# Name the closes, then divide

The close rate formula is closes divided by the conversations or appointments you name. Knockdesk is field sales software that keeps those closes, sits, and knocks on the same desk as the turf.

## A close rate without a denominator is a Friday argument

Two reps can both say they close 30 percent. One counted sits. One counted knocks. The loud number wins the meeting, and the turf still misses quota. Name the close rate formula out loud before anyone reads a percent.

**Sits as the base.** Use appointments when the job is converting the table, not the entire walk.

**Talks as the base.** Use conversations when you want the close against every contact, not only the sit.

**Knocks as the base.** That is a different rate. Knockdesk names leads over knocks as conversion rate. Do not call it close rate unless that is the denominator you chose.

## Ten closes, two bases, two percents you can recompute

Labeled example, not a customer week. A crew logs 10 Sold outcomes, 40 Appointment Set outcomes, and 80 contacts. Close rate on sits is 10 / 40 = 25 percent. Close rate on conversations is 10 / 80 = 12.5 percent. Same closes. Different formula. Write which one you mean on the board.

| Named base | Numbers | Close rate |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Appointments | 10 closes / 40 sits | 25% |
| Conversations | 10 closes / 80 contacts | 12.5% |
| If someone uses knocks | 10 closes / 200 knocks | 5%. That is not the sit close rate. |

## Close rate sits next to contact rate, not on top of it

Contact rate is contacts divided by knocks. Knocks per hour is pace on the turf. Close rate only starts after you have named what a close is, and what you divide by. Mixing those three into one percent hides the stall.

**Contact rate.** Did the knock become a talk. That is the walk, not the sit.

**Win rate on deals.** Won deals against won plus lost. Useful on the pipeline. Still not a sit close rate unless you say it is.

**Conversion rate on knocks.** In Knockdesk analytics, leads created over knocks. Name it that way. Do not relabel it close rate.

## How Knockdesk tracks it

Knockdesk logs Sold and Appointment Set as outcomes on the pin, and won deals on the pipeline. Daily Knock Summary reports conversion rate as leads over knocks. Lead Funnel reads knock to contact to lead to deal to won. You still name the close rate formula you want to manage. Full desk is on the pricing page.

## Keep going from this term

- [Glossary hub](/glossary): Every rate on this desk, with a one-line definition.

- [Contact rate formula](/glossary/contact-rate): Contacts over knocks, before anyone talks about a close.

- [Field sales KPIs](/guides/field-sales-kpis): How close rate, contact rate, and knocks per hour sit in the week.

## FAQ

### What is the close rate formula?

The close rate formula is closes divided by the conversations or appointments you name. Write the denominator. A percent without that name is not a close rate.

### Should I divide by knocks or by sits?

Use sits when you are judging the table. Use conversations when you are judging every contact. Do not switch mid-week to make the percent look larger.

### Is close rate the same as conversion rate in Knockdesk?

No. On knocks, Knockdesk conversion rate is leads created divided by knocks. Close rate is the formula you name for closes over sits or conversations.

### What counts as a close?

A close is a Sold outcome or a won deal, depending on which one your crew already treats as money. Pick one and keep it.

### Why do two teams with the same closes show different rates?

They named different denominators. 10 closes on 40 sits is 25 percent. 10 closes on 80 contacts is 12.5 percent.

### Where do I read this on Friday?

Read Sold and Appointment Set on the visit log, then won deals on the pipeline. Name the close rate formula before you export a file.