Finish 2024 Strong: How to Make Q4 Your Best Quarter
(My 5-step Q4 Formula)
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Finish 2024 Strong: How to Make Q4 Your Best Quarter
Most sales reps agree: Q4 is the toughest quarter.
Every Q4, we face the same challenges: decision-makers out on holiday, tons of out-of-office replies, fewer working days, and sometimes even higher quotas.
My first Q4? I wasn’t ready, I missed quota, and I learned the hard way. But from that failure, I built a winning plan.
Today, I’m sharing my 5-step Q4 formula to help you not just hit, but crush your sales goals.
Quick heads-up: You can also catch this newsletter on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts if you prefer to listen or watch.
Let's dive in:
Step 1: Analyse Q3
Step 2: Plan Q4
Step 3: Time block
Step 4: Understand the value of your RGAs.
Step 5: Keep testing
Step 1: Analyse Q3
Analyze Your Performance Metrics to Refine Your Strategy
Data is your guide in sales. By reviewing your Q3 performance, you can see what worked and what didn’t. This helps you focus on high-impact activities: The Revenue generating Activities. and optimize for better results in Q4.
Here’s what to do today:
Dive into your CRM or sales engagement platform.
List all meetings booked, categorized by prospecting channels: emails, calls, LinkedIn messages, videos.
Calculate your conversion rates for each channel.
Assess the quantity and quality of your activities:
How many emails sent? Qualified demos booked?
Calls made? LinkedIn messages sent?
Accounts prospected and their quality?
Review your calendar to evaluate how you spent your time: Revenue Generating Activities vs Non-RGA
Look for patterns and what’s been working. If you’re new and don’t have personal data, use team averages to guide you.
Use this info to fine-tune your prospecting strategy for Q4.
Step 2: Plan Q4
(with realistic timeframes and clear goals)
A solid plan turns goals into results. Knowing how many working days you have and setting specific targets keeps you focused and on track.
Here’s the plan:
You’ve got 61 business days in Q4:
October: 21 days
November: 20 days
December: 20 days
But factor in Thanksgiving and End-of-the-Year holidays:
November: 15 days (Thanksgiving)
December: 11 days (End-of-the-Year holidays)
This gives us 48 actionable days.
Set clear goals:
Target 36 qualified demos
Your objective?
51 qualified demos at a 70% show-up rate.
Daily: 1.09 meetings booked
October: 23
November: 16
December: 12
Align with your conversion rates:
Use Q3 data to estimate how many activities (emails, calls, etc.) you’ll need for each channel.
Focus on what worked and scale it up in Q4.
1 758 cold calls made to book 17 demos
5 515 emails sent to book 17 demos
1 124 LinkedIn messaged to book 23 demos
Your daily and weekly game plan:
Step 3: Time Block
Your Day for Revenue-Generating Activities (RGAs)
Consistent focus on RGA drives results. Time blocking helps you prioritize activities that impact your quota, boosting productivity.
Here’s what to do today:
Daily Schedule:
Calls: 2 blocks of 1 hour each to make 28 calls.
Emails: 3 blocks of 1 hour each to send 22 tailored emails.
LinkedIn: 1 hour to engage with 22 prospects.
Total RGAs: 6 hours on high-impact activities.
Remaining time: 2 hours for prep, meetings, and other tasks.
Stick to it:
Treat these time blocks like non-negotiable meetings.
No multitasking—stay focused during each block.
Step 4: Quantify the Value of Your Activities to Stay Motivated
Understanding how each task impacts your income and the company’s revenue can keep you focused and motivated. Or on the flip side, think about the cost of doing nothing too.
Calculate Earnings Potential: If Q3 commissions were $10,000 with a goal of $100,000 ARR, figure out how each task adds up.
Assign Monetary Value: Estimate how much revenue each call, email, or meeting brings in.
Visualize Impact: Keep a chart or spreadsheet to track daily activities and their earning potential.
Use This Insight: let the financial impact of each task keep you focused. Share this with your team to create a results-driven mindset.
Step 5: Keep testing and Evolving Your Prospecting Recipe
Doing the same thing over and over gets boring—and less effective.
You’ve got to mix it up to stay sharp and find what works.
Here’s what to do today:
Think like a chef: Try out new “recipes” for your prospecting techniques: Experiment with different ingredients—messaging, channels, or tools.
Try new tools/methods:
Experiment with AI tools like ChatGPT, Perplexity, Copy.ai or Clay to spend more time your revenue generating activities.
Experiment with tools like Sales Nav, or Ocean.io (Affiliate link) to build your account lists
Refine the recipes and share:
See what’s working, what’s not, and tweak your approach.
Share your best “recipes” with the team.
The more you experiment, the closer you’ll get to Q4 success!
What's your favorite way to end the year strong?
If you don’t know how to do all of this, I created a spreadsheet you can use to break it down and hit your quota in Q4.
You can find it here, and make a copy.
That’s a wrap!
I hope this spices up your outbound journey.
Keep cooking up those great outbound recipes!
✌️👨🍳
Elric, The Outbound Chef
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