Welcome back to ‘The Soapbox’! Anyone feel that the 4th quarter doldrums can be a hard time to meet your financial goals?

There are a lot of ‘reasons’ why people may decline or delay engaging in services that will make a meaningful difference in their business or life at the end of the year. Often they lead with the ‘money’ reason. Sometimes it’s the ‘time’ challenge due to holiday chaos, and other times it is what I like to call the ‘Scarlett O’Hara’…”I’ll think of it tomorrow, After all, tomorrow is another day!” (Everyone has seen Gone With The Wind right!?!?!?) They are just trying to ‘get through’ the end of the year and tell themselves they will make these kind of ‘growth’ decisions and investments after 1st of year.

Some business owners have had some experiences that makes them believe there is something different about the 4th quarter. It is so easy to tell a story that because ‘xyz’ (insert holiday spending, pending tax bills, low customer engagement etc) the 4th quarter is always slow. It can become habit each passing year to not invite as many people to the conversation as, “They aren’t going to say yes during this time of year anyway.” I invite you to consider this may not be real and it is a construct or story that you or your industry have bought into.

It can be hard to find the pain point that ideal clients and customers want to avoid enough to get them to move forward for their highest and greatest good…even in the face of a story. If we are to serve, we have to be careful not to buy into their story or ‘reasons’ that may really be excuses that they aren’t even aware of. We have to hold their greatest potential at the forefront and help them get out of their stories.

How do we do that you ask? It is a blend of mindset and strategy.

We have to help them find greater benefit and value in taking action than staying where they are. You have to show your leads and prospects WHY taking action now is in their best interest. However, before that, YOU have to ask yourself what stories YOU might be telling about THEM and why they are not buying. You cannot come to the table with limiting beliefs or your own head trash.  You cannot diagnose their pocket book. Your mind and heart have to be open and clear. YOU have to believe at your core in any of the solutions that you are going to propose to them. You have to know beyond a shadow of a doubt that them taking action with you NOW, not later is in their best interest and lead them through their excuses toward action on their behalf.

PLEASE NOTE: This is not a BS game of manipulation. Super powers are only meant to be used for good.

You have to know that helping them navigate their fear and ‘reasons’ is truly in their best interest. To them the reasons feel real. They do not feel like excuses. They do not see how they are holding them back.  It is a delicate dance to awareness with them.

Let’s walk through a few of the most common objections that we find in the 4th quarter.

“I don’t have the money.” There are many reasons for this expression. Your prospective customer and clients may not have had a fruitful first three quarters, work may be seasonal, they may be falling prey to the same ‘reasons’ from their own clients, living in fear and anticipation of a large tax bill they need to conserve for, holiday spending/travel etc…..the list goes on. How can engaging with you or your organization increase cash flow and ease the burden of these reasons?  The money roadblock is simply a value proposition. People find money for the things they value. Not having money is often a case of “I don’t yet see value or why I should prioritize that’.

“I don’t have time with all of the end of year activities and holiday plans.” What do you offer that allows them to get time back in their day and be more strategic or efficient? How will delays in action delay their results? Can the deliciousness of those results create a large enough impact to tempt them away from the desire to delay. Can you show them the juice is worth the squeeze? This roadblock is a direct result of no sense of urgency. What you offer has to be so tantalizing that it draws such a gap between where they are and where they want to be that it makes where they want to be more irresistible than the comfort of staying still.

“Just need to get through the end of the year” (signs that they feel to stressed to make any decisions).
What will working with you bring to their world that alleviates stress, reduces overwhelm and gains clarity. What can you help them do now that makes an impact before end of year, but just as, if not more, importantly set them up for a great start at the beginning of the year. Too often people wait until beginning of year to take massive action and create change. Ahem….New Year’s Resolutions anyone? As a result they may not see the fruits of their labor until closer to end of the 1st quarter. Taking action in the 4th quarter ensures that they begin the year with these results vs waiting for them. They need to know this is not going to add to their burden, but alleviate it.

YOU have the power to improve your 4th quarter conversations and sales no matter what your previous history dictates, no matter what your industry has previously claimed, no matter what any of your peers say or the stories that have been told in the past. The past is the past and has already happened. The 4th quarter, however is here and now and you CAN have different experiences or results than what you have previously known. You can tell a new story and help your prospective clients and customers do the same so you ALL have a banging end to the year and set next year up to be the best year ever!

If you would like help with a specific objection and need verbiage or help through the mindset and stories you tell that are keeping you from reaching YOUR year end goals, comment below or reach out on Facebook via messenger! We love to hear from you and give you some tips or hacks to ease the struggle. If you don’t struggle in quarter 4 and it’s your best ever we want to hear your success stories too! Tell us all your secrets!