1 Day Left in the Quarter: The Art & Science of Closing Deals When Time Is Running Out
It's 7:30 AM, Friday, June 27th here on the NH beach. Sun's up, and I just got in from a 2-mile beach run and settled in for a day of calls and closing two deals that have been hanging out at the bottom of the funnel for this entire month refusing to be pushed, prodded, cajoled, hammered or pried into the "Deal Closed" section of my HubSpot Deals Funnel. Definitely at least one will be closed today!
Then although the calendar says I have one more day of the Q on Monday, the reality is that the July 4th Holiday Week for most of us starts tomorrow morning on what is forecasted to be the busiest travel week of the year.
But today is today, and you've still got exactly one full business day before the quarter closes on Monday. Your pipeline may be a bit shaky, and your manager may be breathing down your neck, and that one deal you've been nurturing for all of June continues to sit in the "verbal commitment" column. Welcome to this Friday morning and the end-of-the quarter crunch that all of us know all too well.
The Reality of Last-Minute Deal Making
Here's the uncomfortable truth: salespeople close three times as many deals at the end of the month as during the rest of the month, but we also lose 11 times as many. This means that while pressure can drive results, it also creates a dangerous pattern of rushed decisions, blown opportunities and discounting that didn't have to be made.
The Friday Playbook: What Actually Works
1. Triage Your Pipeline Ruthlessly!
With one day left, you don't have time for wishful thinking. Categorize your deals into three buckets:
-Hot (90%+ probability): These need immediate action. For me today, this number is only 2 deals.
-Warm (50-70% probability): Worth considering and definitely a call, but unlikely.
-Cold (under 50%): Don't waste your time and acknowledge they are Q3 deals.
2. Make Executive Connections Count!
If you haven't already, today is the time to escalate. Use your boss to reach out to their respective counterparts to define exactly what can or cannot be done by the end of the day today or Monday. Executive-to-executive conversations can often cut through procurement and legal delays. Yes, there's some level of risk to this, but not as much as to not knowing.
3. Create Legitimate Urgency. It's called "The TimeLine Close"!
The key word here is "legitimate." Don't manufacture fake deadlines or use high-pressure tactics that will damage relationships. Instead, focus on the real business drivers and the Value Propositions you've been using all along anyhow. The reality is that there's most probably an expectation on both sides of the table that a discount will need to be made to move into the Win Column. Having said that, it doesn't necessarily need to be cash. What about extended payment terms, additional implementation training or extended timing for that training, or a higher level of tech support? All value-oriented options that don't directly cut into your margin.
The Reality Check
Not every deal will close today or Monday. But what separates your abilities as a great salesperson is how you handle these pressure moments. Stay professional and always, always focus on genuine customer value creation remembering that relationships matter more than any single quarter.
The deals you don't close today, or Monday become the foundation for a strong Q3 start. Handle them with integrity, maintain the relationships and use the lessons learned to build a more predictable pipeline going forward.
Final Thoughts
Monday is Monday and then Q3 starts whether you hit your number or not. Give today everything you have, but don't sacrifice long-term relationships for short-term gains. Those of us who have been in the game for a while know that the best salespeople and the best sales managers demonstrate steady consistent performance. That steady performance is always rooted on the foundation of daily attention to our sales process, the tools we've developed centered around the customer value we provide and the science of the math...and, of course...every once in a while, just plain luck even sometimes on the last day of the quarter. If you have a minute between calls today, you might also find this helpful.
Now stop reading blogs and go make some calls! Have a great weekend!
Think about Taking time this summa' to update your Sales playbook!
Think about taking a day out of July or August to work with us to tune up...or maybe actually create your first sales playbook.
Our free how-to ebooks for general ideas:
"Writing the Winning Sales Plan"
"Writing the Winning Business Plan"
"Writing the Winning Marketing Plan"
We facilitate ideas on structure, models, process funnels, productivity tools and how to recruit, hire and onboard the best people. We're real salesguys who continue to play and coach the game every day.
Connect with me any time at jack@derbymanagement.com and let's discuss.
What's your end-of-quarter strategy? Share your best last-minute closing techniques in the comments below.
