With a new year just around the corner, many sales organizations are in crunch mode trying to achieve year-end goals while also gearing up to kick-start the New Year with a big bang.

While the 1st and 4th quarters are critical, there’s a lot of momentum and closed deals that take place in the 2nd and 3rd quarters and contribute to a company’s annual revenue growth. Therefore, a good lead generation playbook can offer a sales organization a solid plan on how to optimize its time for year-long success.

1st Quarter Establishing an appointment setting campaign in the first quarter sets a sales organization on the right track to achieving its annual revenue target.

  • Create a sales pipeline for the new year
  • Improve lead conversion by allowing sales to focus on closing rather than cold calling
  • Deliver leads to the sales organization creating new excitement and energy

2nd Quarter This is a good time of the year to look at additional initiatives to bring in more sales, such as partnerships, trade shows, and sponsorships. Appointment Setting can enhance these efforts:

  • Reach out to new markets for your services
  • Set up call campaigns with verticals that were successful in Q1
  • Arrange meetings for your team at trade shows and events (maximizing the event investment)
  • Follow up with attendees after an event to identify qualified leads

3rd Quarter The third quarter works well for lead recycling – to see what can be brought back into the sales pipeline through a targeted lead generation process. This is a good time to:

  • Re-evaluate what you may have considered ‘dead’ or ‘cold’ leads
  • Check-in with lost or stalled opportunities
  • Learn how well lost opportunities are doing with their chosen competitor

4th Quarter Sales organizations know that making their yearly number and having a solid finish to their year-end is critical. The primary focus needs to be on getting the sale this year, not next year. This is the time to:

  • Schedule review meetings with all current customers
  • Identify if there is more business you can get in this current year
  • Ensure clients budget you in for next year