a value, a stage and a chance to close, which can be high or low.

SalesAdvanced

Sales Velocity

Sales velocity is the revenue your pipeline produces per day: open opportunities times average deal times win rate, divided by the cycle length in days.

MarketingBeginner

Conversion Rate

Conversion rate is the share of people who took the step you count, such as booking or buying, out of those who reached the stage before it, like clicks.

FinanceBeginner

ROI

ROI (return on investment) is a percentage showing what an investment earned net of its cost: the gain from it minus its cost, divided by the cost, times 100.

SalesBeginner

Lead

A lead is a person or business that showed interest in what you sell and left a way to reach them, such as a phone number, before you check if they can buy.

Quick check

How do you calculate win rate for a quarter?

Choose an answer

Frequently asked questions

Do I need to calculate my sales win rate before I launch my business?
You cannot yet, because nothing has been decided. For planning, estimate one and replace it with your own after the first deals are won or lost.
When does win rate first become relevant for a new business?
Once a handful of deals have been decided. Until then one deal moves the number a lot: at 12 decided deals, one more win moves it from 25% to about 31%.
What win rate should a new business aim for?
There is no number to aim for that fits every business. Track your own, by quarter, and compare it with itself. A rate that rises tells you more than any average.
How does win rate affect how many leads a startup needs?
It sets how many opportunities you need for each sale. At 25% you decide about four opportunities for every one you win, and you need more leads than that, because not every lead becomes an opportunity.
Why does tracking win rate matter for a business already running?
A change in it is often the first sign that something moved: a new competitor, a price that stopped fitting, or proposals going to people nobody checked.
What goes wrong when a business ignores a declining win rate?
You pay for more leads to make the same sales, and the cause stays hidden. Asking a few lost customers why usually shows it.
How do I improve my win rate without spending a lot of money?
Check each lead before the proposal: do they need it, who decides, is there a budget and when do they want to start. Fewer proposals then go to people who were never going to buy.
What should I do if my win rate is very high but my revenue is low?
A very high rate can mean you only pitch the sure things or that your price is too low. Pitch to more people, or try a higher price on the next few proposals.
What does win rate actually mean in plain words?
Of the deals that ended, how many you won. If twelve deals ended and you won three, your win rate is 25%. Deals still in talks do not count yet.
Is calculating win rate complicated?
No. Divide the deals you won by the deals you won plus the deals you lost, then multiply by 100. The only care needed is to leave the open deals out.
Do I need an accountant to track my win rate?
No. One sheet with a row per deal and a column for won, lost or open is enough, and the sum takes a minute.
Does a low win rate mean my business is failing?
No. A low rate can support a good business when the deals are large enough. What matters is your own rate over time and what the lost customers tell you.

Sources: Salesforce, "Win Rate in Sales: What It Is, How To Calculate and Ways To Improve" (salesforce.com)

Last reviewed: 2026-09-24

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