• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Weekly Sales Tip
  • |
  • 303-741-6636
kla-logo

KLA Group

IT Sales and Marketing Agency

Menu
  • SERVICES
      • Digital Marketing
      • Custom Website Design
      • SEO Consulting
      • Email Marketing
      • Content Development
      • Marketing Coaching
      • Software Development
      • Our Process
      • Revenue Generating System
      • Digital Marketing Services
      • Sales Training & Coaching Programs
      • Sales Training Programs
      • How to Cold Call
      • Consultative Selling
      • Email Prospecting
      • How to Ask for Referrals
      • Lead Generation Training
      • Sales Coaching
      • Sales Process
      • Sales Hiring Coaching
      • Outsourced Sales Management
      • Sales Assessment
      • Contact Us
  • WHO WE SERVE
    • ConnectWise Evolve
    • IT Managed Service Providers
    • IT Solution Providers
    • Sales Consultants
    • B2B Companies
    • Phone System Providers
  • ABOUT KLA
    • About Kendra Lee
    • Hire Kendra Lee to Speak
    • Meet the Team
  • BLOG
  • RESOURCES
    • Books by Kendra Lee
      • The Sales Magnet
      • Selling Against the Goal
    • Ebooks & Guides
    • Events
    • Weekly Sales Tip
    • Thoughts About Generating Revenue
    • Coffee with Kendra
  • Contact us

Peeking Ahead to Q1? Why Ignoring Q4 is a Very Bad Idea

Last updated May 17, 2022 Categories: blog, Sales Prospecting, Sales Strategy
Go Get It!

It’s the fourth quarter. Your sales numbers aren’t where you’d like them to be. The calendar is changing. The minutes are ticking down. Tick-tock.

You may be feeling discouraged, annoyed, even angry. You can do all that. Or, you can get motivated.

Recently, I heard a sales consultant tell a team that they should forget about closing Q4 deals if they weren’t already close to achieving this year’s revenue goal.  The only value to Q4, this consultant argued, is that it presents an opportunity to get a jumpstart on Q1. He advised the reps turn their attention to laying groundwork for next year.

And he was dead serious.

That’s not how I see it. If this were a football game, the players wouldn’t give up in the fourth quarter. Rather they’d push harder, looking for every opportunity to score points. And when there are two minutes to go, they find still more power, take more risks and never concede the win until the last second of the game.

Why should a salesperson treat Q4 any differently than the other three quarters of the year? Opportunities are still there and you’ve still got quotas, targets, and annual revenue goals to shoot for – right up until December 31. For me, quitting on Q4 to look ahead to Q1 is akin to a football team walking off the field in the fourth quarter of a game so it can rest up and prepare for its next one. That’s not going to happen. Nor should it happen with you.

You’ve still got time to close more deals and make more money. Why wouldn’t you give Q4 your full attention?

3 Excuses for Abandoning Q4 (and Why They’re All Bogus)

With over 25 years of sales experience, I’ve heard every excuse business owners and reps make for why Q4 is a dismal time to sell.

It’s the holiday season – prospects aren’t in the office and they don’t want to hear from me. I’m too far behind – even if I worked my tail off, I couldn’t make our target. To close any deal, I have to slash our prices and we can’t afford that.

What do I think about those excuses? They’re incorrect, self-defeatist drivel. Here’s why:

  1. “No one wants to talk business during the holidays.” Do companies suddenly shutter their windows in November and December, plan their holiday parties and give their staff time off? Do they ignore their biggest challenges or top initiatives to focus on in January? No. Someone is working and, believe it or not, it’s often easier to reach those people because they’re more relaxed and open to chat.
  2. “There isn’t enough time left to do anything meaningful.” Most of the small and midsize companies we work with have average sales cycles of 60-120 days for new clients. So, yes, there are some deals that just won’t close before year-end, but there are plenty of others that could. While we don’t have 120 days left, there’s still time to close add-on sales, upsells, and fast moving 30-45 day opportunities.
  3. “Because it’s year-end, prospects and clients expect a discount.” Guess whose fault that is? Because so many sales reps now manage Q4 with such nonchalance, customers have begun to expect fire sales and slashed prices. When you sound desperate or frantic, prospects smell blood in the water and take advantage of the situation. When the tone of your emails and phone calls is confident and built around a clear business case, you can manage your prospecting with the same confidence you have in March or April.

Boom or Bust: How Will You Close Out Q4?

I don’t let those business owners, sales leaders or sales reps off the hook with excuses. I’m not going to let you off, either. Think of me as your own personal football coach pushing you to find the energy and drive to take more risks so you can close more sales and make more money.

You can still make your Q4 target.

But to achieve your goal, you need to fully commit to the next few months just as you would in Q1. The payoff for doing that can be significant. The payoff for quitting on Q4? I’m guessing you can figure that one out on your own.

As you can tell, I’m passionate about the sales opportunities available to you in Q4. So passionate that we’ve just written a new ebook to give you 10 sales strategies to close the year strong. Get your free copy to find last minute opportunities and boost your sales in Q4.

Primary Sidebar

Join Us

The Secret to Increased Sales Productivity in a TikTok World Kendra Animated

Don't miss this opportunity to prospect and close sales faster.

RSVP

Get Your Guide: Build and Protect Your Sales Funnel

KLA 45 Ways

Use these strategies to protect your current clients while generating new leads.

Download It Now

Find Us On Youtube

Get Connected


Get Connected

Categories

  • B2B Lead Generation & Marketing
  • blog
  • Christmas Parodies & Holiday Blogs
  • Email Marketing
  • General
  • Revenue Generating Success Strategies 
  • Revenue Generating System
  • Sales Hiring
  • Sales Prospecting
  • Sales Strategy
  • Sales Tips & Tricks
  • Sales Training Development
  • Selling in Pandemic
  • SEO
  • Success Strategies
  • Videos
  • Website Design
  • Winning New Customers

Footer

Services

  • Digital Marketing Services
  • Sales Training
  • Sales Process
  • Hire Kendra to Speak
footer-logo

Resources

  • Blog
  • Coffee with Kendra
  • Events
  • Ebooks & Guides
  • Newsletter
  • Weekly Sales Tip
  • Books by KLA

About KLA

  • About Us
  • Who We Serve
  • Revenue Generating System

Contact Us

Call +1 888-305-0471Contact Us

Join Us

Subscribe OptionsCoffee With Kendra
  • Privacy Policy
  • Sitemap

© 2023 KLA Group. All Right Reserved.

Talk with an Expert

Name
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Lead Generation Syllabus

Name
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Sales Coaching

Name
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

How to Ask for Referrals Syllabus

Name
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Email Prospecting Syllabus

Name
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Consultative Selling Syllabus

Name
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

How to Cold Call Syllabus

Name
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.