Quick Summary
The best Q4 sales tips start with getting organized early. Set your exact income and revenue number for December 31, call your best and biggest clients first, then work your “A” leads: the deals you almost closed and the prospects who told you to call back. Finally, picture yourself already hitting your goal, and let that feeling drive your action every day.
Key Takeaways
- Know exactly how much you’ll earn and close by December 31, and write it down.
- Call your best and biggest clients first. They’re your fastest path to more business and referrals.
- Work your “A” leads next: near-misses, call-backs, and regular buyers.
- Picture yourself already hitting your goal, and carry that feeling into every day.
- Sales leaders: set each rep’s number, review their target lists, and coach the closing conversations.
What’s your plan to finish strong?
I always know the end of the year is coming because that’s when my phone rings off the hook with companies wanting to hire me to help them finish the year strong. Use the four keys below to get organized, focused, and committed to having your best end of year yet.
4 Steps to Finish the Fourth Quarter Strong
1. Be Crystal Clear on Your Income Number and Revenue Goal
Exactly how much money are you going to earn by December 31st of this year? And exactly how much business are you going to close to earn that?
If you can’t answer that with absolute clarity, then this is goal one for you.
Knowing exactly how much you’re going to earn acts like a magnet that attracts clients, opportunities, and business your way. Having this exact number also motivates you to take action and continue taking action throughout the quarter.
Take some time today to identify these two numbers and then write them down on a card and keep it with you at all times. Post it at your desk, on your bathroom mirror, in your car, etc. Remember, what you focus on, you create.
2. Call Your Best and Biggest Clients First
Your greatest asset as a closer is your current list of clients. Now, I didn’t say “all” your clients, but rather your best and biggest clients. It’s been said that 80% of your business comes from your top 20% of clients, so who are they, and what is your strategy to help them buy more this quarter?
Make a target list of these clients and begin calling them this week. Be on the lookout for not only more business, but referral business as well. Once again, identify a number you expect to generate from your top clients and add 10% to it.
3. Call Your “A” Leads Next
Identify your most valuable leads next and make attempts to reach them in the first weeks of the quarter. These “A” leads should include deals you almost closed earlier this year; leads or companies who told you to call back at this time; and those clients who regularly buy and who you know will place orders with you. Don’t forget to ask these buyers about any unused budget they need to spend before the end of the year.
Prioritizing your leads in this way will make sure you spend your time early in the quarter focused on those leads that will give you the best return for effort. Bottom line? Call these leads next!
And when December arrives, use these 12 tips to close your deals in December to finish the year strong.
4. Visualize How It Feels to Hit Your Revenue Goal
A great motivator I learned from years ago told me that what’s important about goal setting is to begin acting and feeling as if you’ve already accomplished your goal. He called it the “Be” state.
So project yourself to the holidays, and ask yourself:
- What does it feel like now that you’ve accomplished your goal?
- What are the things you’re enjoying now that you have?
Start thinking about the company holiday party and what it feels like to receive your bonus or recognition. How about your family? What are they feeling now that you’ve made your goal? How confident, positive, and happy are you?
These are the feelings you should identify now and begin affirming every night when you go to sleep and every morning first thing when you wake up. Again, you become what you think about all day long. Your beliefs bridge the gap between your goals and your results.
How Sales Leaders Can Help Their Team Finish Q4 Strong
These four keys work for an individual rep, and they work even better when a sales leader drives them across the whole team. Sit down with each rep to set their income number and revenue goal for December 31, then add those numbers up so you know exactly where the team needs to land.
Next, review each rep’s target list of best clients and “A” leads. Make sure your biggest opportunities are on someone’s list, and help your reps decide where to spend their time first. Then hold a short weekly check-in on the calls they made and the deals that moved, so nobody drifts in the final weeks of the year.
Coach the conversations that matter most. Listen in on calls, ride along on key meetings, and role-play the closing conversations with your top accounts before your reps have them. If your team struggles to close under year-end pressure, The Closer’s Edge™ sales closing training gives them a proven system to close decisively and protect your price.
Get in Alignment and Finish Strong
These are the four keys to having a great 4th quarter. I’ve already organized my business to be in alignment with them, and I can already feel how good it is to have accomplished them. It’s a great state to be in, and I encourage you to get in alignment with these keys as well.
Start today by writing down your number, then build your target list and make your first calls before the week is over.
Being crystal clear on your number is the first key, and it’s the one that drives the other three. If you want help setting your goals, building the plan to hit them, and putting real deadlines on them, our FREE Goal Planning Guide walks you through it step by step.
Common Questions About Fourth Quarter Sales
Start by setting your exact income and revenue goal for December 31. Then call your best and biggest clients first, work your “A” leads next (the deals you almost closed and the prospects who asked you to call back), and picture yourself hitting your goal so that feeling drives your daily activity.
Decide exactly how much money you want to earn by December 31 and exactly how much business you need to close to earn it. Write both numbers down and keep them where you’ll see them every day.
Your best clients already trust you and are the fastest path to more business. They’re also a strong source of referrals, which can create new opportunities before the year ends.
Picture yourself having already hit your goal. Think about what it feels like to earn your bonus, celebrate at the holiday party, and share the win with your family. Revisit that feeling every morning and every night, and let it drive your daily activity.
For companies on a calendar year, the fourth quarter runs from October 1 through December 31. Companies with a different fiscal year have a different Q4, so check with your customers on when their year ends, since that affects when their budgets reset.
Set each rep’s income and revenue number for December 31, review their target lists of best clients and “A” leads, and coach the closing conversations that matter most. Closing skills training can help if your team struggles under year-end pressure.
