Sales cycle in working days (NETWORKDAYS)
The problem
Problem statement
The sales cycle is measured in working days, not calendar days — a deal that closed over a weekend did not take two extra days. First contact and close dates for deal D-401 are in B2 and C2. Put the working-day length in the Working days cell D2.
Weekends do not count, and both the first-contact day and the close day do.
Problem data
Show the sheet as a table (selectable, copyable)
| A | B | C | D | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Deal | First contact | Closed | Working days |
| 2 | D-401 | 2026-01-05 | 2026-01-16 | |
| 3 | D-402 | 2026-02-02 | 2026-02-13 | |
| 4 | D-403 | 2026-03-02 | 2026-03-09 |
Notes
NETWORKDAYS(start, end) counts both end points and skips Saturday and Sunday. Subtracting the dates gives calendar days, which inflates every cycle that spans a weekend — and a cycle that starts on a Saturday counts as one day, not three.
How to approach
Your answer goes in D2.
- Target cell is D2
- NETWORKDAYS takes a start and an end
- Both ends are included
- Shape: =NETWORKDAYS(?, ?)
FAQ
How do I measure a sales cycle in working days?
=NETWORKDAYS(first_contact, close). It skips weekends and counts both ends.
Why is a weekend deal one day and not three?
Saturday and Sunday are not working days, so only the Monday counts. Calendar subtraction would return 3.