Traditions are one of the things I really love about college football. One of my favorite traditions takes place in many college football stadiums across the country when the clock expires in the third quarter, and the fourth quarter is about to begin. At that time, coaches, players, and many of the fans will rise to their feet and raise four fingers in air. This signifies the fourth quarter belongs to them.
It’s unfortunate that many — if not most — companies, managers, and employees tend to think differently and not put this type of emphasis on their own fourth-quarter performance. Let me be clear: It’s not that they are making a deliberate decision to kick back and not focus on their business; I don’t think they are making a decision at all, either way. However, I believe coasting through the fourth quarter of the year has become a dangerous trend. This is why I’ve put together three tips to game plan for a strong fourth quarter: plan, focus, and don’t get too comfortable.
Plan for it
I know this seems overly simple, but a plan is much more than a goal. My definition of a plan contains three parts:
1) History. Historically, what have we done in the fourth quarter? Find this information, and document it.
2) Target. Using the historical information, you can now make an educated projection or “target” numbers.
3) Action. Now you need to build an action plan that details how you will hit your target.
For example, let’s say last year in November your revenue was $100,000 on 125 calls ran. This equates to an average ticket of $800. This November your revenue target is $115,000. So you can get there several different ways. You can raise your calls ran from 125 to 145 and keep the same $800 average ticket, or you can raise your average ticket to $920 on the same 125 calls ran. The question now is: How do I get there?
So now you know your history, and you’ve used it to come up with your target. I know to hit $115,000 I need to produce at least 18 more calls than last year or raise my average ticket by $120. If you’re like me, after you do this exercise, you may decide to shoot for both (but that’s not the point of this exercise). The following could be possible options for action plans:
• Option 1 — Have my call takers make outbound calling to past clients who have declined work in the past and offer discounts if they book in November. You only need 18 more calls, which is less than one call a day the call-takers have to produce.
• Option 2 — Emphasize surge protection in your November training meetings. Challenge your guys by giving each one of them a target number of surge sales. Role play, role play, and role play on this topic. Your average ticket only needs to go up by $120, and you can easily make that up in surge protection-related sales.
This step is vital when it comes to the success or failure of your fourth-quarter game plan.
Focus on it
Keep your eye on the prize. It’s easy to let obstacles derail you from your game plan. This is where focus and mental toughness come into play. Far too often in business, we tend to focus on the numbers but overlook the extremely important “mental toughness” piece when it comes to success. I love the Weldon Long quote, “Being successful is easy, it’s just a little easier...not to.” Here’s how I stay focused:
• Track your DAILY progress. If you’re not tracking, you’re already losing.
• Stay positive. If you’ve been in business for some time, you understand there will be setbacks. Use setbacks as a learning experience, but then forget about them. Focus your mind on your target, and don’t let any obstacles push you off-track. Remember, mental toughness is the key.
• Set individual goals for your people. Whether it’s booking outbound calls for your call-takers or setting surge protection sales goals for the techs, doing this allows your team to take ownership of some of the company’s overall targets.
Don’t get comfortable
Don’t let yourself get comfortable, and don’t let your people get comfortable. Concentrate on the goal at hand and push forward. I’ll leave you with this great quote by Craig Groeschel: “Never be complacent. Find comfort in being uncomfortable.”
Hagan is a second-generation electrician. He owns and operates the Mister Sparky locations serving Northwest Arkansas, Oklahoma City, and Tulsa, Okla. He oversees a staff of 30, which includes electricians and technicians. He can be reached at [email protected].
