“Q4 is for closing”, is what the old guys in the sales team will tell you, because they know how it works right? In reality the sales that are closed in Q4 are those that have been in progress for some time, which indicates that if you want to get FY 16 off to a quick start you had better invest time in building the pipeline. Here are 5 reasons to share with your sales team to get them motivated and start building your pipeline for Q4.

1. Go into the new year with momentum
   • There is nothing better than going into a new year with a clean sheet and the opportunity for success. But if you have momentum and know that in month 1 you will be on the board with closed sales, and a healthy pipeline to back those deals up, you set the tempo for the entire year. Start prospecting now and developing contacts with C-level clients in your target accounts. Check out our guide to C-level engagement – click here.

2 . They will increase your quota next year!

• In our experience sales quotas only go in one direction. If you are building your pipeline of opportunities based on this year’s quota, come January 1^st you are likely to be disappointed and scrambling for more qualified sales opportunities.
• The only way you can be in control of your own destiny is to ensure that you have enough opportunities to close and that means investing time in Q4! At Operatix, our approach to lead generation focuses on delivering well-qualified leads to our clients sales team, and identifying those prospects that need nurturing for future success before an upcoming quarter so you’re always ahead.

3. Get ahead of the game

• There is nothing worse for a salesperson to always be chasing their target. Once you are behind your number it becomes more and more difficult to recover. So GET AHEAD as early in the game as you can. Be the Account Manager that sets the pace rather than the one in the pack chasing the leaders

4. Progress your career

• The majority of salespeople don’t want to remain salespeople for the whole of their career. They want to progress into sales or general management. This is only going to happen if you are able to demonstrate you really understand the job and its mechanics, not necessarily just because you are good at closing sales. The sales mechanics are made up of a number of elements, prospecting, engaging, questioning, qualifying and closing being just 5. They ALL need to be done ALL of the time. Demonstrate to your management team that not only do you understand this, but that you can execute and you will come to their attention. Then progression is natural.

5. The faster you close sales in FY 16 the faster you hit your accelerators

• At the end of the day the biggest motivator or focus for a successful salesperson is the money, particularly the commission. In technology markets all commission plans have built in accelerators and the faster you get to them the faster you start earning the big $$$$. The more deals you have to close in Q1, the more money you will earn, earlier on in the year. This will just have a knock on effect as you go through the year.

Operatix has built and managed Inside Sales teams for world’s leading technology companies since 2001 to increase performance and accelerate results. Our services include C-Level Engagement, Inside Sales, Outbound Sales and business development. Talk to us today about how we can work with your business.