[GTM glossary](/glossary.md) End of quarter Sales # End of quarter In short End of quarter is the last few weeks of a fiscal quarter, when sales teams race to close deals that count toward quarterly quota and revenue targets. Deadlines for bookings, commissions, and forecasts create urgency on the seller side. It matters because pipeline, discounting, and forecasting behave differently at this point. Buyers know sellers want to close, and sellers may pull deals forward that were not ready. A related period, end of year, is covered separately. ## What changes in the final weeks * **Forecast pressure:** Leaders ask for commit numbers and deal-by-deal updates. * **Discount requests:** Buyers may ask for better pricing, expecting flexibility before the deadline. * **Deal desk load:** Approvals for pricing and terms queue up, so slow reviews cost deals. * **Slipped deals:** Deals that miss the cutoff move into the next quarter and affect the next forecast. --- ## How to prepare ### Start early Review the pipeline six to eight weeks out. Late-stage deals need mutual close plans with real dates. ### Clean the forecast Remove stale deals and confirm next steps and stakeholders for each commit deal. ### Pre-approve the paperwork Line up legal, security, and procurement steps early, since these often decide whether a deal lands in time. ### Protect next quarter Keep prospecting. Teams that stop generating pipeline to chase closes feel it a quarter later. --- ## Example Say a rep has a deal at the contract stage with two weeks left. Instead of offering a discount for signing early, the rep checks what is outstanding: a security review and one signature. The rep shares a dated plan with the buyer and gets both done in the first week. --- ## Common mistakes * **Discounting by default:** Cutting price for urgency trains buyers to wait. * **Pulling in weak deals:** Closing a poorly fit customer early can lead to churn. * **Hockey-stick pipelines:** Most deals closing in the final days suggests weak planning earlier. * **Ignoring the buyer’s calendar:** Their approvals matter more than your deadline. --- ## End of quarter FAQs **What does end of quarter mean in sales?** End of quarter refers to the last weeks of a fiscal quarter, when sales teams work to close deals that count toward quarterly quota. It brings forecast reviews, discount requests, and deal desk approvals, and deals that miss the cutoff slip into the next quarter. **Why do salespeople push harder at end of quarter?** Quotas, forecasts, and commissions are measured by quarter, so closed deals before the deadline count toward targets and pay. Companies also report results quarterly, which adds pressure on leaders to meet the numbers. **Is it a good time to buy software at end of quarter?** Sometimes buyers get better terms because sellers want to close, but it is not guaranteed. Many sellers hold pricing to protect margins. Buyers should still confirm needs and terms instead of rushing to a deadline. **How can sales teams avoid end of quarter slip?** Review late-stage deals early, agree dated mutual close plans, start legal and security reviews ahead of time, and remove deals without clear next steps from the commit forecast. Keep prospecting so next quarter has pipeline too. Share term --- ## More related phrases * [End of quarter push](/glossary/end-of-quarter-push.md) * [Fiscal quarter](/glossary/fiscal-quarter.md) * [Deal slippage](/glossary/deal-slippage.md) ## Similar phrases * [End of year](/glossary/end-of-year.md) End of year is the final stretch of a fiscal or calendar year when budgets, quotas, and holidays shape how B2B deals are won, delayed, or lost. * [Mutual close plan](/glossary/mutual-close-plan.md) A mutual close plan is a buyer-and-seller agreed timeline of the steps, owners, and dates needed to get from final evaluation to a signed contract. * [Commit forecast](/glossary/commit-forecast.md) 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. * [Pipeline coverage](/glossary/pipeline-coverage.md) 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.md) 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.