As the year comes to a close, not every deal in your pipeline deserves your attention. The key to finishing strong is knowing which opportunities are real, ready, and worth your time before the end of the year.

By Jason Pearl, Founder of Nacre Consulting

As the year winds down, the pressure to “finish strong” starts to build.

Leaders start scanning their pipelines, trying to figure out which deals they can realistically close before December 31st. I’ve been there hundreds of times with clients. You can feel the urgency, but that doesn’t mean every deal deserves your attention.

Here’s the truth:

The companies that close strong don’t chase every opportunity. They focus on the right ones, the deals that are real, ready, and reachable.

Let’s talk about how to find them.

1. Get Honest About What’s Real

Before you decide where to spend your time, you’ve got to face what’s actually in front of you.

Most pipelines I see are bloated. They look healthy in a CRM, but underneath are stale deals with no recent activity, outdated contacts, or “hope” entries that make the team feel busy instead of productive.

That’s why I recommend a Pipeline Cleanse, and yes, it’s as simple as it sounds.

Put every deal into one of three buckets:

Engaged: Active conversations with defined next steps.

Needing Re-Engagement: They showed interest but have gone quiet.

Cold or Dead: No response, no fit, or no longer a priority.

Start by focusing on the engaged group first. These are the ones with real potential before year-end. Then, decide which “re-engagement” opportunities are worth one more thoughtful reach-out.

The rest? Let them go.

You’ll be amazed how much clearer your forecast (and your head) feels when your pipeline is lean and real.

2. Ask Four Grounding Questions

Every deal you plan to focus on between now and year-end should be able to answer four questions clearly:

1.  Why were they interested in the first place?

Go back to their own words. What pain or goal drove their initial outreach? If that still exists, there’s opportunity.

2.  Are you talking to the decision maker?

If you’re not at the level that can sign, your odds of closing before the holidays are slim.

3.  When was your last meaningful interaction?

If it’s been more than 60 to 90 days, that deal isn’t active. It’s waiting for movement or closure.

4. Have they seen pricing or a proposal?

If not, quickly engage as there's not much time left in the year to get from discovery to deal.

Run every opportunity through this filter. You’ll quickly separate activity from actual traction.

3. Re-Engage With Purpose, Not Pressure

For those middle-bucket deals, the ones that once showed interest but have gone quiet, don’t send a lazy “just checking in” email.

Be intentional. Be specific. Use their own words.

Try something like this:

“When we first spoke, you mentioned that [insert their goal or challenge]. As the year wraps up, I wanted to check if that’s still a priority for you.”

This kind of outreach works because it reminds them why they cared, introduces natural urgency, and gives you a clear yes or no answer.

If they lean in, move quickly.

If they don’t, move on with clarity instead of false hope.

4. Focus Like a Pro

Once you’ve cleaned your pipeline, you’ll notice something: it’s smaller.

That’s not a bad thing. That’s progress.

A focused pipeline gives you clarity. It gives your team confidence. It lets you double down on what’s actually going to move before year-end.

Here’s your focus formula:

1. Prioritize the engaged opportunities.

2. Reconnect intentionally with the high-potential ones.

3. Release the rest without guilt.

When your focus sharpens, your confidence follows. You stop chasing. You start closing.

5. Finish With Clarity, Not Chaos

Finishing the year strong isn’t about grinding harder, it’s about getting honest sooner.

Clean your pipeline.

Ask better questions.

Re-engage with purpose.

Do that, and not only will you close stronger this year, you’ll start next year ahead of schedule.

Clarity compounds. And it starts with an honest look at your deals today.

Pipeline Audits That Drive Real Results

At Nacre Consulting, we help business owners and sales leaders perform Sales Pipeline Audits that separate activity from opportunity.

We dig in with you, cleaning, assessing, and aligning your pipeline so you can finish the year confident in what’s real and where to focus.

If you want to make the next 60 days your most productive of the year, let’s talk.

👉 Book a quick intro call to review your year-end pipeline and get a clear, actionable picture before December 31st.

Jason Pearl

Jason Pearl is the founder and CEO of Nacre Consulting, where he helps scaling companies unlock sustainable growth. Over the past 20+ years, Jason has guided businesses through startup, scale, and acquisition—generating more than $100M in new revenue in just the last three years. His secret is focusing on not just dollars generated but on the people behind the scenes who are producing the results.