Customers buy on their time, not yours! Trying to shove a stalled deal across the line won’t fix bad qualification.
It’s fiscal year-end.
The pipeline’s full of “almost there” deals.
And leadership is asking:
“What’s it gonna take to get this one closed by the 31st?”
Here’s the problem we’ve all felt this before:
When a deal is lingering, and you’re under pressure to make the number, the temptation is to push… harder.
Experienced sales pros don’t push. They re-qualify.
Customers buy in their time, not yours.
And your fiscal year-end means nothing to their procurement team.
So what do great salespeople do instead?
They ask better questions! Instead of saying:
“Can we get this closed by the 31st?”
Try:
“When do you need this to be up and running?”
“What still needs to happen on your side to move this forward?”
“If we’re going to hit your goal, when would we need the PO?”
This isn’t rocket science, it’s owning your role in creating clarity.
Don’t chase the deal.
Get real about the deal. Trying to force a close when the buyer isn’t aligned = a surefire way to kill trust, delay the process, or worse, burn the relationship.
YOUR YEAR-END CHALLENGE:
Pick 5 open deals from your pipeline.
Start every conversation this week with:
“Do you need this to happen on your side before the end of the year?”
Then shut up.
Listen.
Let the customer tell you what’s going on even if they tell you it’s not happening.