Seller Resilience in Q4
Aluba Fénix
Founder & Purpose Guardian | Leadership Coach (PCC & ORSC) | Sales Training | High Performance Teams | Flow States | Resilience | Keynote Speaker | Podcast Host
Halloween as a festival always captured my imagination as a kid. I remember the first year I went trick or treat dressed up as a skeleton as I knocked on the doors in our neighbourhood seeking to close some deals and fill my bag with a haul of riches. I came home a very rich and happy little skeleton filled with a religious zeal for this holiday season.
Ask and ye shall receive,
Seek and ye shall find,
Knock and the door shall be open onto you,
Hallelujah!
As a grew up my experience of Halloween changed in many ways, however not so much in others. As a sales executive at HP the fiscal year end was 31st October and so Samhain for me remained all about carrying a bag and knocking on doors seeking to close deals, get rich and have fun. The skeleton as a metaphor always seemed appropriate as my excitement for the season was also infused with an element of fear and dread that helped focus my mind as I contemplated what may happen to me if I failed to achieve success.
When I left HP the year end cycle changed to sync with the calendar year and so the associations with Halloween began to fade. However, the sense of excitement infused with fear in Q4 remained and I always looked forward to the buzz of the season. It was the time of the year that I knew could make or break a sales career, a time for me to defy the odds, set a new standard, step up and be the seller I was born to be. A time to do what I MUST to achieve success.
There were occasions when I came close to being a skeleton with an empty bag and no home to return to. I remember one year in particular early in my career entering Q4 on only 5% target attainment. But, defy the odds I did as I exited the close on 230% target attainment and ranked among the top 5% of performers in HP worldwide. However, it was a bit too close for comfort and in future years I learned to not put all my eggs in one basket by over relying on that one big deal.
One year broke me. Although I overachieved on my target I hit burnout and entered into a dark night of the soul in relation to my identity as a seller. My resilience wasn't what it needed to be and following the fiscal close I opted to step away from the game for a period and take time off to really recalibrate and come back to myself.
When I returned to the game my approach was different. I had actively worked to build and increase my levels of resilience in key areas where I was weak. This work enabled me to step up and set a whole new standard as a high performing sales executive. I began to understand that my levels of resilience, particularly in Q4 was the most important success factor for me as a professional. It was a game changer.
Success in the Q4 cycle is fundamentally about overcoming 3 key challenges:
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It is a time when a sellers resilience is severely tested and the strong get separated from the weak. It's a time when an ability to work skilfully with fear to focus the mind rather than become paralysed by it is crucial. And it's a time that makes and breaks careers. An exciting time! How prepared are you for challenge ahead?
Soon we will enter October, the start of the Q4 cycle for many. And I will be leading a unique program with my colleague Declan Tyrell (The CFO Whisperer) designed to set sellers up for optimal success. Specifically, we will address how to effectively overcome the 3 key challenges of the Q4 cycle and also introduce you to the 5 keys to seller resilience.
Our program is designed to inspire, teach and coach you to success with deal clinics, performance coaching a number of sales skills Masterclasses.
Join us on the 11th October for our free webinar to learn more about the program and get ready to take your game to a whole new level.
Be the seller you MUST be in Q4. Join us on the 11th October!
Liberate the seller you were born to be!