---
title: The Sales Cycle
description: "This week we begin a new focus for The Weekly Fast Growth Tip:  shortening the sales cycle time.  Shortening sales cycles should be a primary objective for every company looking to sustain growth."
image: https://www.liftenablement.com/hs-fs/file-363413790-gif/blog-files/ciclo_ventas_en.gif
---

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# The Sales Cycle

[ Doug Davidoff ](https://www.liftenablement.com/blog/author/doug-davidoff)  Apr 4, 2012 7:55:00 AM

*![](https://www.liftenablement.com/hs-fs/file-363413790-gif/blog-files/ciclo_ventas_en.gif?width=120&height=114&name=ciclo_ventas_en.gif "Sales Cycle")*

This week we begin a new focus for The Weekly Fast Growth Tip:  shortening the sales cycle time.  Shortening sales cycles should be a primary objective for every company looking to sustain growth.

As a matter of fact, one of the primary indicators to determine whether your company is being commoditized is what’s happening with your sales cycle.  Longer cycles are a clear indicator that you are in the middle of [The Commodtization Trap](https://www.imaginellc.com/avoiding-commoditization-part1), while shortening cycle indicate that you’re bypassing commoditization.

To shorten the cycle, you must first understand what it is.  Too often, selling organizations confuse the sales cycle with the pipeline cycle.  So, let’s define the terms:

This means the sales cycle begins:

Only about 3 – 7% of the prospects in any given market are actually looking for solutions.  So, the first secret to cutting sales cycle times is the ability to connect with prospects before they in an active buying process.

 

[B2B Sales Strategy](https://www.liftenablement.com/blog/topic/b2b-sales-strategy)

## Read On

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### [How to Tell if Your CRM Database is Leveraging or Thwarting Your Investments in Sales Growth](https://www.liftenablement.com/blog/sales-growth-database)

 When I first got into sales, a common refrain was that a salesperson is only as valuable as the...

[![](https://www.liftenablement.com/hs-fs/hubfs/images/journey.jpg?width=352&name=journey.jpg) ](https://www.liftenablement.com/blog/buyers-journey)

### [Want to Shorten Your Sales Cycle? Start By Mapping The Decision Journey](https://www.liftenablement.com/blog/buyers-journey)

 One of the most common (and costly) mistakes that I see strong companies make is that they’re...

[![](https://www.liftenablement.com/hs-fs/file-2526592708-jpg/images/SQL-Defined.jpg?width=352&name=SQL-Defined.jpg) ](https://www.liftenablement.com/blog/defining-sales-qualified-lead)

### [Shorten The Sales Cycle By Defining A Sales Qualified Lead (SQL)](https://www.liftenablement.com/blog/defining-sales-qualified-lead)

 When we’re conducting a sales and marketing assessment, one of the first questions we ask is, “How...