5 ways to have a great 4th quarter

For those of you who have been through training with me, 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 tbe.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?

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