The Last 90 days 3 Key Focus Areas to Close 2024 Strong and Set Up for 2025

As the last 90 days of 2024 approach, are we staying focused on Q4 activities while setting the stage for a fruitful 2025? How can we ensure our team finishes strong without burning out? Here are three key areas to prioritize.

1. Prioritize Mental and Physical Well-Being

Success doesn’t come at the cost of well-being. The intense demands of Q4 can lead to burnout if your team doesn’t take care of themselves. They are also watching you, are you modelling the expected behaviour?? To keep them sharp and motivated:

• Encourage Rest: Remind your team to take mental breaks and maintain a healthy work-life balance. A team that’s well-rested is more creative, productive and resilient.
• Promote Health: Small initiatives like walking meetings or mindfulness practices can help reduce stress and maintain energy levels.

A healthy, motivated team will be more fulfilled, effective and motivated to close the year strong and remain energized for 2025.

2. Keep the Pipeline Active and Accelerate Stalled Deals

While closing deals is the focus, we can’t afford to let the pipeline dry up. Reps need to balance prospecting with moving stalled deals forward:

• Daily Outreach Minimums: Reps should commit to a set number of daily prospecting activities, whether it’s personalized emails, follow-up calls/ videos, or booking discovery meetings.
• Revisit Leads: Have your team reconnect with cold or stalled leads. Now is the time to rekindle conversations as prospects are setting new budgets and priorities.
• Strategize Weekly: Review your team’s stuck deals weekly. Identify key barriers, reasons to choose status quo, or FOMU (fear of messing up behaviours) and develop strategies to move them forward.
• Utilize Personalized Video: Encourage reps to send personalized video messages to connect, elicit emotion and reignite interest with stalled prospects.

By keeping outreach efforts consistent while accelerating slow deals, you ensure a strong Q4 close and a robust Q1 pipeline.

3. Strengthen Relationships, Not Just Transactions

Don’t let the rush to hit targets turn your sales efforts into transactional ones. Strengthening relationships now lays the groundwork for future opportunities, and sales is a long game:

• Conduct Account Reviews: Set up QBR’s (Quarterly Business Reviews) with key clients and prospects. Use this time to discuss their challenges/ priorities for 2025 and how your solutions can help them.
• Ask for Referrals: A satisfied client is the best source for new business. Now is the time to ask for introductions to other decision-makers or teams.
• Provide Value-Added Resources: Share industry reports, case studies, or actionable insights that align with your clients' strategic goals. This positions your reps as trusted advisors.

By prioritizing mental well-being, keeping the pipeline flowing, and strengthening relationships, your team can finish 2024 strong while setting up a successful start to 2025. Stay focused, take care of your people, and they will take care of your clients. The finish line is in sight.

In my marathon days, we would say it was a 32km warm-up for a 10 km race. Here’s to the last 90 days. You’ve got this!

To your success,

Karen?