Caso empresarial fictício · Strategy ComercialImproving Sales Conversion Without Cutting Prices
A simulated commercial case showing how better qualification and follow-up can increase sales conversion without automatically reducing prices.
Context and business challenge
A fictional SME selling technical services generates plenty of sales opportunities but struggles to turn them into contracts. The team assumes pricing is the main obstacle; management wants to examine qualification and follow-up before resorting to discounts.
Initial data and assumptions
The illustrative funnel contains 200 opportunities, 40 proposals and 10 sales, each worth an average of €3,000. These figures are assumptions for a teaching example. A reliable diagnosis would first verify what counts as an opportunity, a qualified lead, a proposal and a successful sale.
| Qualified opportunities during the period | 200 |
|---|---|
| Proposals issued | 40 |
| Sales completed | 10 |
| Average value per sale | 3.000 € |
| Sales during the period | 30.000 € |
Swipe horizontally to view all columns.
How to investigate the causes
Review the source and quality of enquiries, response times, qualification rules and the evidence presented in proposals. Record reasons for lost opportunities instead of treating price as the default explanation. Compare results by segment, salesperson and stage so that the team knows where action is likely to matter most.
- Four fictional cases showing structured business analysis and decision-making, with explicit assumptions, calculations and limitations.
- Four fictional cases showing structured business analysis and decision-making, with explicit assumptions, calculations and limitations.
- Four fictional cases showing structured business analysis and decision-making, with explicit assumptions, calculations and limitations.
Quantitative analysis
Forty proposals from 200 opportunities give a proposal rate of 20%; ten sales from 40 proposals give a closing rate of 25%. Overall conversion is 5% and the resulting revenue is €30,000. In a hypothetical alternative, 50 proposals and a 28% closing rate would produce 14 sales and €42,000 at the same average price. This is a scenario, not a forecast or an achieved result.
Proposed action plan
Introduce shared qualification criteria, document every lost deal, strengthen the statement of customer value and standardise follow-up deadlines. Train the team to diagnose needs and address objections. Compare the results over two sales cycles before expanding the approach, using appropriate controls and taking account of differences between customer segments.
- Four fictional cases showing structured business analysis and decision-making, with explicit assumptions, calculations and limitations.
- Four fictional cases showing structured business analysis and decision-making, with explicit assumptions, calculations and limitations.
- Four fictional cases showing structured business analysis and decision-making, with explicit assumptions, calculations and limitations.
- Testar durante dois ciclos comerciais e comparar resultados por segmento.
Monitoring indicators
Track proposals per qualified opportunity, proposals won, the time required to prepare each proposal, average order value, contribution margin per sale and recorded loss reasons. Numbers should reveal which step of the process needs improvement, not simply reward more sales activity.
- Four fictional cases showing structured business analysis and decision-making, with explicit assumptions, calculations and limitations.
- Four fictional cases showing structured business analysis and decision-making, with explicit assumptions, calculations and limitations.
- Tempo médio até à proposta
- Four fictional cases showing structured business analysis and decision-making, with explicit assumptions, calculations and limitations.
Risks and limits of the analysis
Producing more proposals without improving their relevance may waste resources and lower close rates. Measure profitable sales, customer experience and the quality of opportunities together rather than treating activity volume as success.
Explore related resources
Strategy Comercial 360° Business Assessment, explore the 360° Management Tools or explore the other casos práticos.
Want to assess your own business?
These examples demonstrate an approach to diagnosis and decision-making. A recommendation for your business would require its own sales data, market conditions and commercial objectives.
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