5 Ways to Have a Great 4th Quarter

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5 Ways to Have a Great 4th Quarter

Written by Mike Brooks

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Beat Your Sales Slump

I have some good news about digging yourself out of a sales slump. Yes, it can be done, and usually faster than you think. You need an action plan, a positive attitude, and the drive to get things done. Maybe the following tips are only a refresher of what you already know, or perhaps they’ll give you a few new ideas. Regardless, these ideas work, and if you’re heading down the path of a slump, you’ll want to start here:

{mosimage}Have you ever experienced the dreaded downward curve or slump in your sales? Most of us certainly have. If you’ve been through it, you probably have a clear recollection of that lump in your throat, adrenaline-pumping moment when you realize that you need to scramble if you’re going to make your sales goal or quota. The feeling can be overwhelming and can set even the most seasoned salesperson into panic mode.

Of course, the best advice that I can give is to not let your sales dip in the first place. But, I’m not here to lecture. Instead, I have some good news about digging yourself out of a sales slump. Yes, it can be done, and usually faster than you think. You need an action plan, a positive attitude, and the drive to get things done. Maybe the following tips are only a refresher of what you already know, or perhaps they’ll give you a few new ideas. Regardless, these ideas work, and if you’re heading down the path of a slump, you’ll want to start here:

Go After the Low Hanging Fruit

Make a list of prospects who are attainable in the short-term. This isn’t the time to throw the “Hail Mary” for a long shot sale. Set your sights on those who can generate you some real sales now and work your charm on them sooner, rather than later.

Get Critiqued

When you’re in a sales slump, you need an honest evaluation of your abilities from someone who is objective. No, don’t ask your lunch buddy in the next cubicle. Ask your manager or someone you respect within the organization to evaluate your sales performance and presentation. Then, pick his or her brain for ways to improve.

Read Up

A sales slump should inspire your desire to hone your skills. Obviously, once you pull yourself out of this funk, you’ll never want to go back. Read sales books, articles, newsletters, and websites. Attend a seminar or a webinar. Explore new techniques, pick up innovative tips, and uncover fresh ways to sell to your prospects.

Stop the Blame Game

It’s natural to start looking for answers as to why you’re experiencing a slump. However, this isn’t the time to start blaming others or yourself. It doesn’t matter who or what is to blame. Your time and energy is better focused on developing strategies to improve your situation.

Try Something New

The truth is that you’ll always achieve the same outcome if you’re always doing things the same way. Branch out. Explore new techniques, strategies, methods. Who knows – you might just uncover a better, more successful way that will lead to better results.

{mosimage}For those of you who have been through training with me, read my new book - The Real Secrets of the Top 20% - or have purchased any of my training material, you know that I am BIG on preparation. I still maintain that the Top 20% are infinitely more prepared than the bottom 80% who are, for the most part, ad-libbing their way through their sales presentations and careers.

And it is this preparation that especially shows through during the 4th quarter. Top 20% producers look forward to the 4th quarter, because they know they are going to reap the benefits of the first part of the year, and they're going to use their skills to finish the year strong.

The bottom 80% are worried and are wondering how far off of their overall goal they are going to be.

One of the things you can begin doing right now to prepare to have a great 4th quarter is read and apply the ideas in this article. Use it as a check list to compare what you're doing - and what you're not doing - and then adjust your activities to cover as many of these crucial steps as possible.

Here are 5 things you need to do NOW to have a great 4th quarter:

#1) Call every existing customer and client you have to get a firm idea of what their end of the year needs are going to be. The last thing you want to do is let your existing business (often called the "low hanging fruit") go to a competitor who got their first.

When you find out what their needs are for the 4th quarter, do what you can to capture it in advance - reserve the best spots for them, write up a sample order for them, create a 'pre-order' sale for them - but do everything you can NOW to secure their business in advance.

#2) Next, do the same thing with your short list of "hot prospects" that you've identified so far this year. Once again, contact them and do the same thing - arrange dates for your presentation or service to be delivered, create an urgency for the end of the year and let them know that you've penciled them in to take care of their needs, get a specific call back date - and them call them 2 weeks prior to that!

If you can send an email of interest to them, or mail them anything, do so. It's crucial that you connect now, and give them something so they'll be thinking about you when their need arises.

#3) Schedule the training you need NOW. Make sure your team has fresh ideas, techniques and strategies in place by October. Now is the time to get your team sharp, to get them effective scripts, and to learn the most effective techniques so they are ready to go when the business is flying.

#4) Quick, can you tell me what your revenue and income goal is for the 4th quarter?

You must goal set your exact production and income numbers and begin affirming their result NOW. You will produce exactly what you think you will, and for this reason it's so important to identify in advance what that revenue figure is going to be.

I'd like to recommend two great books to help you with this. One is Jeb Blount's "PowerPrinciples", and the other is Dr. Robert Anthony's "Beyond Positive Thinking". You should buy them both on Amazon today and read them over what's left of this summer.

#5) Commit to making just 10 more prospecting calls per day for the rest of the year. Now I know that doesn't sound like a lot, does it?

But when you work it out, you'll find that you'll be making an additional 1,050 prospecting calls between now and the end of the year! How many more clients, deals, and dollars in your pocket would that mean for you and your team??

I'll guarantee you that the bottom 80% aren't going to be doing any of what you've just read. But if you commit today to implementing these 5 ideas, you'll be smiling all the way into the New Year.

And isn't that what you really want?

Where The Top 20% Shop | The Sales Store

Mike Brooks
		About the author:
		With over 20 years of inside sales closing experience, Mike Brooks has been billed nationwide as Mr. Inside Sales. Once a bottom 80% producer, Mike learned and perfected the skills of Top 20% producers and became the number one sales rep out of 5 Southern California branch offices. Author of the hot new book,The Real Secrets of the Top 20: How To Double Your Income Selling Over the Phone, Mike's proven techniques, strategies and skills are used successfully by companies in industries such as securities sales, high-tech sales, pharmaceuticals, equipment leasing and other business to business applications. Mike combines proven, current tactics and skills with personal experience to provide a motivational and practical presentation. .