What push rate measures and why it is distinct from slippage
Push rate measures how often deals move their close date. Dollar-weighted slippage metrics can obscure this signal entirely. A team with consistently high push rates reveals something about how close dates are being set and managed, regardless of whether revenue eventually lands.The root causes differ. Dollar slippage is often a symptom of late-stage competitive loss or deal death. Push rate is a symptom of how reps construct their pipeline view: optimistic initial close dates, limited buyer commitment to a mutual close plan, or a culture where updating a close date carries no consequence.
Calculating push rate
Push Rate = (Deals with close date moved from Period A to Period B) / (Total deals expected to close in Period A) x 100
This is typically measured quarterly but can be tracked monthly for teams with high deal volume. Count a deal as pushed any time the close date crosses a period boundary, whether the move happened once or multiple times.
What push rate patterns reveal
| Pattern | Likely signal |
|---|---|
| High push rate evenly distributed across reps | Process or methodology problem; close date standards are unclear |
| High push rate concentrated in one rep or segment | Rep behavior or territory-specific friction |
| Push rate rising over consecutive quarters | Forecast discipline is degrading; close dates are becoming less meaningful |
| Push rate high in early-stage deals only | Reps are setting speculative close dates at deal creation |
| Push rate high in late-stage deals | Real deal delays; procurement, legal, or champion issues |
Using push rate alongside other pipeline health metrics
Push rate belongs in the same diagnostic kit as deal slippage and slippage rate. The three metrics separate frequency from magnitude: push rate counts how many deals are moving, slippage rate measures how much revenue is moving, and deal slippage identifies the specific deals at risk.
Teams that track push rate as part of their pipeline risk assessment can catch process problems before they produce material forecast misses. A rising push rate is typically visible several weeks before it shows up in a quarterly slippage number.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is push rate in sales?
Push rate is the percentage of open deals that have their expected close date moved from one period into a future period. If 40 of 100 deals expected to close this quarter get pushed to next quarter, the push rate is 40%. It measures how often deals move, not how much value is lost when they do.
How is push rate different from slippage rate?
Slippage rate measures the dollar value that fails to close in the period it was forecasted for, typically expressed as a percentage of forecasted revenue. Push rate measures the count of deals that get their close date moved, regardless of deal size. A small number of large deals slipping can produce a high slippage rate with a low push rate. High push rate with low slippage rate indicates many small deals are being pushed.
What causes a high push rate?
Common causes include close dates being set too aggressively at deal creation, lack of mutual close plan agreement with the buyer, procurement or legal delays that reps cannot anticipate, and CRM hygiene problems where reps update close dates reactively rather than proactively. A high push rate is usually a combination of pipeline quality, rep behavior, and sales process issues.
Put these metrics to work
ORM builds custom revenue forecast models that turn concepts like push rate into prescriptive action for your team.
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