Hunter Henry, curator of the 'Hog and Ladder' play, made it clear: The game ain't over yet.

His miraculous fourth-and-25 conversion in overtime, help seal an improbable Razorbacks victory in 2015. It was NUTS!  Decades previous to this, in the same vein, Arkansas Coach Frank Broyles made sure that his players "understand the fourth quarter."

“It’s when you don’t feel good anymore,” his words retold by Dallas Cowboys Owner Jerry Jones, a former player. “You’re tired, you don’t look and feel the same way as you did in the first quarter. This is when you show your character. Don’t you quit! Keep pushing!”

Much like Coach Broyles, Datamax President Barry Simon wants the Datamax family  - in sales, service, logistics and administration - to understand the Fourth Quarter, to keep pushing, and to finish strong.

“We have a tendency to look at the holidays and begin thinking about celebrating,” Simon said. “We need to make sure we remain focused on each individual task, and do whatever it is we need to get done. And then we can celebrate.”

Datamax Texas President David Rhodes echoes this sentiment, saying that in our industry - unlike many others - this is the busiest time of year, leaving no window for wasted time.

"Historically, Datamax Inc. has had its biggest sales in the month of November and December. We just need to continue to do what we’ve done all year," David said. "We obviously get wrapped up into the holidays - which we should - but there's still a lot of business to be done, deals to be made."

So here are "4 Final Minute Strategies" to consider in your endeavor to finish strong.

1. Know Your Score

As you approach the final drive, get a crystal clear idea of what your scoreboard reads. What are your current sales goals, FTA revenue attainment targets, billing accuracy percentages, or service points metrics? Where will you end up at the completion of 2018, and how do these scores match up to your pre-season predictions?

Take some time today to review your desired score, write it down on a card or in your iPhone, and keep it with you at all times.  Post it at your desk, on your bathroom mirror, in your car, etc.  Remember, where you focus is what you forge.

There’s still time to push toward the goal line, but you've got to know YOUR score.

2. Expand Your Playbook

Time for the ole “Hog and Ladder?” Not just yet.

We're not talking about trick plays. But getting creative with your current playbook could make a big difference on the final drive.  This might mean up-selling an add-on you thought might inflate the price on a current deal. It might mean being more deliberate on asking for referrals. 

Have you reached out to a LinkedIn coach to augment your 4th quarter playlist? Consider this blog from HubSpot titled, "9 Little-Known Ways to Find New Prospects on LinkedIn." It's certainly worth the read.

Also, scan your CRM once more and develop a list of higher return opportunities that just seem stuck and seemingly going nowhere. Have you clearly determined their pain? Do you truly believe you can help them? Have you demonstrated that you care? Needless to say, going through the holidays with lingering business problems is not preferable — especially for your prospects and customers. 

Or, here’s a power play from Arkansas Solutions Consultant Sherry Lee: Consider sharing with prospects Section 179C of the IRS tax code. Essentially, this allows businesses to deduct the full purchase price of qualifying equipment and/or software purchased or financed during the tax year. More on that here.

3. Speed Things Up

It's time to speed up your game.

Think prospects don’t want to hear from you with the holidays approaching? Think again. Their pain points are likely as prevalent now as they were in September. And many in December are looking to spend now.

"Many of the people have budgets (at the end of the year), where it's either use it or lose it," David said. "We need to make sure we’re talking to those type of clients that are in the buying mode now."

This also puts added pressure on the support team to get everything delivered by the end of the year. It requires a real team effort, David says.

"For us, these are the critical times to get final sales and final deliveries done," he says.

Make the call now to find out what days key contacts will be unavailable: They’ll be pleased that someone cares this much about accommodating their schedule before it’s too late. Even better: Get cell phones or best means of contact for your prospects so they can be reached during the holiday rush.

In service? Respond even quicker on support calls to accommodate your client’s hectic holiday schedule. Your fans will be raving about such courtesy.

Speed is a big-time, game-day competitive advantage.

4. Refuse to Lose 

You’re tired. You don’t feel the same now as you did in the first quarter.  But just as Frank Broyles insisted, this is when you show your character.

For sales, depending on how complex your opportunity is, remember multiple people at your target account might be involved in the buying decision. Don't be assumptive and don't quit! Reaching out to all of the influencers and decision makers involved through prospecting not only increases your connect rate with a target account; it also increases your eventual close rate. 

Whether you're pushing for a key First Time Account, addressing a complex technical problem, or solving a challenging billing issue, remember to be "professionally persistent" ... that's what champions do.

Visualize victory. Finish strong. You’re one final drive away from the celebratory Gatorade bath. (But, don't be like LSU two weeks ago, and celebrate a wee bit prematurely.)

WPS!