Sales Leader Tips to Finish the Year Strong

November is a tough month; staff start planning their Christmas break and summer holidays. Spring is in the air, and people like to check out early and enjoy the weather – especially when they already know if they’ve earned a bonus or not.

Regardless of what your sales people want to do, there are still several business weeks left in the year for them to finish strong. Don’t let their focus fade. Instead, use these tips to sustain sales focus right through the last business day of the year.

Tip 1: Launch A "Fast Finish" Sales Incentive

Look at sales results from the same time last year (November through last business day in December) for each team or individual. Use this as a baseline and reward them for every 1 unit or $X over that baseline this year.

• This gives everyone an equal opportunity to earn rewards
• Even people who do not earn a year-end bonus are motivated to achieve a reward in this short-term program
• Ending on a high note has the “halo effect” of a strong start in 2018

Tip 2: Clean up Your CRM

A strong start for 2018 is based on the quality of your data. Give each person a list of leads or accounts to review, update or remove. To make the prospect of clean-up more enticing, run a weekly sweepstakes. For each “clean” account in the database, the owner is entered in a sweepstakes (make sure you have someone to spot-check the accounts). Draw several names each week for prizes of variable amounts.

• Another opportunity for everyone to earn rewards
• Non-sales people who support sales activities can participate
• Reinforces the importance of the database to your team

Tip 3: Let Them Set Their Own Goals

Let each team or individual set a sales goal to achieve by the end of the year (within parameters). For everyone who achieves the goal, add them to a sweepstakes or award them with a prize. People respond to taking ownership and are much more likely to achieve a goal they set rather than one that’s set for them. You may be pleasantly surprised by what people choose as their goals, and it will give you insight into their personal priorities.

• People respond positively to setting their own goals and priorities
• Everyone feels like they have a unique opportunity to achieve
• You will gain insights that you can use for 2018 based on what people select