If many potential customers stop moving forward at one step in the sales process, what is that problematic step called?

The problematic step where many potential customers stop moving forward at one stage in the sales process is called a bottleneck. A bottleneck is a point in any sequential process, including a sales process, where the flow of progress is significantly constrained or limited, causing a backlog or a substantial slowdown for subsequent steps. The sales process itself is a series of structured stages that a potential customer, also known as a prospect, typically moves through from initial awareness to a completed purchase. When a bottleneck occurs, it means that a disproportionately high number of potential customers are failing to advance from one specific stage to the next, indicating a significant drop in the conversion rate at that particular transition point. The conversion rate is the percentage of prospects who successfully move from one stage of the sales process to the next. This issue reduces the overall efficiency and effectiveness of the entire sales pipeline, which is the visual representation of where potential customers are in the sales process, and limits the total number of sales that can be successfully closed. For example, if many potential customers complete an initial discovery call but then fail to accept a follow-up meeting to discuss a proposal, the transition from discovery call to follow-up meeting represents a bottleneck. Identifying and addressing bottlenecks is crucial because they determine the maximum output of the entire sales operation, regardless of how efficiently other stages perform, by restricting the flow of prospects.