Studying where sales conversations break down—and why deals are lost.
The Sales Breakdown Institute is a non-commercial research initiative examining the structural, behavioral, and linguistic patterns that cause sales conversations to fail. Our work supports a clearer, evidence-based understanding of revenue loss.
What we study
Most analysis of sales performance focuses on outcomes—win rates, quotas, pipeline coverage. The Institute focuses instead on the moments inside a conversation where outcomes are quietly determined.
Through systematic review of anonymized conversations, structured interviews, and longitudinal pipeline studies, we publish findings intended to advance the understanding of conversational failure as a measurable economic phenomenon.
Lost conversations are an unmeasured cost of doing business.
Estimated annual revenue lost to preventable conversation breakdowns across global B2B sales (Institute estimate, 2025).
of qualified opportunities never reach a documented decision—they simply fade after a critical conversational moment.
more likely a deal stalls when pricing is introduced before a shared definition of value is established.
Active fields of inquiry
Conversation Breakdowns
Identifying the precise moments in a sales dialogue where engagement, trust, or clarity collapses.
Revenue Loss Patterns
Quantifying the economic impact of failed deals across industries, deal sizes, and conversation types.
Behavioral Signals
Studying linguistic and behavioral cues that precede pipeline stalls, objections, and disengagement.
Post-Pricing Dynamics
Examining how pricing discussions reshape the trajectory of an opportunity—often invisibly.
Recent publications
- Working Paper · 2026
Why Deals Break After Pricing Discussions
An analysis of 4,200 conversation transcripts shows a measurable shift in buyer engagement within the 72 hours following price disclosure.
- Field Study · 2025
The Hidden Cost of “Send Me Information”
Requests for follow-up materials are commonly interpreted as interest. Our data suggests the opposite outcome in 68% of observed cases.
- Brief · 2025
Mid-Conversation Failures in Sales Calls
A taxonomy of the structural moments—questions, transitions, silences—where deals most often lose momentum.