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The Ultimate Planning Guide for Q4

Today, we’re diving into what I see as one of the biggest reasons people don’t hit their goals—especially sales goals. Although this could apply to any goal, like generating leads or hitting production targets.

Whatever your goal might be, there’s one root cause that’s often to blame for missing the mark: lack of planning. 

I want to shine a light on how doing a little less but doing it better can actually help you achieve more. And since we’re heading into the 4th quarter—the golden quarter where many of us do half our sales in just three months—I’m going to share what I think you should be working on right now to crush your goals for the rest of the year. 

Let’s be honest. There’s nothing worse than pouring your heart and soul into your business, giving it your all, and still falling short of your goals. It’s incredibly deflating, right? And if it happens too often, it can even be demotivating. But here’s the thing—most of the time, we fall short because we didn’t do enough planning. We underestimate what needs to happen to reach our goals. If you can relate to this, then it’s time to start planning smarter, not harder. Let’s talk about how.

 September Strategies: Laying the Groundwork for Q4

First things first: What should you be doing in September? The focus should be on conversion. Yes, it’s crucial all year round, but especially now as we prep for Q4. 

There are two key metrics you need to keep an eye on: your conversion rate and your average order value. 

Your conversion rate is going to dictate your results. If you’ve got a Shopify store, check your dashboard. If not, Google Analytics is your friend. Write down your year-to-date conversion rate because that number is going to tell you what to expect going forward.

For most ecommerce stores, a 1-2% conversion rate is average. If your average order value is high, your conversion rate might be lower, and if your audience is super engaged, it might be higher. But knowing your number is key to setting realistic expectations.

Cracking the Conversion Code: Boost Sales with Data

I’ve noticed a lot of people don’t really understand how conversion happens, and that’s a huge missing piece when setting sales goals. Most folks just aren’t getting clear, specific training on this, which is why I’ve put together a free training called “Conversion School.” It’s a series of four video lessons that break down exactly how conversion works and how you can use your own data to improve it. It’s going live on September 22nd, so check out the show notes for a link to sign up. 

For my Inner Circle members, there’s even more training this month, like a website conversion audit and a session on “Product Pages That Convert.” Focus on your top 10 selling items and make sure those product pages are optimized. Trust me, it’s worth the time to ensure you’re set up to convert as much as possible as we head into Q4.

 October Lead Generation: Build Your List for Holiday Success

Next up, October. This is the month to focus on lead generation—growing your email list before the holiday shopping season kicks in. Here’s why:

We know that someone who comes to your site from a last-click on an email is at least twice as likely to make a purchase compared to someone coming in cold from social media. And in some cases, it’s even more—like five, six, or seven times more likely!

So, what should you do? Set a lead generation goal for October. If you want to add 300 people to your list, and your conversion rate is around 3%, you’ll need about 10,000 people to see your offer. Do the math, figure out how to get those eyeballs on your form, and start tracking.

One of my favorite ways to build a list is through collaborations. Partner with another business owner and do a simple lead generation swap. You introduce their products to your audience, they introduce yours to theirs, and you both grow your lists. It’s a win-win!

 November Promotions: Create Offers That Convert

November is the big one. For most of us, it’s the biggest sales month of the year. This is when you want to set the stage for your Black Friday promotion or another major offer. 

First, set a solid sales goal. Again, remember your conversion rate—use it to figure out how much traffic you’ll need to hit your goal. And don’t forget that traffic from an email is at least twice as likely to convert as traffic from social media, so make sure your emails are compelling and clickable!

When crafting your offer, keep it simple and broad to appeal to as many people as possible. A site-wide discount or a straightforward BOGO (Buy One, Get One) can be more effective than a complicated offer that only some people can use. The easier your offer is to understand, the better it will perform.

 Build the Hype: How Early Access Lists Boost Sales

Another great strategy for November is creating an early access list. This is essentially a special group of customers who get to shop your sale early. It builds anticipation and urgency, and these lists tend to convert at a much higher rate. We recently did a promotion within the Inner Circle, and our early access list converted at 46%! That’s huge!

To create your own early access list, consider adding a sign-up form on your website or sending a dedicated email to your current subscribers. Let them know they’ll be the first to shop your biggest sale of the year and watch the conversions roll in.

Check out THIS post to learn more about this strategy.

 December Dash: Capitalize on Gift Giving and Clearance Sales

December can feel short for ecommerce businesses since you have to make sure your customers receive their orders before Christmas. The first thing you need to do is set a cutoff date for guaranteed delivery by Christmas. Use this date in all your communications to create natural urgency—no discounts needed.

Focus on your most giftable products—things that don’t require a specific size, like jewelry or home goods. Promote these items heavily, and consider running a post-Christmas sale to clear out any remaining inventory. Remember, there’s a great opportunity to capture last-minute sales in that week between Christmas and New Year’s.

Goal Setting 101: Do the Math to Reach Your Targets

Finally, let’s talk about setting realistic goals. Do the math. Figure out how much traffic you need based on your conversion rate, and set a budget for ads if necessary. Map out your social media and email content to ensure consistent messaging. 

Planning ahead not only sets you up for success, but it also helps you feel in control. And when you reach those goals, it’s incredibly motivating—you’ll be ready to tackle the new year with confidence.

Plan Now, Win Later

So there you have it—the ultimate planning guide for Q4. Set your sales goals for each month, do the math, and make a plan to get there. Remember, it’s all about having the right expectations and putting in the work to make them happen. 

By following these steps, you can plan effectively and maximize your sales in the final quarter of the year. If you need more support, check out the free “Conversion School” [https://learn.thesocialsalesgirls.com/conversion-school/] training or join the Inner Circle for exclusive content and tools to help you succeed in Q4.

RELATED LINKS:

FREE TRAINING – CONVERSION SCHOOL

https://learn.thesocialsalesgirls.com/conversion-school/

STOP AVOIDING THIS AND GET CONTROL OF YOUR SALES

https://thesocialsalesgirls.com/stop-avoiding-this-and-get-control-of-your-sales-episode-229/

AN EASY COLLABORATION YOU CAN DO THIS MONTH

https://thesocialsalesgirls.com/the-formula-for-an-easy-collaboration-you-can-do-this-month-episode-215/

A WINNING STRATEGY FOR LEAD GENERATION

https://thesocialsalesgirls.com/a-winning-strategy-for-lead-generation/

MORGAN’S STRATEGY TO SELL OUT HER NEW COLLECTIONS

https://thesocialsalesgirls.com/morgans-strategy-to-sell-out-her-new-collections-episode-221/

New FREE Course

GROW YOUR SALES

(without breaking the bank)

Conversion School is a step by step process to grow your sales,
without spending a fortune on risky ad strategies, or discounting your products.

Works for Ecommerce stores at all stages.

Start getting consistent sales, and see significant sales growth every month.

New FREE Course

GROW YOUR SALES

(without breaking the bank)

Conversion School is a step by step process to grow your sales,
without spending a fortune on risky ad strategies, or discounting your products.

Works for Ecommerce stores at all stages.

Start getting consistent sales, and see significant sales growth every month.

or scroll down to get the highlights

How Conquering My Fear of Numbers Transformed My Business

I’m going to share a little bit of my own story this week, just in the hopes that it helps those of you that might be struggling with this too. This is kind of painful and actually a little bit embarrassing, but I think it’s so relevant. A few weeks ago, we had a retreat for some of our members. It was lovely – we got to meet them and understand more about their businesses. One of the things in the goodie bags was a mug that said “Numbers don’t lie.” This mug got me thinking about my journey with numbers and how it made me feel, what it kept me from doing, and what it allowed me to do in my business.

My Early Business Days

To tell you how it used to be, I have to go back to my first business. I started it in 1990. That business grew really quickly – it grew to a million dollars worth of sales by the second year. My entire focus was on growing my sales. As a result, I saw very little value in the data. It was always the last thing on my plate, and you know how that goes. When it’s the last thing, it never gets done.

I was the person who kept all my financials in envelopes and dumped them on the accountant’s desk at the end of the year. I thought that focusing on sales was the only thing that mattered. But here’s the truth – I was afraid of the numbers. I told myself that numbers made my head hurt, that I wasn’t good at them, and that they didn’t matter because they didn’t directly get me sales.

Numbers Don’t Lie: My Wake-Up Call

What I’ve realized is that a lot of people fear knowing their numbers. This fear keeps us stuck because instead of knowing where we are, we make up stories about what’s working in our business.

The bottom line is you can keep making stuff up or you can know for sure by tracking your data. 

When you know the numbers, you know what’s real, and that really changes your perception of everything in your business.

From Fear to Control: My Data Strategy

When I bought Wee Squeak, I committed to using data to make decisions. I needed to find a way to make it easy for me to understand because I was the decision-maker in my business. This wasn’t easy, but once I took the leap, I felt like I was in control of my results. It didn’t happen overnight, but I started to feel different about my abilities.

3 Essential Metrics for Success

If you’re not tracking anything right now, start with the key metrics that affect your sales:

1. Traffic: Everything starts with traffic. If you can’t get eyeballs on your site, you have no chance of making a sale.
2. Conversion Rate: This is the percentage of visitors that result in a sale. It’s about the quality of traffic, the offer they get, and the experience they have on your website.
3. Average Order Value: This is the easiest metric to control and the fastest way to increase your sales. Find ways to get people to put more in their cart and check out with more.

Once you’re comfortable with the big three, consider tracking these advanced metrics:

1. Returning Visitors: These are multi-session users who are twice as likely to make a purchase.
2. Cost of Customer Acquisition: Understand what it costs to get a new customer. Compare this to your average order value.
3. Lead Value: Know what a lead is worth to you. Different sources of leads will perform differently.

Feelings Aren’t Facts

Tracking data takes the emotion out of decision-making. Instead of beating yourself up over something that didn’t go well, you can look at what happened and figure out how to change it next time. This makes you feel like you have the power to make a difference.

Set up a simple spreadsheet and start tracking your traffic, conversion rate, and average order value every week. Watch your progress and think about what you can do to improve these metrics. Once you’re comfortable, add in the advanced metrics.

By using data to make decisions, I’ve seen positive outcomes in my business. It took time, but now I feel in control and confident about my abilities. I encourage you to start tracking your metrics and see the difference it makes.

RELATED LINKS:

How To Get Control Of Your Money

https://thesocialsalesgirls.com/how-to-get-control-of-your-episode-158/

A Little Trick To Get The Results You Really Want

https://thesocialsalesgirls.com/a-little-trick-to-get-the-results-you-really-want-episode-225/

What To Do When You’re Short On Cash

https://thesocialsalesgirls.com/what-to-do-when-youre-short-of-cash-episode-222/

How To Create Profit Goals

https://thesocialsalesgirls.com/how-to-create-profit-goals-episode-209/

New FREE Course

GROW YOUR SALES

(without breaking the bank)

Conversion School is a step by step process to grow your sales,
without spending a fortune on risky ad strategies, or discounting your products.

Works for Ecommerce stores at all stages.

Start getting consistent sales, and see significant sales growth every month.

New FREE Course

GROW YOUR SALES

(without breaking the bank)

Conversion School is a step by step process to grow your sales,
without spending a fortune on risky ad strategies, or discounting your products.

Works for Ecommerce stores at all stages.

Start getting consistent sales, and see significant sales growth every month.

or scroll down to get the highlights

Why Analyzing Metrics is Key to Overcoming Sales Slumps

I recently had a fantastic chat with Angie, one of our amazing Inner Circle members, about a problem that many of us face: lagging sales. Angie generously volunteered to share her business insights, and we took a deep dive into analyzing her metrics to figure out what’s really going on (spoiler alert: the sky isn’t falling).

Angie reached out a few weeks ago, feeling pretty down about her sales. They had been amazing a year ago, but recently, things were not looking so great. Sound familiar? The self-doubt creeps in, and suddenly you’re questioning everything – your products, your website, your pricing. Angie was spinning her wheels, trying to figure out what went wrong.

Let’s walk through the steps we took to uncover the truth and get Angie back on track.

Numbers Don’t Lie

The first thing we did was face the reality of the data. We pulled up Angie’s Shopify dashboard and filtered it for the last 90 days, comparing it to the same period last year. Surprise! Her sales were actually up 20% over the last year. Sometimes, we just need to take a step back and look at the facts.

But we didn’t just stop at the last 90 days. We looked at the year-to-date performance, which painted an even clearer picture. Angie’s sales were up 71% for the year, and her online sales had increased by 47%. This comparison was crucial because it allowed us to see the real growth, despite the recent slump.

Traffic Check: Are More Visitors Always Better?

Next, we dove into her traffic stats. Angie’s website traffic had doubled from the previous year, but this influx of visitors also led to a lower conversion rate. It’s a common issue – more traffic can dilute your conversion rate initially. We discussed how this wasn’t necessarily bad news; it just meant we needed to focus on converting that traffic.

Repeat Business: The Secret Sauce to Ecommerce Success

Angie’s conversion funnel was our next stop. We found that her funnel was actually performing well. Her add-to-cart rate, reach checkout rate, and actual conversion rate were all in line with what we’d expect. This meant there were no glaring issues with her checkout process. The real challenge was improving the add-to-cart rate.

One of the highlights was Angie’s returning customer rate. At 30%, it was right where we wanted it to be. This showed us that her customers loved her products and kept coming back. However, balancing new and returning customers is key – too many returning customers could mean not enough new customers, and vice versa.

Stuck at Add to Cart? Here’s What to Do

Angie’s add-to-cart rate was at 1.62%, but it should be around 4%. We identified this as the main area for improvement. The best way to boost this rate is to get more visitors to come back to the site. 

Returning visitors are more likely to add items to their cart, so our goal was to increase this number.

Campaign Magic: Keeping ‘Em Coming Back

To get those returning visitors, we decided to implement additional email campaigns. Angie was already running a reliable revenue campaign, but we added a second mini campaign each week. The goal was simple: get people to click through to her website more often. More visits mean more chances to convert.

Email marketing proved to be a goldmine for Angie. Her email click-through rate was three times higher than her average conversion rate. By adding another weekly email campaign, we aimed to capitalize on this and drive more traffic back to her site. The best part is that it didn’t have to be fancy – just a quick note highlighting a popular product or a special offer.

Ad Spend: Get More Bang for Your Buck

Angie was also running several types of ads, but we made some tweaks to optimize her spend. We shifted her brand video ad to target warm audiences and changed her retargeting ad from a purchase conversion ad to an add-to-cart ad. This adjustment was already showing results, with an increase in returning visitors.

Where Energy Goes, Results Flow

By the end of our session, Angie had a clear plan: add a weekly email campaign, focus on driving returning visitors, and adjust her ad strategy. She was already seeing an uptick in returning visitors and felt more confident about getting her sales back on track.

I want you to onboard this – the key to overcoming sales slumps is to dive into your metrics and face the facts.

It might not be as bad as you think, and with a few tweaks, you can turn things around. So, dive into your dashboards and make a plan. And remember, numbers don’t lie!

RELATED LINKS:

Check out Angie’s site here: www.anghill.com

ToyCycle’s sales have blossomed from 1 monthly marketing task.

https://thesocialsalesgirls.com/toycycles-sales-have-blossomed-from-1-monthly-marketing-task-episode-211/

6 Actionable Strategies That Are Working To Get Sales Now.

https://thesocialsalesgirls.com/6-actionable-strategies-that-are-working-to-get-sales-now-episode-194/

Want more sales? You might be missing these 3 things.

https://thesocialsalesgirls.com/want-more-sales-you-might-be-missing-these-3-things-episode-179/

New FREE Course

GROW YOUR SALES

(without breaking the bank)

Conversion School is a step by step process to grow your sales,
without spending a fortune on risky ad strategies, or discounting your products.

Works for Ecommerce stores at all stages.

Start getting consistent sales, and see significant sales growth every month.

New FREE Course

GROW YOUR SALES

(without breaking the bank)

Conversion School is a step by step process to grow your sales,
without spending a fortune on risky ad strategies, or discounting your products.

Works for Ecommerce stores at all stages.

Start getting consistent sales, and see significant sales growth every month.