— Gary Ryan Blair
I always know when the third quarter is approaching because that’s when we kick off the 100 Day Challenge and my inbox gets inundated with the same question…
“What should I be doing differently to crush my third quarter (Q3) goals?”
My reply is always the same…
“The things you need to do to crush your Q3 goals and make this your best year ever are the exact same things you should have been doing since the beginning of the year.
Here’s the deal…
We’re all staring down the barrel of the same reality…the third quarter is rapidly approaching (or just getting started) and your year-to-date results speak for themselves.
The big difference now is that you have less time to hit your sales quota, close any performance gaps, redeem yourself… and to finish what you started some time ago.
If for whatever reason you find yourself currently below target…with your back against the wall, and you absolutely, positively need to step up your performance, then follow my lead as…
CRUSHING YOUR THIRD QUARTER GOALS is an opportunity you simply cannot afford to let slip by.
Use the After Action Review process you’ll find here to assess your performance and set yourself up for a record setting third quarter.
Download Your Third Quarter Checklist
The timing is perfect… and should you choose not to pounce on the strategies that follow, I assure you — you’ll come to regret that decision…as nothing is more expensive than a missed opportunity.
CARPE DIEM
You must recognize a few things about the importance of seizing this opportunity to crush your third quarter goals…especially if you got off to a slow start this year.
1. The 3rd quarter will have little value to you from a productivity standpoint if you do not deliberately pounce on it with the intent to set a fast pace, secure some quick and critical wins and close any performance gaps.
2. Your loss is someone else’s gain as someone with more courage, conviction and confidence than you will find a way to step up their game…hit their target goals and make the kind of progress you only wished for.
What follows is your seven-point check list…seven rock solid strategies for winning big in Q3!
STRATEGY #1 ASSESS YOUR PERFORMANCE
I long ago discovered a critical business discipline that has allowed me…and my clients to continually grow, improve and prosper month after month, quarter after quarter…and year after year.
In fact, it’s been so effective in driving my own personal productivity that its enabled me to increase my income…and hit my performance goals for 39 consecutive quarters (over 9 years).
What is it? It’s called an After Action Review (AAR), and it’s all about measuring and reflecting upon your year-to-date performance…reviewing what you did right as well wrong and determining the corrective actions you need to make before the 3rd quarter arrives.
STRATEGY #2 GET SERIOUS
The third quarter is about to arrive and with a finite period of time breathing down your neck…you have no choice but to get serious, set crystal clear goals, raise the bar, step up your game and embrace a take-no-prisoners attitude.
One thing about successful people is that at some point in their life, each one has looked in the mirror and decided that once and for all they were done playing games, they were done settling for table scraps, and they were done living far below their potential.
The moment you decide to get serious, to raise your standards, and commit to crushing your Q3 goals… is the moment everything changes in your life to include the direction and trajectory of your life.
Why? Commitment always precedes action which means…you will make rapid advances towards your goals ONLY after you decide to get serious about doing everything in your power to make this your best year ever.
STRATEGY #3 REFUSE TO DIE
COMEBACKS, REDEMPTION AND SECOND ACTS are ubiquitous in our culture today…the salesperson or entrepreneur who turns a poor performing first quarter into one of redemption and prosperity…the celebrity or athlete who falls from grace and somehow finds a way to bounce back bigger and better than ever.
Those with the character to do what it takes to CRUSH THEIR THIRD QUARTER GOALS, tend not to allow the indignity of a poor year-to-date performance to keep them down.
Every great achievement and comeback in history has been the result of the choices, the determinations…and the creations of the human will.
A comeback acknowledges that her back is against the wall…she accepts the sins of past performance, analyzes both opportunities and obstacles, strengthens her resolve, and crawls to her feet again.
When you are down or below target, even after just one quarter…other people will write you off. Do not let them define you…maintain your dignity, commit to the goal of attack your third quarter goals, and refuse to die.
STRATEGY #4 START SAYING NO
Consisting of two letters and one syllable…the word “No” is the most powerful word in your vocabulary as well as a complete sentence.
It’s the easiest word for setting any kind of limit, holding firm to boundaries, and being crystal clear about what you will or will not do during the second quarter.
You will be infinitely more productive once you recognize these three things:
1. “No” is not a dirty word, negative word, nor is it a selfish word. Learning to say “No” is liberating as it frees up your time to focus on your key priorities.
2. You are in complete control of how you spend your time and your life. Saying “No” allows you more time and energy to pursue your most ambitious goals.
3. Saying, “No,” actually increases the value of the things you can, “Yes” to.
Saying “No” is the most strategic decision you can make for the simple reason that it simplifies your life…focuses your attention and accelerates your overall effectiveness — guaranteeing a record setting third quarter.
Strategy #5 DO THINGS DIFFERENTLY OR DO DIFFERENT THINGS
A strong 3rd quarter is dependent upon extraordinary execution skills. The better you execute, the better you perform, and the stronger you finish…It’s that simple.
Expecting to get better results from the same old behavior will only succeed in perpetuating more pain and digging a deeper hole. It will NOT get you to a superior level of performance.
Therefore, crushing your third quarter goals necessitates new and better execution skills. In short, things need to change, and when faced with a need for change — YOU ONLY HAVE TWO OPTIONS…you can either do things differently, or you can do different things.
This is a subtle but important distinction…and if you have any chance of closing your execution gaps and making this your best year ever, you MUST ask yourself…
“Do I need to do things differently, or should I focus on doing different things?”
Getting the right answer — quickly — will be the key to a successful, abundant and record setting second quarter. And that’s what you really want, isn’t it?
STRATEGY #6 SPEED THINGS UP
The old rules no longer apply. It’s not the big who eats the small; it’s the fast who eats the slow.
SPEED is a massive and sustainable competitive advantage that you must utilize with great authority…speed is a demonstration of commitment, competence and clarity of purpose…and speeding things up is the key to rapid, ongoing, and transformational results in the third quarter.
You will achieve true greatness and crush your third quarter goals…only after you develop a sense of urgency about what you are doing. I’m talking about urgency to the extent that driving superior performance and achieving your Q3 goals is a matter of life or death.
Perhaps the most compelling reason of all for taking massive action each day and using speed as a dominating competitive advantage is that tie is finite.
None of us are getting any younger, and the sooner you realize the value of speed, the more serious you take your goals, and the greater urgency you build into your daily habits.
Before we move on to the final strategy…allow me to drive this point home with the conviction is deserves…you must take massive daily action and turn the pursuit of speed into your primary weapon for CRUSHING YOUR THIRD QUARTER GOALS.
STRATEGY #7 BE RELENTLESS
Your success in crushing your third quarter (Q3) goals and making you’re your best year ever will be forever linked to your heart…your will…your steadfast commitment to your goals.
Victory belongs neither to the faint-hearted nor to the weak-willed or the uncommitted.
WINNING BIG in the second quarter necessitates that you fight on with undying, relentless determination. And, by choosing to be relentless…you are demonstrating no abatement of severity, intensity, strength, or pace…nor are you softening or yielding in determination.
Being relentless means that you have the type of spirit incapable of being overcome, subdued, or vanquished. In short, it means that you are unconquerable.
If you passionately believe that you are up to the challenge and committed to making the most of the second quarter, then understand this…It is your right and responsibility to cultivate an unbeatable mind and enforce your will over any resistance force.
The rewards for those who are unyielding in their pursuit of a strong and prosperous third quarter (Q3) will far exceed the pain that must precede the victory.
ARE YOU READY TO FAST TRACK YOUR Q3 GOALS?
I’m going to take the liberty of being blunt right now…
Depending on when you’re reading this…the 3rd quarter is rapidly approaching, or it’s just starting up…and there’s no point in pretending that UPGRADING YOUR EXECUTION SKILLS is anything less than the savviest move you can make right now.
You’ve already had two-quarters to showcase your best stuff…and if you’re currently below target, or not satisfied with your individual or team performance…that’s more than enough proof that you need a better system for driving results.
That’s why you’re going to love the 100 Day Challenge.
The 100 Day Challenge is an online, high performance rapid execution system… designed to help you crush your 3rd quarter goals and transform your life and career in 100 days.
Built to operate with blistering speed and relentless execution…this extreme, beast of a challenge is meant for serious people who crave serious results — fast. If you’re okay with average, this program will eat you for lunch.
It’s time to change the way you achieve your goals…and it would be my honor to show you how.
Gary Ryan Blair is creator of the 100 Day Challenge…a radical approach to goal achievement that shows you how to 10X your goals by applying the strategies of growth hacking.
Join an enthusiastic community of 600,000+ aspiring people and get the training, support and accountability you need to turn your big goals and crazy dreams into breakthrough success.
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