For salespeople, the last 3 months of the year, also known as Q4, can be one of the year's most challenging and important times. It can be challenging since clients and leads are busy trying to finish the year off strong to hit their sales targets while determining their budget for the next year. As tough as this period is, there’s always a way to keep your sales team energized and ready to win the quarter.
Here are some ways your team can have an effective Q4.
Entering Q4, determine what your goal is for the quarter. Look at your previous quarters and reflect on where your team has thrived and what areas they need to focus more on. Make sure your goals are current so you are on the right track.
You want to be specific about what your goals are. Having a detailed metric allows the sales team to hold themselves accountable for reaching their goal. It also gives them a number they can use to measure success. Having a clear final goal will help your team work to calculate the initial efforts they need to make throughout the quarter.
Ensuring your team is on the same page is key to a successful Q4. You might want to have mid-quarterly check-in to see how the team is doing as the year progresses and is coming to a close. Strategizing how to tackle the upcoming holidays can also be important when creating your internal calendar.
Holidays can lead to long weekends and can also be the starting point for week-long vacations for some of those on your team. Depending on your industry, you may have people working around the holidays. Having an internal calendar can be a great way for your team to identify who will be out and how they can help support in their absence.
Following up with your top leads at the end of the year is very important. If you are working in sales, chances are you’ve chatted with hundreds of contacts over the years. Chances are some companies were already working with someone or weren’t interested at the moment because their budget was tied up. Reach back out to them to see how things are going.
In the process, tell them about the success your company has been seeing and any new findings that might be useful to them. Providing initial value lets your lead know that you are truly reaching out because you believe you can be a solution for them rather than just coming off as someone trying to make a sale.
Leveraging the holidays to increase your sales during Q4 is a useful tactic for a strong Q4. Holidays can be a great time to offer up special deals to clients you are looking to work with going into the new year. Personally negotiated discounts can be useful and necessary when determining how to meet your Q4 goals. If you explain why your business/service can be valuable to them, they could potentially make a deal with you now because it could save them money. Everyone loves a discount! All you need to do is get them interested.
Offering payment incentives, like a small discount for prompt payments made in Q4, can also help nudge your numbers up at the last moment.
We mentioned above how personalization is critical to nailing a lead in Q4. It all starts with the type of tech you use to personalize your emails.
Leveraging a good CRM, which integrates sales and marketing into one self-contained platform, will help you keep track of your efforts across all your teams. You can internally support your team and ensure that your follow-up emails are personalized and sent promptly.
All of your information will be organized and transparent for the entire team to see so no one is stepping on each other’s toes. A properly integrated CRM reliably helps sales and marketing teams seal conversions and improve their Q4 results. There are many CRMs to choose from. It just depends on what your needs are.
On that same note, be sure to keep all your teams informed, motivated, and — more importantly — happy. A positive work environment can be the difference-maker in keeping the peace during hectic times. Q4 can add a high-stress level, so ensuring your team is in good spirits and motivated to work together is critical.
Another tactic to keep your team in a great space is by unifying your sales, marketing, and customer service teams. Keeping people on the same page helps build solidarity and show’s that no one is alone. A team’s bond is strongest when each person knows that they are working together and for each other, to ultimately become successful as one.
