If your financial year ends in December, then you’ll be thinking about sales strategies to close the quarter and finish the year with a bang.
Your outbound sales strategy will depend on multiple factors, including the length of your sales cycle, the state of your sales pipeline and how close you are to target. And of course, Q4 is a great time to start planning your outbound sales strategy for next year.
In this blog we focus on some short and longer term outbound sales strategies that will help you close more business, faster, as well as setting you up for a great year in 2024!
You may have had a tough sales year, be well on track to meet your targets, or even focused on smashing them. Wherever you are, your motto should always be ‘it ain’t over ‘til it’s over’.
There is still time to smash your targets or turn a poor quarter around, if you keep morale high and focus your team's energies on the outbound sales strategies that will make the most difference. The key to success is careful planning and a high energy approach to team productivity. One phone call really can change everything, and we are speaking from experience on this one.
Take some time out from your daily routine to develop a realistic plan for outbound sales activity. A few hours spent in this way and some careful thinking can make a huge difference to your sales success. Some things to consider include:
And of course, to keep it realistic, your outbound sales system should focus on sales opportunities that are quick to close. And that most likely means prospects that already know about you.
Are there any old customers that you can win back? Or new prospects with an urgent problem you can help them solve. Armed with this type of information you can create a plan that allows you to focus your outbound sales process where it will make the most difference.
Once you have identified the number of deals you need to close the gap, you can work backwards to know how many contacts your outbound sales reps need to connect with, based on your conversion rates. This is an ideal time for your sales professionals to pick up the phone, but do not ignore email and social media.
Your team should be using every channel at their disposal to get the attention of their prospect at the right time. Make sure everyone in the sales team is motivated and has a clear idea of what they need to do to smash their targets and generate leads.
Let them know that you are there to support them if they need it. Ask them what obstacles they see in their way and help them overcome these to streamline your wider outbound sales efforts.
As B2B Sales Statistics show us, 58% of sales and marketing professionals don’t feel well aligned, a significant increase from 46% last year.
But It’s not too late to involve your marketing team to help you generate marketing qualified leads! Invite them to a brainstorm with your outbound sales teams and maybe involve help desk or support staff too. Identify solutions with short sales cycles, seasonal opportunities and any hot industry trends that you can use to their advantage.
Remember to develop a cadence for your email campaigns – four short punchy emails that build interest over a short time frame can be more effective than one longer one. And of course make sure you have outbound sales tools in place to follow-up email opens and clicks.
This is a time when all that time spent updating your CRM system throughout the year can really pay dividends. Pull off some lists to provide the focus of Q4 activity. Were there promising conversations earlier in the year that can be followed-up on?
If you know the year end date of your prospects, then remember they may have budgets to spend before the year closes.
Do you have Account Managers, technical consultants, or help desk staff who can provide insights on clients that could benefit from your technical expertise. Depending on your type of business, this can be a very effective outbound sales strategy to explore. And a proactive approach to solving their problems nearly always goes down well with customers.
It is always a good time to check in that inbound sales leads are getting the attention they deserve and Q4 is no exception. Is there a process in place to deal with inbound sales leads? Are there any inbound prospects that need to be followed-up?
This could be a fruitful source of qualified potential customers to hand to your sales reps, that will also pay dividends well into the new year.
It may seem counterintuitive but now is a great time to consider whether you really do have enough resources in your team to smash those targets. If your star performers are already focused on closing big deals, they may not have the time to make the number of outbound calls or emails required to do justice to your plan.
Or you may be in recruitment mode and becoming increasingly desperate about finding the right person to make an impact this year. Or maybe you have uncovered a new market opportunity that could impact Q4 revenues but needs a clear focus.
We have had clients come to us in similar circumstances and we have helped them win business within a three month time frame. If this sounds like it could be you, then why not call us for a chat?
True, this is not the time to take your foot off the pedal for 2023. However outbound sales success always involves looking ahead, and pipeline development should be the backbone of any successful sales department.
In fact, if your deals are looking a bit thin on the ground this quarter, there is a strong possibility you can trace it back to a lull in prospecting earlier in the year. The good news is that all the outbound sales activity your team carries out in Q4 will lead to some juicy opps for Q1 2024!
Seriously, we’d love to hear about your Q4 sales challenges and your 2024 goals. Why not book a free 30 minute call to brainstorm some ideas with us? We’ve a huge reservoir experience to draw on and plenty of customer success stories to share with you!
At Pace, we're experts in outbound sales. With our range of B2B Business Development Services, we can help you accelerate your sales pipeline and close more deals.
We provide a range of services to help you identify, engage and convert your ideal customers, and we'd love to hear from you.
