Updated September 2026 · Written and maintained by the Progression Agency strategy team
Success rate is the number of successes divided by the number of attempts, times one hundred. The arithmetic is trivial and almost nobody gets it wrong. What goes wrong is everything that happens before the arithmetic: what counts as a success, what counts as an attempt, and over what period. Get those three wrong and two people can compute the same figure from the same data and both be right, which is how a metric stops being useful. This page covers the formula, the denominator problem, worked examples across sales, support, email and payments, and how to tell an honest success rate from a flattering one.
The short answerSuccess rate = (number of successes ÷ number of attempts) × 100. Before you calculate it, write down two definitions: what counts as a success, and what counts as an attempt. The second is where almost every error lives, because excluding inconvenient attempts inflates the rate without anybody noticing. Always state the period, always show the sample size alongside the percentage, and always report the rate next to the raw volume — either number alone can be made to look good while the business gets worse.
What is success rate?
Answer first: success rate is the proportion of attempts that achieved a defined outcome, expressed as a percentage. It measures efficiency — how well attempts convert — as distinct from volume, which measures how many succeeded in total.
Success rate versus success rating
The two phrases are used interchangeably in everyday speech, and where they differ it is usually this: a success rate is a calculated percentage, while a success rating is frequently a subjective score or a band derived from one. If somebody quotes you a success rating, the useful question is whether there is a rate underneath it and what its denominator was.
Why efficiency and volume are different questions
A team that makes ten attempts and succeeds nine times has a ninety per cent success rate and nine successes. A team that makes a thousand attempts and succeeds a hundred times has a ten per cent rate and a hundred successes. Which is performing better depends entirely on what an attempt costs and what a success is worth, which is why both numbers must be reported together.
The formula
Answer first: divide successes by attempts and multiply by one hundred. That is the whole calculation, and it is not where the difficulty is.
Success rate = (S ÷ A) × 100
Where S is the number of attempts that met the defined success criterion, and A is the total number of attempts made in the same period.
Failure rate = 100 − success rate.
A worked example
A sales team made 240 qualified approaches last quarter and closed 54 of them. The success rate is (54 ÷ 240) × 100 = 22.5 per cent. Reported properly, that reads: 22.5 per cent close rate on 240 qualified approaches, Q1 — because the percentage, the sample size and the period together are the claim, and any one of the three removed makes it unverifiable.
The denominator problem
Answer first: almost every misleading success rate comes from a denominator that quietly excludes inconvenient attempts. Deciding what counts as an attempt is a more consequential decision than deciding what counts as a success.
| What gets excluded | Justification usually given | Effect on the rate | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|---|
| Attempts abandoned partway | ‘They never really started’ | Inflates | Abandonment is a failure mode worth seeing |
| Attempts by new staff | ‘They were still learning’ | Inflates | Onboarding quality is exactly what you want measured |
| Attempts on difficult cases | ‘Not representative’ | Inflates | The difficult cases are where improvement lives |
| Attempts that fell outside the period | ‘Timing issue’ | Either direction | Creates a moving denominator nobody can audit |
| Attempts where the customer went quiet | ‘Not a real loss’ | Inflates | Silence is the most common loss in most funnels |
| Duplicate attempts | Legitimate, if defined | Either direction | Fine, provided the rule is written down |
The conclusion: the only defensible position is a written definition of an attempt, applied consistently, with any exclusions stated explicitly and the excluded count reported alongside. If an exclusion cannot survive being written down, it should not be made.
Defining success before you count it
Answer first: write the success criterion down in one sentence, and make it binary. A criterion that requires judgement produces a rate that changes depending on who counts.
- Make it binary. Did it happen or not. ‘Partially successful’ outcomes need their own category, not a share of the numerator.
- Make it observable. Somebody other than the person who made the attempt should be able to verify it from a record.
- Make it time-bound. A sale that closes eleven months later — does it count in the quarter of the attempt or the quarter of the close? Decide once.
- Write it where everyone can see it, not in one team’s spreadsheet.
- Record the date you defined it. If the definition changes later, the trend before and after that date is not comparable and somebody needs to know.
Where success rate is used
Answer first: the same formula appears across sales, marketing, support, email, payments and hiring, with entirely different normal ranges. A three per cent conversion rate and a ninety-eight per cent deliverability rate can both be excellent.
| Context | Success is | An attempt is | What usually corrupts it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sales close rate | A closed-won deal | A qualified opportunity | Loose qualification inflating the denominator |
| Marketing conversion | A defined conversion event | A session or a visitor | Counting sessions but deduplicating conversions |
| Support resolution | Resolved without escalation | A ticket received | Reclassifying hard tickets as a different type |
| Email deliverability | Message accepted by the receiving server | A message sent | Suppressed sends excluded from the denominator |
| Payment authorization | Approved by the issuer | An authorization request | Retries counted as separate attempts |
| Recruitment | An accepted offer | An offer extended | Informal offers not recorded as offers |
The conclusion: when comparing a success rate against any external figure, check whether both used the same definition of an attempt. In most cases they did not, and the comparison is meaningless rather than merely imprecise.
Success rate against the metrics it gets confused with
| Metric | What it measures | When it misleads |
|---|---|---|
| Success rate | Efficiency of attempts | When the denominator is manipulated |
| Volume of successes | Absolute output | Always rises with effort; says nothing about efficiency |
| Conversion rate | A specific step’s efficiency | When the step boundaries move |
| Win rate | Competitive outcomes only | When non-competitive losses are excluded |
| Failure rate | The inverse of success rate | Never; it is the same number |
| Yield | Output per unit input | When inputs are measured inconsistently |
The most important row is the second. Volume of successes is what people report when the denominator is inconvenient, because it always rises with effort. A team can double its successes while halving its success rate, and only reporting both reveals it.
How to tell an honest success rate from a flattering one
- Ask for the denominator. A percentage without one is a claim rather than data.
- Ask for the sample size. Ninety per cent of ten is not the same statement as ninety per cent of ten thousand.
- Ask what was excluded. If anything was, ask how many and on what rule.
- Ask when the definition last changed. A rate that improved when the definition changed did not improve.
- Ask for the trend, not the snapshot. One period is an anecdote.
- Ask to see it by segment. An average across segments frequently hides the finding.
Small samples
Below roughly thirty attempts, a success rate is unstable enough that a single outcome moves it materially. That does not make it useless, but it means it should be quoted with the raw numbers attached — ‘four of six’ rather than ‘sixty-seven per cent’ — because the second sounds far more authoritative than the evidence supports.
Averages across segments
A single success rate across several segments can conceal the entire finding. If one channel converts at fifteen per cent and another at two, the blended figure of eight tells you nothing actionable and quietly protects the failing channel from scrutiny.
Improving a success rate, honestly
Answer first: there are only three levers — improve the attempts, improve the execution, or narrow what you attempt. The third improves the rate without improving the business, which is why it needs watching.
| Lever | What it changes | Effect on rate | Effect on volume | Honest? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Better qualification of attempts | Denominator quality | Up | May fall | Yes, if volume is watched |
| Better execution | Numerator | Up | Up | Yes, unambiguously |
| Narrowing what you attempt | Denominator size | Up | Falls | Only if stated |
| Excluding hard cases from counting | Denominator definition | Up | Unchanged | No |
| Redefining success more loosely | Numerator definition | Up | Unchanged | No |
| More attempts, same quality | Both | Unchanged | Up | Yes |
The conclusion: rows four and five raise the number without changing anything real, and they are common precisely because they are cheap. Reporting rate alongside volume, with the definition and its change history, makes both visible.
Success rate over time: trends, not snapshots
Answer first: a single period’s success rate is an anecdote. What tells you anything is the trend across several periods against a definition that did not change, with the volume shown alongside.
How many periods before a trend is real
Answer first: three at minimum, and more if the volumes are small. Two points make a line and a line is not a trend — one unusual month between two ordinary ones produces two apparent trends pointing in opposite directions, both of which will be explained confidently at the next meeting.
What to do when the definition changed mid-trend
Answer first: break the series. Show the periods before the change and the periods after as two separate lines with the change date marked, rather than a single line that appears to move. A continuous line across a definition change is the most common way a chart tells a lie without anybody intending one.
Seasonality in success rates
Answer first: compare like periods. Many success rates are seasonal — close rates fall in holiday periods, support resolution rates fall when volumes spike — and comparing December to November produces a finding about the calendar rather than about performance. Year-on-year comparison of the same month is usually the honest view.
| What you see | Likely cause | What to check |
|---|---|---|
| Rate up, volume up | Genuine improvement | Nothing; this is the good case |
| Rate up, volume down | Tighter qualification | Whether total successes also fell |
| Rate down, volume up | Looser qualification | Whether the extra successes were worth the effort |
| Rate down, volume down | A real problem | Segment it before concluding anything |
| Rate jumped at one period | Often a definition change | When the definition last changed |
| Rate perfectly stable | Sometimes a reporting artefact | Whether anybody is recalculating it |
Building a success rate into a report nobody argues with
Answer first: publish the method alongside the number. If anybody can reproduce the figure from the raw data using your written definition, the argument moves from the number to the performance — which is where it should be.
- Publish the definition of success and of an attempt, dated.
- Publish the exclusion rules, if any, with the excluded counts.
- Publish the raw counts next to every percentage.
- Publish the period and use consistent period boundaries.
- Publish by segment as well as in aggregate.
- Publish the change log so a shift in the line can be attributed.
Reporting a success rate properly
Answer first: the percentage, the numerator, the denominator, the period and the definition. Five elements, one line. Anything less and the reader cannot check it.
Good: “Close rate 22.5% (54 of 240 qualified opportunities), Q1 2026. Qualified opportunity defined as a recorded discovery call with a named budget holder.”
Bad: “Close rate 22.5%.”
- The percentage is the headline, and it is the least informative part.
- The raw counts let the reader assess reliability instantly.
- The period prevents comparison across incomparable windows.
- The definition prevents two teams reporting different numbers for identical performance.
- Any exclusions, with counts, stated rather than assumed.
Related reading on the surrounding measurement discipline: what retention means and how to calculate it and how performance is measured in marketing.
Updated August 2026. The example figures on this page are illustrative and chosen to show the range across contexts; they are not benchmarks and should not be used as targets. Normal ranges differ enormously between industries and between definitions of the same metric.
Reporting a number you are not sure about?
Send us the metric and how it is currently calculated. We will tell you what the denominator is actually doing, whether the trend is real, and how to report it so anybody can check it.
Measurement and analytics, from the people who publish the platforms
Publicly available talks from Google Ads, Think with Google, Ad Age, HubSpot, Ahrefs and Neil Patel on measurement, attribution and analytics — the discipline that makes any rate trustworthy. None of these are ours; each is credited to its channel by name and upload date, every identifier was verified live before publication, and each tile loads its player only when you click it.
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Frequently asked questions
How do you calculate success rate?
What is success rate?
What is the success rate formula?
What is the difference between success rate and success rating?
Why does the denominator matter so much?
What should I include when reporting a success rate?
What is a good success rate?
How large does the sample need to be?
How do I define success?
Can a success rate be manipulated?
What is the difference between success rate and conversion rate?
Why report volume alongside the rate?
What if success takes months to determine?
Should I exclude abandoned attempts?
How do I compare my success rate against an industry benchmark?
What is failure rate?
How often should the success definition be reviewed?
Should success rates be segmented?
What is the most common mistake?
How do I improve a success rate honestly?
Is a rising success rate always good?
What is yield and how does it differ?
Where should the definition live?
Sources and further reading
- Google Search Essentials — SEO starter guide
- Google: creating helpful, reliable, people-first content
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- Google Analytics 4: about conversions
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- FTC: CAN-SPAM Act compliance guide
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- FTC endorsement guides — reviews and testimonials
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- HHS: HIPAA guidance on online tracking technologies
- New Jersey Courts: attorney advertising guidelines
- New Jersey DCA: construction codes and permits
- New Jersey Home Improvement Contractor registration
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- TikTok for Business
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- Artlist
- Soundstripe
- PremiumBeat
- AudioJungle
- Free Music Archive
- Creative Commons
- Incompetech
- FTC: advertising and marketing
- FTC: disclosures 101
- FTC: endorsement guides
- FTC: consumer reviews rule
- FTC: advertising FAQs
- US Copyright Office
- US Copyright Office: DMCA
- US Copyright Office: music FAQ
- US Copyright Office: fair use FAQ
- USPTO: trademarks
- UK Advertising Standards Authority
- ACCC (Australia)
- Competition Bureau Canada
- GDPR overview
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- W3C Web Accessibility Initiative
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- W3C: making audio and video accessible
- ADA.gov
- WebAIM
- Epilepsy Foundation
- Pew Research: internet and technology
- DataReportal
- US Census Bureau
- US Bureau of Labor Statistics
- Interactive Advertising Bureau
- Think with Google
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- Nielsen insights
- Schema.org: VideoObject
- Schema.org: SocialMediaPosting
- Schema.org: MusicRecording
- Schema.org: HowTo
- Schema.org: FAQPage
- Schema.org: Organization
- Google: video best practices
- Google: video structured data
- CapCut
- Adobe Premiere Rush
- DaVinci Resolve
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- VEED
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- Otter.ai
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- Hootsuite
- Sprout Social
- Google Analytics
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- GA4: events and conversions
- Matomo
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- Similarweb
- UK Information Commissioner’s Office
- Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada
- Australian OAIC
- European Data Protection Board
- EU data protection
- EU Digital Services Act
- Ofcom
- FCC
- AIGA
- Nielsen Norman Group
- Smashing Magazine
- web.dev
- MDN: web media
- MDN: the video element
- ISO 21001 (reference)
- Buma/Stemra (Netherlands)
- STIM (Sweden)
- Teosto (Finland)
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- TONO (Norway)
- IMRO (Ireland)
- SGAE (Spain)
- ZAiKS (Poland)
- KOMCA (South Korea)
- MCSC (China)
- CISAC
- World Intellectual Property Organization
- TikTok: creating videos
- TikTok: exploring videos
- TikTok: privacy settings
- TikTok: growing your audience
- TikTok Creator Academy
- TikTok Effect House
- TikTok for small business
- Instagram: Reels help
- YouTube: Shorts best practice
- How YouTube recommends
- Pinterest Predicts
- Snapchat for Business
- Hootsuite blog
- Social Media Examiner
- Marketing Week
- Adweek
- Google Analytics 4 — conversions
- US Bureau of Labor Statistics
- US Census Bureau
- National Institute of Standards and Technology
- FTC — advertising and marketing guidance
- US Small Business Administration
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