[GTM glossary](/glossary.txt) End of quarter push Sales # End of quarter push (EOQ push) Also known as: EOQ push, quarter-end push In short An end of quarter (EOQ) push is the surge of selling activity in the final weeks of a fiscal quarter, when reps and managers focus on pulling in deals that can still close and securing the quota number. The push is natural because quotas, commissions, and board reporting reset on quarterly boundaries. It becomes a problem when it relies on heavy discounting or pulled-forward deals that distort the next quarter. ## What happens during an EOQ push * **Deal triage:** Managers sort open deals into likely, possible, and unlikely and focus on the first two. * **Daily inspection:** Short, frequent forecast calls replace the usual weekly rhythm. * **Executive help:** Leaders join calls to unblock legal, security, or budget concerns. * **Paperwork speed:** Deal desk, legal, and finance prioritize contracts and approvals. --- ## How to run one well ### Start earlier than the last week Deals that close in the final days were usually in good shape weeks before. Review the pipeline with enough time left to fix gaps in approvals, stakeholders, and paperwork. ### Focus on removing blockers Ask what is stopping each deal from signing: a missing approver, a security review, a redline. Fix those instead of simply pressing the buyer for a date. ### Hold the line on discounting Set discount guardrails in advance with a clear approval path. Without them, urgency turns into margin loss and trains buyers to wait for quarter end. ### Protect next quarter Keep prospecting through the push. Reps who stop sourcing for three weeks start the next quarter with a thin pipeline. --- ## Example Say a team is at 80 percent of quota with two weeks left. The manager lists every open deal, flags the five with a named buyer, an agreed timeline, and only legal review left, and assigns each a blocker owner. Meanwhile, three weak deals with no confirmed budget are left in the pipeline for next quarter instead of being discounted to close early. --- ## Common mistakes * Heavy discounting that sets a pattern buyers learn to exploit. * Pulling forward deals that were not ready, which creates churn or a hole in next quarter. * Optimistic forecasting based on rep sentiment instead of buyer-confirmed steps. * Burning out the team with every quarter treated as an emergency. --- ## End of quarter push FAQs **What is an end of quarter push in sales?** It is the burst of effort in the last weeks of a fiscal quarter to close open deals and reach quota. Managers inspect deals more often, leaders step in on blockers, and contracts get faster internal approvals. **Why do sales teams push so hard at the end of the quarter?** Quotas, commissions, and financial reporting are tied to quarterly periods. Deals that close before the cutoff count toward that quarter, so teams concentrate effort there, and buyers sometimes use the deadline to ask for better terms. **How do you avoid discounting too much in an EOQ push?** Set discount limits and approval levels before the quarter starts, tie any concession to a concrete trade such as a longer term or faster signature, and track how much of your revenue closes at the deadline so you can spot a pattern. **Is an end of quarter push bad for a sales team?** Not on its own. A focused push to remove final blockers is healthy. It becomes harmful when it depends on pulling forward unready deals, steep discounts, or constant pressure that burns out reps and weakens the next quarter pipeline. Share term --- ## More related phrases * [End of quarter](/glossary/end-of-quarter.txt) * [End of year](/glossary/end-of-year.txt) * [Fear, uncertainty, doubt](/glossary/fear-uncertainty-doubt.txt) ## Similar phrases * [Quota attainment](/glossary/quota-attainment.txt) Quota attainment is the percentage of a sales quota a rep or team has achieved in a period, calculated as results divided by quota and shown as a percentage. * [Deal slippage](/glossary/deal-slippage.txt) Deal slippage is when an opportunity expected to close in a given period moves to a later one, hurting forecast accuracy and quarterly attainment for sales teams. * [Pipeline coverage](/glossary/pipeline-coverage.txt) Pipeline coverage is the ratio of open pipeline value to the sales target for a period, used to judge whether there are enough deals to reach quota. * [Sales forecasting](/glossary/sales-forecasting.txt) Sales forecasting estimates how much revenue a team will close in a future period, using pipeline data, history, and rep judgment so leaders can plan hiring and spending. * [Commit forecast](/glossary/commit-forecast.txt) A commit forecast is the revenue a rep or manager is confident enough to promise for a period, made up of deals they expect to close with very high certainty.