Worried about hitting your Q4 numbers in time for EOY? This second part in our series that focuses on Q4 sales ideas to meet quota will address the needs of your sales pipeline. Specifically, how can sales reps leverage the pipeline to earn as many sales as possible before EOY?
Answering this question can be quite easy as long as you feel like you have a good handle on your sales process. Even if your pipeline is a bit messy, there are still some sales solutions you can attain from reevaluating its use.
Auditing Your Pipeline
One important element to consider is whether you have specific processes in place to handle potential accounts that have multiple decision makers or high revenue stakes. Identifying these prospects early on and assessing if they have the proper level of attention from sales reps can help ensure that no one will drop the ball when coming in for a big win.
Other aspects to look for include clients that have remained stuck at one stage of the pipeline or ones that are actually further along than the current system indicates. Find people who slipped through your cracks and pursue them with vigor.
Sprint to the Finish
Your prospects near the far end of your pipeline deserve the most focus during Q4. Putting off closes until after the holiday break can make deals stagnate or even fall apart. Take advantage of your prospects’ desire to have a needed solution in place before EOY so that they can start 2016 off right. You can also encourage them to squeeze out the 2015 budget before a new one is implemented in Q1.
No matter what your strategy is, usher prospects close to the end of your funnel along to achieve some major wins and flesh out your numbers.
Prioritize Critical Pipeline Sales Activities
Some of your biggest sales solutions lie in the activities your reps perform every day, but perhaps not to the degree they should be. Identify your most critical sales activity to moving prospects along to the next stage, and have sales staff focus on this activity during the bulk of their downtime. Whether that activity is making follow-up calls, setting new appointments or priming networking contacts for new potential leads, have your least-busy reps make it happen.
Revisit Old Wins
Existing accounts that made it through the sales pipeline should be monitored by sales so that their current needs are known. They may need a system upgrade, a completely new system or they may have drifted to a competitor only to be remorseful about it. Follow up with prior clients, see how happy they are and see what you can do to make them happier.
Consider Training Solutions
Your pipeline can be your biggest advantage during Q4 as long as sales reps have the training available to make the most of each stage. If you are experiencing frustration regarding sales pipeline management, you may want to explore training solutions like Showpad Coach to ensure that every stage and sales activity counts towards bringing you closer to a win.
