It's not how you start, it's how you finish. Finish strong!
I suppose that there is a certain amount of truth to that. The finish is definitely crucial, but I'd argue that the start AND the middle are equally as important. A slow, deliberate start is perfectly acceptable, but not a weak one. Build momentum as the year progesses so that you don't give back ANY amount of what your hard work has earned you. I can't imagine why any business owner would make a decision to take one step forward and two steps back. Nobody WANTS to have to come from behind with the pressure of finishing where they are supposed to...do they?
That's not to say that even with hard work and laser focus that we will all be in a good position heading into Q4! Come on...if hard work and focus was ALL it took to guarantee hitting our goals and numbers, there would be way more optimism in the last three months of the year, not to mention much loftier goals!!! It just doesn't work that way.
Anyhoo...let's rewrite that headline:
Start strong, finish strong!
That's more like it! In this clip from a segment I did on Fox Business with Lauren Simonetti, I cover 5 tips on how to finish the year strong.
Here's the Clip:
Here are the key steps to help you finish strong in the 4th quarter:
- Review your budget goals vs your actual achievements.
- Decide whether you need to adjust your goals.
- Review projects and expansion goals
- Course correct.
- Ask for help.
Business is risky and temperamental. We constantly have to stay alert and aware! There are no "How To's" that can GUARANTEE success. At least not one that I know of. If you have of one, pahhhleeezzze leave me the 411 in the comments below. I LOVE me a guarantee!
In the Fox Business segment, Lauren and I focus on evaluating businesses in the final quarter of the year. Don't wait until then to get granular with your business. This should be a part of your review process at the end of each quarter, at least!!!
You're in the home stretch!
Make the last final push for personal and financial goals for your business. You began the year with a set of goals to accomplish, so make sure to give it your all. Finish strong!
See where you are with your projects and how they performed
Did you launch a new product or expand to a new market? Be sure to evaluate how it worked. We get so focused on setting a goal and achieving that goal. that we forget to check in and see how they are working. Are they profitable? Is it taking more time than you thought it would?
This is when you may realize that you may not hit your target or that you may not hit your revenue numbers so course correcting becomes so important. If your not sure how best to do this, check out my FREE report below. I'll show you how to set your pricing, know your ideal client profile and then get bright new shiny ideas to save tons of time!
If I knew then what I know now...
I would have asked for help MUCH earlier. It's so much easier when you ask for help because then you're not in it alone. Create a mastermind group. Go to other business owners and say "I need to rev up my sales in the 4th quarter, do you have any referrals that you can lead me to?".
Talk about what is going on in your business and learn from the experience of others.
Now that we're in the 4th quarter, is it too late?
Absolutely not! The fourth quarter is prime-time. Many companies can do almost half of their business in the final three months of the year. A lot of us do really well under pressure. When you're under pressure or when you have to hit a sales number you are likely to deliver your best performance. I know that's when I start dialing for dollars!
Start following up with everybody on LinkedIn, start sending those email. Do what you have to do so that you can get in front of your client. Don't wait for business to come to you, reach out and you'll be amazed at what can happen at the last minute. Finish strong!
Look at your business in as non-emotional way as possible.
It is so important to see your business through a critical eye. Sometimes we get so focused on what we set out to accomplish, that we forget to take a look at whether it is working or not. If you look at particular project and realize it is not working, start to scale back.
That's another lesson I wished I'd learned earlier–pull back faster. If something isn't working, that's okay. But instead of thinking MAYBE it's going to get better, maybe it's going to get better–course correct sooner and do what you need to do based what your numbers tell you!
What steps do you take to finish the year strong? Tell us your favorite tip:
What works for you when you rely on a good 4th quarter performance? Give us your tips, tricks, feedback and resources in the comments below. And if you like it, wouldja be a sweetheart and share this post?
xx - Marley
Oh, and here's the video, which was the point of this whole blog. How To Finish The Year Strong on YouTube!
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