How is it nearly Q4 already!?

Sales is the best profession in the world (in my opinion), and arguably one of the oldest.

It has evolved dramatically over the years from people selling their wares on market stalls, to the technologically advanced processes we see before us today.

One thing that has been dominant throughout this evolution is the speed at which time flies when working in sales.

Let me break this down for you…

Sales people typically work towards monthly or quarterly targets, giving you (at most), 12 chances to achieve your targets in a single year.

Studies show that the perception of time speeds up for us as we get older and when we have less new experiences. 

A sales role is incredibly repetitive and with every passing month, we are getting older, so it’s no surprise that time is flashing before our eyes as we are on a constant countdown timer.

Now we find ourselves in September 2021, with the last quarter of the calendar year looming, and what are you going to do about it?

You could tighten your belt and braces and hope for the best, or you could plan how to capitalise on, what can be, a very bumpy quarter.

Considerations around timings and situations:

● October will be busy, as the kids will be long back at school, and summer holidays a distant memory, this is your opportunity to front-load your pipeline.

● November will be a game of two halves. Many businesses will be planning for their own approaches to the quiet end of year and entertaining.

● December will be even more quiet due to festive holidays, so what can you do to work around the downtime?

● Do prospective customers need to use up their budgets before year-end in order to get them reinstated next year?

● Can you sell your service or product in advance so that your customers pay now and use later?

● People will be meeting their own challenges head-on. Try using video pitches or voice messages so that you don’t disappear amongst hundreds of other messages.

Yes there are a myriad of other ways to tackle Q4, but make sure, whatever you do, that you have a plan in place. Drop me a message on the details below and I will help you plan.

Don’t let time pass you by, because next time you look up, everyone will be wearing Santa hats and terrible Christmas jumpers!! 

Ben Bennett is Managing Partner of Second Voice (secondvoice.co.uk) a Brighton-based company focused on enabling founders of B2B companies to accelerate growth through sales and operations. Ben is also a business growth mentor for the NatWest Entrepreneur Accelerator.

If you’re looking to grow your own company and want impartial advice or support, please reach out to Ben at sbt@secondvoice.co.uk