May Sales Trends: More but smaller deals
May Sales Performance: Stable Overall, Despite Smaller Deals
May's sales performance paints a picture of stability, though with some underlying shifts in the details. Instead of comparing numbers year-over-year, I've moved to using rolling 3- and 12-month benchmarks. The reason? YoY comparisons tend to swing too much in shorter datasets. R3 and R12 give us a clearer view of where the market is actually heading.
Total Sales: 88% vs R3 | 107% vs R12
Total sales landed slightly below the rolling 3-month average, but comfortably above the 12-month trend. In plain terms, we’re holding ground. The market has not bounced back yet, but it’s not declining either.
Deal Volume: 105% vs R3 | 99% vs R12
More deals are being closed again which is a positive shift after the slowdown earlier this year. Volumes are up against R3 and nearly on par with the R12 average. Activity is holding steady.
Average Deal Size: 84% vs R3 | 110% vs R12
While the number of deals is back up, deal sizes are trending smaller. This is something to keep an eye on, especially if you’re relying on large deals to hit targets. The comparison to R12 still looks healthy, but recent momentum is softer.
Commission Spend (Quarterly)
We only report commission spend quarterly due to cyclic behaviour on commissions, but to reiterate from Q1: commission payouts remain conservative, at 4.5% of sales value. This is lower than many would expect in high-growth teams, and also lower compared to e.g. the U.S.
Win Rate
Win rates continue to slip against R12, but appear to be stabilizing when viewed through the R3 lens. The overall trend points to tougher competition and more scrutiny in decision-making. As always, remember that pipeline hygiene affects this metric.
Final Thought
We’re not seeing fireworks in May, but we’re not seeing fires either. As always, I’d love to hear your thoughts on this format and the trends. If you’re seeing something different in your pipeline – or want to benchmark against this – just reply or message me.
Customer retention is the key
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit lobortis arcu enim urna adipiscing praesent velit viverra sit semper lorem eu cursus vel hendrerit elementum morbi curabitur etiam nibh justo, lorem aliquet donec sed sit mi dignissim at ante massa mattis.
- Neque sodales ut etiam sit amet nisl purus non tellus orci ac auctor
- Adipiscing elit ut aliquam purus sit amet viverra suspendisse potent
- Mauris commodo quis imperdiet massa tincidunt nunc pulvinar
- Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident sunt in culpa qui officia
What are the most relevant factors to consider?
Vitae congue eu consequat ac felis placerat vestibulum lectus mauris ultrices cursus sit amet dictum sit amet justo donec enim diam porttitor lacus luctus accumsan tortor posuere praesent tristique magna sit amet purus gravida quis blandit turpis.
Don’t overspend on growth marketing without good retention rates
At risus viverra adipiscing at in tellus integer feugiat nisl pretium fusce id velit ut tortor sagittis orci a scelerisque purus semper eget at lectus urna duis convallis porta nibh venenatis cras sed felis eget neque laoreet suspendisse interdum consectetur libero id faucibus nisl donec pretium vulputate sapien nec sagittis aliquam nunc lobortis mattis aliquam faucibus purus in.
- Neque sodales ut etiam sit amet nisl purus non tellus orci ac auctor
- Adipiscing elit ut aliquam purus sit amet viverra suspendisse potenti
- Mauris commodo quis imperdiet massa tincidunt nunc pulvinar
- Adipiscing elit ut aliquam purus sit amet viverra suspendisse potenti
What’s the ideal customer retention rate?
Nisi quis eleifend quam adipiscing vitae aliquet bibendum enim facilisis gravida neque euismod in pellentesque massa placerat volutpat lacus laoreet non curabitur gravida odio aenean sed adipiscing diam donec adipiscing tristique risus amet est placerat in egestas erat.
“Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua enim ad minim veniam.”
Next steps to increase your customer retention
Eget lorem dolor sed viverra ipsum nunc aliquet bibendum felis donec et odio pellentesque diam volutpat commodo sed egestas aliquam sem fringilla ut morbi tincidunt augue interdum velit euismod eu tincidunt tortor aliquam nulla facilisi aenean sed adipiscing diam donec adipiscing ut lectus arcu bibendum at varius vel pharetra nibh venenatis cras sed felis eget.
Emil Wargelius
With over 10 years of experience in leading roles in product development and sales, he has designed and launched multiple commission models.
Subscribe to our newsletter today!
Discover best practices from leading sales teams and CFOs.
