In B2B sales, a closed-won deal is a sales opportunity that has officially converted into a paying customer. It’s the final confirmation that a deal has been successfully signed and moved out of the pipeline, a milestone that marks success for both sales and revenue teams.
Closed-Won vs Closed-Lost
In most CRMs, deals can close in one of two ways:
- Closed-Won: The buyer has accepted your offer, signed the contract, and committed to a deal.
- Closed-Lost: The opportunity is no longer viable, it was either rejected, delayed indefinitely, or lost to a competitor.
These two deal stages help track overall sales performance, win rate, and sales forecasting accuracy.
A deal isn’t “won” until there’s a signed agreement or formal commitment, verbal yeses don’t count.
When Is a Deal Considered Closed-Won?
This depends on your company’s sales process and CRM setup, but most teams mark a deal as closed-won when:
- A contract is signed
- An invoice is sent or payment received
- The customer onboarding process begins
In platforms like HubSpot, Salesforce, or Pipedrive, this status change is tracked automatically or manually by reps or revenue operations teams.
Not sure what “closed-won” means in the bigger picture? Explore our full B2B Sales Glossary
Why It Matters
Knowing exactly when to mark a deal as closed-won keeps your pipeline data clean and trustworthy. It also supports:
- Accurate sales velocity and win rate metrics
- Better forecasting and pipeline coverage
- Reliable commission tracking
Internal misalignment on this stage can lead to overreporting, missed targets, and frustrated leadership.
For more on deal health and forecasting, check out our guide on Pipeline Coverage.
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