What Founders Miss When Chasing Year-End Deals

Today’s Skill: Closing The Loop

Well, 2025 has been a blip and here we are in mid-November already. If you’re like most businesses, you’re planning a sprint toward the “New Years” finish line and trying to close as much business as you can by years end.

If you’re looking at the calendar, you might be thinking you still have plenty of time with 6 ½ weeks left.

But, that’s the wrong way to look at it.

Realistically, there are only 22 business days left in 2025 😮

With the way holidays fall this year, December 19th might be the last day to solidify partnerships before year-end.

Don’t get caught thinking there is more time.

Lets plan accordingly.

What You Can Do

1️⃣ Know Exactly Where Your Deals Are At

→ Get hyper-focused on which deals can close before end of year and focus on those first.

Ask yourself: What information am I missing to help me understand when they are signing?

🚩 Large waving red flags:

• You haven’t discussed a starting date with them

• They haven’t chosen you as the vendor

+ Here’s a reminder how to do an effective audit of your pipeline

2️⃣ Get Clear On Next Steps

→ What is the defined next step for this deal AND when is it happening?

A next step is NOT “Client is talking internally and will get back to me”. That is very ambiguous.

We must be specific. If we don’t have one, we must create one that is more concrete.

👣 Your Next Step: Reach out to your prospect immediately (preferably by phone, first) to solidify where this project is at and confirm a next step call to progress it.

+ Here’s a reminder how to set next steps proactively

3️⃣ Know The Entire Process To Get Started

→ Can you accurately spell out the exact steps to execute the contract?

Don’t assume it’s just a signature. Are they waiting on budget approval, is it legal review or redlines, have they officially chosen you as the vendor? Get clarity now, not later.

Ask your prospect: “What steps need to happen on your end to approve and sign the contract?”

→ Get into the weeds. Your differentiator is creating tension.

+ Here’s a reminder why it’s important.

4️⃣ Work In Tandem With Your Point of Contact

→ If this is going to happen this year, work with your Point of Contact (POC) to walk backward from their anticipated start date and map each step that needs to happen.

Remember: If it’s more than one person involved in the decision/signing, that’s an extra layer of complexity to get this over the line. Are they taking vacation? Do they have year-end projects that take precedent? Are there board meetings that are being cancelled because of holidays/travel?

Don’t assume they know what it takes to get this done. Make sure they know you’re in it with them to guide them along the process.

→ The Buyer’s Journey is different than yours sales process.

+ Refresh yourself on how that impacts your sales cycle

Whatever You Do…

→ Don’t discount just to squeeze something in.

→ Don’t burn bridges to chase a short-term win.

Don’t forget…You need revenue next year, too.

Be deliberate with your actions but use empathy to understand the hurdles on their end and help remove blockers to getting this done. If it’s going to happen, it’ll happen. If not, respect it and push it out.

Pipeline is built on the relationships you make now and the momentum you maintain throughout the sales cycle.

Your Action Step:

I’d go through your entire pipeline today and make sure you are on top of things.

There are two clear paths:

If it’s a 2025 deal, get hyper-focused and drive the process forward with the above steps.

If it’s a 2026 deal, connect with your prospect to agree on a next step and get a calendar date set. Be okay with scheduling into January when they might be able to focus on this project more. It’ll help you start of the new year on a positive note!