4 Ways To Ensure A Successful Fourth Quarter

Can you believe it’s already the fourth quarter? As I stare at the changing leaves and pull out my puffy vest, I know it’s really true. It also means there are three months left in the year to hit your financial targets. 

So, how are your numbers? Will you hit the goals you set at the beginning of the year? Whether you’re on track to have your best year yet, or you feel a bit behind the curve, this is the time to focus and finish the year strong. 

For most entrepreneurs, the fourth quarter is notorious for one of two things: 

Business owners start panicking about hitting their goals and going into crisis mode. 

OR

They look at their goals and decide it’s too late and push them off to the next year.

I’m not a fan of being in a state of frenzy. When we’re bouncing around, scattered, and in desperate energy, it’s really hard to be effective. Crisis mode often results in unfocused effort, and while it may yield some sales, it also results in frustration, exhaustion, and overwhelm. 

The second option - closing up shop for the busy holiday months - may seem appealing. After all, you likely spent much of the year busting through your goals, working hard to bring in clients and cash, and the idea of taking a long, well-deserved, indulgent break sounds really good right about now. But this approach is often catastrophic to your business.

As we’ve discussed many times, your sales and marketing activities require consistency. Your results today are a function of what you’ve done for the last 90 days. So imagine, come January 1, what your business will look like if you simply put on your out of office notification and play. 

With neither of those options being good ones, I recommend taking the following four steps as you step boldly into these next 12 weeks:

Begin by taking stock of what’s happened in the previous three quarters.

This may seem obvious, but part of getting out of the frenzy and above the fray requires you to know what you’ve done, where you are in relation to your goals, and what has worked until now.

This also allows you to gauge how close you are to hitting those targets and gives you a realistic view of what you still need to accomplish. 

Build a fast-action plan.

Fast action may seem like you’re embracing the frenzy, but it’s actually the opposite. The fourth quarter has a tendency to fly by, especially with the holidays, loads of parties, school performances, and other social engagements. This is your opportunity to take strategic, proactive action. You’ll want to know exactly who you need to reach out to, who you should follow up with, and what you hope to accomplish. It’s okay and important to be really honest about what you can realistically get done in the remaining days and weeks. It’s also okay to prioritize connection meetings and lower priority obligations in order to accomplish your goals. Build your plan accordingly and go.

Show up and be visible.

Many businesses will actively slow down their efforts, especially their sales and marketing, believing that most of their potential clients are too busy or aren’t willing to buy, and while I never encourage pushy sales, you still need to show up and be visible. You still need to offer value and make offers. You still need to close sales. You’ll be surprised at what can happen and how you stand out when you do this. 

In fact, some of my best results have been in the fourth quarter while everyone else was taking a break.

Keep doing your CEO Time.

CEO time is critical at all times of the year, but even more so in the last quarter. This is where you are continually reassessing the progress you’re making, adjusting your activities based on the results you’re getting, and making plans for the upcoming year. Ideally, the seeds you planted in the previous quarter are bearing fruit, just as the seeds you’re laying now will flourish in the new year. 

You have a lot to look forward to over the next three months. Regardless of your strategy, the fourth quarter of the year will be instrumental to your business’s success in the new year. Now’s the time to dig in, press forward, and shine. 

As you turn your eye toward the new year, join me and my colleague, Becky Clabaugh, for our Design Your Best Year Yet Challenge starting November 14, 2022. In five days, we’ll help you build your 2023 Roadmap to Revenue, so you can rock your year and nail your sales!