03/09/2026
Every forecast says the deal closes this month. Every job spec says the role will be filled in four weeks.
Both numbers are usually wrong, and not because anyone’s bad at their job.
We plan for the best version of events almost every time. The call that goes smoothly. The candidate who says yes on the spot. What actually happens is procurement takes an extra fortnight, or the shortlist falls through and you’re back to square one.
The fix isn’t optimism or pessimism. It’s looking at what similar deals and similar hires have actually taken before, not what this one feels like it should take.
Sales and recruitment run on the same honest question: not “how long do we want this to take”, but “how long has this actually taken before”.