Right the Ship: How Salespeople Can Finish the Year Strong

Oct 13, 2026

Right the Ship: How Salespeople Can Finish the Year Strong
With less than three months left in the year, every salesperson faces a moment of truth. The question is no longer, “Can I still have a good year?” The better question is, “What exactly has to happen between now and December 31 for me to reach my number?” This is the time to stop hoping, stop guessing, and start operating with precision. Righting the ship does not require panic. It requires honesty, math, focus, and disciplined execution.
The first step is to evaluate the gap. Pull your year-to-date results and compare them to your annual quota. If your goal is $1,000,000 and you have closed $650,000, you are $350,000 short. That number may feel intimidating, but it becomes manageable when you break it down. Divide the remaining gap by the number of selling weeks left. If there are twelve weeks remaining, you need to average roughly $29,200 in closed revenue per week. Then ask the harder question: based on your current pipeline, activity level, win rate, and average deal size, is that pace realistic?
Next, inspect your pipeline with clear eyes. Not every opportunity deserves your time in the final stretch. Separate your deals into three groups: likely to close this year, possible but at risk, and unlikely to close before year-end. The final group should not disappear, but it should not consume your best hours. The possible group needs immediate action. What is missing? Budget approval? Executive alignment? Legal review? A compelling business case? A next meeting? The likely group requires protection. Confirm decision dates, buying steps, stakeholders, and risks so nothing slips because of assumption or silence.
Once you know the gap and the quality of your pipeline, calculate what it will take to close it. Start with your average deal size. If your average deal is $25,000 and you are $350,000 short, you need fourteen average deals. If your close rate on qualified opportunities is 25 percent, you may need roughly fifty-six qualified opportunities to produce those fourteen wins. That does not mean you can magically create that many late-stage deals overnight, but it tells you the truth. You either need more qualified pipeline, larger opportunities, faster deal movement, better conversion, or some combination of all four.
The priority now is focus. Identify the accounts most likely to buy before year-end and build a written pursuit plan for each one. Define the economic buyer, the business problem, the financial impact of inaction, the decision process, the competitors, and the next step. A vague “checking in” email will not right the ship. A specific message that connects your solution to a measurable business outcome might. Every conversation should create movement: confirm need, quantify value, secure access to power, resolve a concern, or schedule the next commitment.
At the same time, increase productive activity, not just activity. More calls, emails, and meetings matter only if they are aimed at the right people with the right message. Revisit stalled opportunities from earlier in the year. Contact past customers who may need add-ons, renewals, upgrades, or expanded services. Ask existing clients for referrals into similar companies or departments. Work with your manager to identify accounts where urgency already exists. Year-end is not the season for random motion; it is the season for targeted intensity.
You also need a weekly operating rhythm. Each week, review three numbers: closed revenue, committed pipeline, and new qualified pipeline created. If the gap is not shrinking, change the plan immediately. Waiting thirty days to discover that your strategy is not working is too expensive. Hold yourself accountable to leading indicators: new executive conversations, proposals sent, mutual action plans agreed to, referrals requested, and dormant accounts reactivated. Revenue is the result, but these actions are the controls.
Finally, stay mentally disciplined. A shortfall can create fear, and fear often leads to discounting too quickly, chasing poor-fit deals, or avoiding the truth. Do the opposite. Be direct with prospects. Ask, “Is this a project you intend to complete before year-end?” Ask, “What could prevent this from moving forward?” Ask, “Who else needs to be involved for this decision to be made?” Clear questions produce clear forecasts.
Righting the ship is not about heroic last-minute effort. It is about making the remaining time count. Know your gap. Test your pipeline. Do the math. Prioritize the deals that can close. Create urgency through value, not pressure. Execute every week like the year depends on it—because it does. If you face the facts now and act with discipline, the final months can still become the strongest part of your year.

Written by: Hans Hansson
[email protected]
Hans Hansson is the President of Starboard Commercial Real Estate. Hans has been an active broker for over 35 years in the San Francisco Bay Area and specializes in office leasing and investments. If you have any questions or comments, please email [email protected] or call him at (415) 765-6897. You may also check out his website, https://www.hanshansson.com