Every quarter presents challenges for sales reps and managers, but many sales professionals reserve their Grinch-like feelings for Q4 sales goals. The roadblocks people cite are endless: Distracting holiday parties, no time to close sales, everyone’s focused on next quarter … on and on and on.
To me, it comes down to perspective. If you let your sales team make these excuses or have a negative view of their potential starting October 1, of course they won’t be successful! Instead of letting self-sabotage take over your team, use these six strategies and unwrap the gift of Q4 sales success.
1. Spread the Cheer and Have Fun With Q4 Sales Goals!
We’ll jump into metrics and targets in a minute, but before we do, it’s important to remember you need to set a positive mindset for your team. Q4 is crunch time. Your reps may be stressed out about missing goals. This creates a sense of urgency, and your team will start to sound desperate when communicating with prospects and clients – which isn’t a recipe for success.
Try one of these 10 sales games or create one of your own. You can even call them “reindeer games” if you’re feeling festive! It will help your team relax, bond, and set new appointments.
2. Make a List and Check It Twice
After introducing a bit of fun, turn your attention to figuring out why the gap between forecasted and actual sales exists. Analyzing sales metrics is a good place to start and is something you should do on a regular basis. There are 15 sales metrics to monitor if you want a clear picture of what is and isn’t working.
Four categories and fifteen sales metrics to watch
1. Annual Sales
Total sales, net new clients, current account revenue, sales growth, client retention
2. Sales Activities
Cold calls, first-time appointments set, new proposals, new referrals
3. Sales Opportunities
Marketing qualified leads, new opportunities entering the pipeline, opportunities that convert to proposals, proposals that convert to sales
4. Marketing Activities
Marketing qualified leads received, list growth
The data will point out where issues exist, like a breakdown during a phase in your sales process limiting conversions. When you find a problem area, work with your team to create a solution. This will prevent the situation from limiting your revenue-generating potential in Q4 and beyond.
3. Ring Up Prospects and Clients Before Ringing In the New Year
If you really want to close the year with a sales bang, look for opportunities in your contact list. Tell your team to set aside time, evaluate the previous year, and then draw up lists of prospects and clients to call.
Here are 4 ideas to get you started:
- List out prospects you haven’t talked to in over 90 days
- Evaluate closed sales and see if there are other services those clients considered but didn’t close on
- Reach out to lingering prospects, even from January
- Look at all your clients and consider who has room in their budget
Holiday Bonus!
Reps won’t have 100% success when reaching out to prospects or clients. Keep them encouraged by reminding them outreach now will give them a head start with clients in Q1.
4. Give Thanks and Ask for Referrals
The holidays are a time for giving and giving thanks. Work with your team to set up a referral gathering strategy that starts with thanking your current clients. It could be as simple as an email, or you could choose to send a gift. Tell your customers how much you appreciate working with them, and include a short, simple request for a referral.
5. Eat, Drink, and Be Merry
The holiday season is filled with parties and community events, taking your prospect out of the office and limiting their availability. Instead of viewing this as a roadblock, think of it as the perfect opportunity for socializing and networking.
When you receive invitations for holiday parties (virtual or in-person!), consider not only what you’ll wear but if your prospects will be there. Don’t talk shop for the entire party. Give them a quick elevator pitch, and then promise to follow up the next business day.
Connecting at virtual and in-person events means when you reach out you won’t be cold calling or emailing your prospect, making them more likely to respond.
6. Play To Win the Game
Q4 isn’t only holiday season. It’s also football season, and teams are playing to win. Yes, they prefer touchdowns, but field goals are points too and are better than nothing. Similarly, small deals are better than no deals.
You may not be able to find prospects willing or able to spend big in Q4, but you can turn several small opportunities into closed deals, slowly moving toward your sales goal.
Contributed blog courtesy of KLA Group and authored by Kendra Lee, CEO of KLA Group. Read more contributed blogs from Kendra Lee here.
