Average Deal Size¶

Definition¶

Average Deal Size measures the average revenue generated per closed-won deal over a specific period. It helps evaluate sales efficiency, buyer potential, and monetization strategy.

Description¶

Average Deal Size is a critical revenue metric that reflects the typical value of closed deals, helping you assess monetization strategy, ICP alignment, and sales efficiency over time. It’s a strong signal of deal quality, not just volume.

The relevance and interpretation of this metric shift depending on the model or product:

In B2B SaaS, it usually reflects annual contract value (ACV) per closed deal
In transactional or marketplace models, it might represent average order or purchase value per customer
In hybrid GTM models, it offers insight into how sales-qualified leads convert into revenue

An increasing trend points to higher-value wins, better upsell strategies, or improved packaging. A decline may flag price pressure, poor targeting, or discount overuse. Segment by industry, persona, acquisition source, or sales rep to uncover trends and replicate top-performing patterns.

Average Deal Size informs:

Strategic decisions, like redefining your ICP or shifting your pricing model
Tactical actions, such as coaching reps on value-based selling or updating sales enablement assets
Operational improvements, including quota setting and pipeline prioritization
Cross-functional alignment, by helping product marketing, sales, and finance teams drive sustainable revenue growth

Key Drivers¶

These are the main factors that directly impact the metric. Understanding these lets you know what levers you can pull to improve the outcome

Buyer Persona and Company Size: Enterprise buyers typically drive larger deals than SMBs. Your ICP mix influences average deal size.
Sales Enablement and Objection Handling: Reps who confidently sell strategic value can close bigger deals. Weak value articulation = smaller wins.
Product Tier and Customization Options: More advanced plans or add-ons create upsell paths that increase deal value. Limited options cap your ceiling.

Improvement Tactics & Quick Wins¶

Actionable ideas to optimize this KPI, from fast, low-effort wins to strategic initiatives that drive measurable impact.

If deal size is shrinking, revisit pitch decks and positioning — are reps leaning too heavily on low-tier value?
Add social proof from larger accounts in outbound and sales assets, helping justify higher prices to similar prospects.
Run a pricing test bundling key add-ons into mid-tier plans, increasing ASP without adding friction.
Refine qualification criteria to prioritize high-potential accounts, especially in outbound and ABM motions.
Partner with sales enablement to train reps on consultative selling and pricing confidence.

Required Datapoints to calculate the metric
- Total Closed-Won Revenue: Revenue booked in the period.
- Number of Closed-Won Deals: Total successful sales.
- Deal Type Filters (optional): Can be segmented by new vs. expansion, industry, region.
Example to show how the metric is derived

Q2 Sales:
- Revenue: $950,000
- Closed-Won Deals: 47
- Formula: $950,000 ÷ 47 = $20,212

Formula¶

Formula

\[ \mathrm{Average\ Deal\ Size} = \frac{\mathrm{Total\ Closed\text{-}Won\ Revenue}}{\mathrm{Number\ of\ Closed\text{-}Won\ Deals}} \]

Data Model Definition¶

How this KPI is structured in Cube.js, including its key measures, dimensions, and calculation logic for consistent reporting.

Deals

cube('Deals', {
  sql: `SELECT * FROM deals`,

  measures: {
    totalClosedWonRevenue: {
      sql: `total_closed_won_revenue`,
      type: 'sum',
      title: 'Total Closed-Won Revenue',
      description: 'Total revenue from closed-won deals in the period.'
    },

    numberOfClosedWonDeals: {
      sql: `id`,
      type: 'count',
      title: 'Number of Closed-Won Deals',
      description: 'Total number of closed-won deals in the period.'
    },

    averageDealSize: {
      sql: `${totalClosedWonRevenue} / NULLIF(${numberOfClosedWonDeals}, 0)`,
      type: 'number',
      title: 'Average Deal Size',
      description: 'Average revenue generated per closed-won deal over a specific period.'
    }
  },

  dimensions: {
    id: {
      sql: `id`,
      type: 'string',
      primaryKey: true,
      title: 'Deal ID',
      description: 'Unique identifier for each deal.'
    },

    dealType: {
      sql: `deal_type`,
      type: 'string',
      title: 'Deal Type',
      description: 'Type of deal, e.g., new or expansion.'
    },

    industry: {
      sql: `industry`,
      type: 'string',
      title: 'Industry',
      description: 'Industry of the client involved in the deal.'
    },

    region: {
      sql: `region`,
      type: 'string',
      title: 'Region',
      description: 'Geographical region of the deal.'
    },

    closedWonDate: {
      sql: `closed_won_date`,
      type: 'time',
      title: 'Closed-Won Date',
      description: 'Date when the deal was closed and won.'
    }
  }
});

Note: This is a reference implementation and should be used as a starting point. You’ll need to adapt it to match your own data model and schema

Positive & Negative Influences¶

Negative influences

Factors that drive the metric in an undesirable direction, often signaling risk or decline.
- Limited Product Offerings: A lack of advanced plans or customization options can cap the potential deal size, negatively impacting the Average Deal Size.
- Weak Sales Enablement: Inadequate sales training and poor objection handling can result in smaller deals, thus reducing the Average Deal Size.
- High Customer Churn: Frequent customer turnover can lead to a focus on smaller, short-term deals, negatively affecting the Average Deal Size.
- Ineffective Pricing Strategy: Pricing that does not align with perceived value can lead to smaller deals, thus negatively impacting the Average Deal Size.
- Market Saturation: In highly saturated markets, competitive pressures can drive down deal sizes, negatively influencing the Average Deal Size.
Positive influences

Factors that push the metric in a favorable direction, supporting growth or improvement.
- Buyer Persona and Company Size: Enterprise buyers typically drive larger deals than SMBs, thus a higher proportion of enterprise clients in the ICP mix increases the Average Deal Size.
- Sales Enablement and Objection Handling: Reps who confidently sell strategic value and handle objections effectively can close bigger deals, thereby increasing the Average Deal Size.
- Product Tier and Customization Options: Offering more advanced plans or add-ons creates upsell paths that increase deal value, thus positively impacting the Average Deal Size.
- Sales Training and Development: Enhanced training programs that focus on strategic selling and value articulation can lead to larger deals, increasing the Average Deal Size.
- Customer Success and Retention Strategies: Strong customer success initiatives that focus on long-term value can lead to upsells and renewals at higher values, positively influencing the Average Deal Size.

Involved Roles & Activities¶

Involved Roles

These roles are typically responsible for implementing or monitoring this KPI:

Finance
Product Marketing (PMM)
Revenue Operations
Sales Manager
Activities

Common initiatives or actions associated with this KPI:

Sales Strategy
Pricing Optimization
Forecasting
Segmentation

Funnel Stage & Type¶

AAARRR Funnel Stage

This KPI is associated with the following stages in the AAARRR (Pirate Metrics) funnel:

Revenue
Type

This KPI is classified as a Lagging Indicator. It reflects the results of past actions or behaviors and is used to validate performance or assess the impact of previous strategies.

Supporting Leading & Lagging Metrics¶

Leading

These leading indicators influence this KPI and act as early signals that forecast future changes in this KPI.
- Deal Velocity: Deal Velocity measures the speed at which deals move through the sales pipeline. Faster deal velocity typically results in higher Average Deal Size by enabling sales teams to focus on high-value deals and close them efficiently, thus improving overall sales efficiency and increasing deal values.
- Product Qualified Leads: Product Qualified Leads (PQLs) signal early buying intent based on product engagement. A higher volume or quality of PQLs usually correlates with bigger and more valuable deals, directly impacting the Average Deal Size as more sales-ready prospects convert to high-value customers.
- Win Rate: Win Rate reflects the percentage of deals closed from total opportunities. An improving win rate, especially on larger deals, is an early indicator of sales team effectiveness and market fit, forecasting future increases in Average Deal Size.
- SQL-to-Opportunity Conversion Rate: This metric tracks how effectively Sales Qualified Leads are converted into sales opportunities. Higher conversion rates, especially among high-quality SQLs, indicate a stronger pipeline and predict larger average deal sizes as better-qualified leads move toward closure.
- Marketing Qualified Leads (MQLs): The volume and quality of MQLs influence the top of the funnel, setting up the pipeline for high-value opportunities. Strong MQL generation and handoff to sales often precede increases in Average Deal Size by ensuring more qualified buyers are nurtured through the funnel.
Lagging

These lagging indicators confirm, quantify, or amplify this KPI and help explain the broader business impact on this KPI after the fact.
- Expansion Revenue Growth Rate: Expansion Revenue Growth Rate tracks upselling and cross-selling to existing customers. Increases here often coincide with or follow growth in Average Deal Size, as successful expansion strategies drive both metrics upward and reinforce the impact of larger initial deals.
- Customer Downgrade Rate: A high Customer Downgrade Rate may signal issues with product fit or pricing, directly impacting Average Deal Size by reducing the value of existing contracts. Monitoring this metric helps explain fluctuations or declines in Average Deal Size after they occur.
- Conversion Rate: Conversion Rate quantifies the percentage of prospects who close, providing context to Average Deal Size. High conversion rates on lower-priced offerings may decrease average deal size, while improved conversion among high-value segments boosts it.
- Average Revenue Per Account: This metric reflects average revenue generated per account, closely related to Average Deal Size. Analyzing both together can confirm whether changes in deal size are translating into broader account revenue growth or are isolated to new business or specific segments.
- Net Revenue Retention: Net Revenue Retention measures revenue retained and expanded from existing customers. Increases in this metric often follow improvements in Average Deal Size, confirming that larger deals drive sustained revenue over time and supporting account expansion strategies.