If you don't maintainprospecting activity for the last three months of the year, you aredigging a hole that will make a successful 2019 much harder than itneeds to be. (Photo: Shutterstock)

I hear benefits producers complain about the fourth quarter all the time. They talk abouthow crazy it is, there are so many renewals to handle, there justisn't enough time for everything.

Suddenly, they have themselves convinced that there isn't timeto get everything done, and something has to go. Unfortunately,prospecting is usually the first thing to beeliminated. Seems like a legitimate reason to avoid the task theyhate most, right?

Right action, wrong activity

Kevin Trokey is founding partnerand
coach at St. Louis-based Q4intelligence.

Yeah, fourth quarter is busy, I get that, but prospecting isabout the last thing a producer should ignore. If you don'tmaintain prospecting activity for the last three months of theyear, you are digging a hole that will make a successful 2019 muchharder than it needs to be.

Related: 25 tweet-sized info bites to motivate you thismonth

Prospecting momentum is hard enough to maintain, but to restartit after it comes to a complete stop makes the challengeexponentially harder.

Successful producers make prospecting a top priority. Sure, theymay not be able to commit quite as much to it during fourth quarteras they do the rest of the year, but they block out time every weekto stay on top of their prospecting efforts.

On the other end of the spectrum are those struggling producerswho only prospect when their pipeline is empty.

Many don't even prospect, they just wait for randomopportunities to find them. It's no surprise they never achieveconsistent results and find themselves working on any accounts whowill listen.

Make the 4th quarter more manageable

If you understand what needs to be eliminated and what needsfull focus, not only will the quarter be more manageable, 2019 willbe more successful.

Do not…

• Get involved in routine service issues your teamshould be managing • Spend time in carrier discussionsabout every renewal and every option • Allow yourself tobe random about scheduling your week

Do…

• Maintain your focus to manage a hectic fourthquarter • Hold yourself accountable for both quality andquantity of prospects in your pipeline • Block out timeevery day (at least most days) for prospecting • Identifyyour weekly “have tos” and dedicate time on your calendar for theircompletion • Plan for a successful, more manageable2019

I'll argue that with proper discipline, you do have time foreverything you need to be doing—even in the fourth quarter. The keyphrase is “need to be doing.” Anything else is just busy work.

Discipline isn't just for 4th quarter anymore

Really, these “do nots” and “dos” are rules you should followall year long, but with the craziness of fourth quarter, you justdon't have a choice. Your competition won't find the disciplinethey need, and will let their prospecting efforts go, which isexactly the reason that it is time for you to push your salesefforts harder than ever.

Selling is a four-quarter game. If the offense doesn't take thefield for all four quarters, it's not going to win.

More useful tips to get you on the righttrack:

• 5 ways for experienced advisors to get back intoprospecting
• Stop pursuing clients, attract theminstead
• 10 basic tips to improve your sales prospects thisyear