The fourth quarter can make or break your year. As much as 40% of our annual sales can be generated in these months, consumer spending will be up because of the holidays, and corporations have to spend the remainder of their budgets. How to get ready for Q4?
July and August is when most people slow down and go on vacation. Few big decisions are made, which means you can play catch-up. Now is the ideal time to prepare for Q4. Here are five tips to help you get ready for Q4:
-
-
Do-Delegate-Delegate.
Clean out your email in-box and organize your filing system based on: do-delete-delegate. Meaning, either do it now, delete the email, or delegate the follow-up.
-
-
-
Review papers and notes.
Review that stack of papers on your desk and the electronic notes stored on your phone, plus everything you have on pads, phones, Wunderlist, task lists, and pop-up reminders. Compile it all into one project management system like Basecamp or Asana.
-
-
-
Do everything you said you would.
This is the time of the year where you can actually catch up and get stuff done. If you said you would send you some material—do that. If you offered to make an introduction—do it. Again, add tasks into your project management software so that you have everything in one place.
-
-
-
Schedule your Q4 activities and share your plan with your team.
Block out preparation dates before you go on conferences so you can maximize your impact. Block out events and follow-up dates.
-
-
-
Start saying no.
Steve Jobs, former CEO of Apple, famously said that he is most proud of what the company didn’t do. If it’s not aligned with your mission, if it doesn’t create a win-win, if it takes too much time—don’t do it. It is liberating to say no.
-
Tip: As a rule of thumb, if someone asks me for something and they only send me one request and don’t follow up, I delete the request. It must not be that important to them.
The goal of Q4 preparation is to get your house in order so that you already know what needs to be done and can get on it ASAP. It’s part of achieving your 5 Star Success. Track everything and take the time to clean up your desk and inbox. Trust me, it’s worth it.
Remember: All relationships matter, so focus on nurturing those before anything else.
Beate Chelette is The Growth Architect and a results-oriented businesswoman with an entrepreneurial spirit and a proven track record in growing, building and scaling women’s businesses. Once $135,000 in debt and a single mother, she successfully sold her business to a global entertainment media company owned by Bill Gates in a multi-million dollar deal.
Through her online courses, one-on-one training programs and live speaking events, she mentors women entrepreneurs with her 5 Star Success Blueprint, developed with the knowledge gleaned from her growing, scaling and selling her own company. Beate has a deep commitment to supporting women.
She is the creator of The Women’s Code, the fourth step of Growth Architecture that is focused on Supporting Balanced Leadership. Her proprietary methods specifically address women’s obstacles and she leads from experience, having survived in business in a highly competitive male-dominated environment.
She is a respected speaker and mentor and is the author of the book “Happy Woman Happy World How to Go From Overwhelmed to Awesome”, a book that corporate trainer and best-selling author Brian Tracy calls “a handbook for every woman who wants health, success and a fulfilling career.”
