Give Q4 a Boost by Staying Focused on Revenue Generating Activities

blog Nov 17, 2024

Boost Q4 revenue when you focus on sales. Set goals, create urgency, plan promotions, and streamline fulfillment to finish the year strong.


 

It’s the middle of the 4th quarter. And that means your focus needs to be on one thing. Generating Revenue. 

The 4th quarter is crucial for any small business. It can make or break your year and generate the momentum you need to go into 2025 strong. I’ve been through ten 4th quarters in my business and I’ve learned a LOT along the way. 

What you focus on grows. 

I say this a lot inside Launch Your Box. And what it means for small business owners right now is that focusing on selling will result in revenue growth. 

 

Start by Setting a Sales Goal

What is your sales goal for November? What’s your goal for December? If you haven’t set goals yet, do it now. 

Write those goals down. Put them in front of you. Share them with your team if you have one. I want those goals to be where you can see them every day. A constant reminder of what you’re working toward. 

What can you do to meet those goals? 

 

 

5 Income Generating Strategies 

I’ve got 5 things you can do to generate extra income starting now. Five strategies I’m using right now – and have used in the past. They work. 

None of them are complicated. None require a lot of extra work or investment. All will generate revenue!

 

 

1. Create Urgency & Serve By Selling with Limited Time Gift Bundles

People are buying gifts. They need you to help them shop for the people on their lists. Make it easy for them by bundling items together and making them giftable! Add urgency and give people a reason to buy NOW by making them available for a limited time. 

Check out this video for more on creating and marketing gift bundles. 

2. Boost Average Order Value with Upsells and Cross Sells 

Increase your average order value and move more inventory! When a customer puts something in their cart or makes a purchase, suggest an item that goes with it or highlight current bestsellers. Research apps available on your website. 

3. Bring ‘Em Along for the Fun with LIVE Shopping Events

These are so fun – and sometimes a little chaotic! Go LIVE and take your audience shopping with you. Grab an order and take them along with you as you pick and pack it. Your audience will have so much fun watching you and won’t be able to resist getting in on the fun and placing their own orders. 

4. Free Shipping Threshold 

I offer free shipping for orders of $100 or more. That means if someone has $80 of items in their cart, they only need to add $20 more to get free shipping. And more often than not, they will spend another $20 to save $6 in shipping. We call it “girl math” and it results in more sales! 😊

5. Daily and Weekly Deals & Promotions 

I talk about this more below, but you need to have your 4th quarter promotions planned out. And you need to market those promotions, treating each one like a mini-launch. 

 

 

Let’s dig a little deeper into how to maximize your revenue before year-end by focusing on four areas. 

 

Working Your Q4 Sales Strategy 

A successful Q4 – one where you maximize the amount of revenue you bring into your business – is all about having a plan and working that plan. 

 

Work Your Inventory Plan

Managing your inventory is a crucial part of a successful 4th quarter. You need to have inventory on hand and manage that inventory so you know what you have and what you need to move. 

Having the inventory available isn’t enough. You need to create demand for it. Show your customers what you have and why they need it. Remember, customers have turned their focus from buying for themselves to buying for others. Serve them by making it easy for them to buy gifts! 

Plan and run holiday promotions. Create and share gift guides. Make everything giftable! 

 

 

Work Your Marketing & Advertising Plan

Your 4th quarter marketing and advertising plan has three parts: email, social media, and paid ads. Each is important to maximizing your 4th quarter revenue. 

 

Email Marketing

The money is in your list! I often refer to my email list as my ATM. I send an email out and money comes back in the form of sales. 

Be strategic with your emails. Segment your list and send targeted emails that appeal specifically to those people. 

Make sure your abandoned cart and browse abandonment flows are set up. You know how busy we all are this time of year. If someone liked something enough to put it in their cart or check it out in your online shop, send them an email reminding them it’s still there waiting for them! 

 

 

Check out this blog post for more on using email marketing to make the most of your 4th quarter. 

 

Paid Ads

It’s not enough to count on people seeing your social posts, reels, and LIVEs. Paid ads will get you and your products in front of new audiences. 

Run ads on the platform where your ideal customer is most active. For me, that means Facebook. For you it might mean Instagram, TikTok, Pinterest, or something else. 

Use paid ads strategically, targeting specific demographics, interests, and behaviors. 

 

 

Prep for Peak Sales Days

Things are going to be busy from now until the holidays are over. Preparing for peak sales days means less overwhelm for you and your team and a better experience for your customers. 

  • Make customer service a priority. 
    • Set aside time each day to address customer questions or concerns. 
    • You will have a lot of first time customers during the holiday season - make their first experience with you a good one and they’ll come back! 
  • Respond to social media comments and questions promptly. 
  • Clearly communicate urgency and deadlines. 
    • Use banners on your homepage to announce: 
      • Flash sales
      • Promo codes
      • Free shipping thresholds
      • Christmas shipping deadlines 

 

Manage Logistics & Fulfillment 

More sales means more orders to pack and ship. It probably also means more time and more people needed to pack and ship. 

When planning the logistics of 4th quarter sales, you need a clear outline of shipping and processing timelines. Include buffer space to allow for unexpected complications and delays. They will happen. 

 

 

Do you have enough staff to handle the increase in order volume? If not, hire some temporary staff or arrange for current staff to work extra days or hours. 

Conduct a supply inventory. Make sure you have more than enough: 

  • Bags
  • Boxes
  • Tape
  • Shipping labels 

Plan your holiday packaging. How will you uplevel your customers’ experience this season? How will you make each package feel like a gift? 

 

 

Phew. That sounds like a lot of extra work, doesn’t it? 

It is. 

But it is all SO important. The 4th quarter in your business is SO important. 

All of your focus needs to be on generating revenue. 

Ask yourself, “What can I eliminate from my day-to-day so I can focus on revenue-generating activities?” 

Now is not the time to start a blog or podcast. It’s not time to create a new ebook or opt-in. It’s not time to build a new website or plan for 2025. 

Now is the time to focus on SALES and the activities that generate those sales. 

You control your sales. You do. Tell yourself you can do this and then do what you need to do to make sales every day. Build momentum now so you can start 2025 strong. 

The 4th quarter is your time. Go get it!

Learn from me:

  • Subscription Box Blueprint eBook: This $10 ebook covers logistics from product selection to packaging to shipping. Plus a 90-day launch plan and bonus ‘Instant Scripts’ for your social media.
  • Launch Your Box: My complete training program that walks you step by step through how to start, launch, and grow your subscription box business.
  • Launch Your Box Podcast: I share tons of practical tips and strategies to help you start, launch, and grow your subscription box business. You’ll also hear from industry experts and current Launch Your Box members who are crushing it - get ready to get inspired!
  • One Box at a Time: Inside my book One Box at a Time, I show you the steps you need to follow to start and launch your subscription box. To turn your dream into reality. This book is filled with proven teachings, valuable resources, best practices, and action steps for you to take.

 

Find me on social:

 

Are you ready for Launch Your Box? Our complete training program walks you step by step through how to start, launch, and grow your subscription box business. Join our waitlist and we will notify you when the group reopens.

Join the waitlist

Hear from Sarah each week!

Do you want weekly tips for starting, launching, and growing a subscription box? Subscribe to get our latest content by email.

Create Urgency, Scarcity, and FOMO for Sold-out Promos

Nov 24, 2024

10 Tips for Managing Overwhelm in Q4 and Year Round - EP 175

Nov 20, 2024