Is it normal for sales to take this long?

Is this just how it works - or is something wrong?

You look at the pipeline and everything appears active. Conversations are ongoing, follow-ups are happening, next steps are scheduled. Yet deals keep moving forward without closing, and the timeline keeps stretching.

Depending on who you speak to, the same situation can be read in completely different ways. In some cases, a longer timeline is expected: several people are involved, decisions take time, and risk is weighed carefully. In others, the deal drags because the customer isn’t really a fit - they keep talking, asking questions, and circling, but never get to a point where they can actually decide.

⚡ A slow sales cycle is not automatically a good or bad signal - it depends on the specifics.

A deal with multiple decision-makers will naturally take longer. A deal with the wrong customer can take just as long, but for completely different reasons.

For both, the duration may end up being the same, while what’s actually happening underneath is not.

Comparing timelines starts to become more useful when you look at your own past deals - similar product, similar customers, similar setup - because you’re comparing like with like. But even then, if something underneath has changed, the number can look comparable while reflecting a different situation.

Duration on its own doesn’t tell you what’s happening

⚡ Duration on its own can’t be a problem - you need to understand what’s driving it to tell whether it is or isn’t.

🚀 What to do next

If this feels familiar, start here:

👉 Run the Second Look Decision Diagnostic to see what’s missing before you decide
👉See why this happens

 👉 📖 Read more on Second Look blog

You can continue with making the decision afterwwards.