Newsletter 
As the year winds down, commercial leaders must balance hitting year-end targets while planning for 2025. This period is crucial for identifying gaps and collaborating with internal partners like Learning & Development (L&D) to ensure a smooth transition into the new year.
Closing 2024: Assess Year-End Performance
Evaluate your team’s performance against established objectives using existing analytics and reports. Ask key questions to clarify your current situation and path forward:
- Are you meeting your revenue and growth targets?
- Where are you winning and how can you fuel that?
- What barriers impacted performance and how can you overcome them?
- Do priorities need to shift based on marketplace changes or other factors?
By taking stock of these factors, you will have a clear understanding of how to close out the year effectively and which areas require further support as you enter 2025.
Closing 2024: Focused Strategy to Finish Strong
Based on your evaluation, identify critical areas to focus on for a strong year-end finish. Consider these questions to uncover opportunities:
- Where are sales down and how can you “stop or limit” the losses?
- Where should you maintain or amplify efforts?
- Where are there quick wins, especially with coordinated pull-through activities?
- How can cross-functional teams work together to move the needle on specific accounts?
- Where should you reallocate resources to target high-potential opportunities?
Closing 2024: Leverage Relationships
Year-end is ideal for leveraging internal and external relationships. As you look to 2025, focus on alignment and connection for future success. Consider:
Team Check-ins:
- How can you leverage your team’s collective brainpower to finish strong?
- What approach will you use to start 2025 with buy-in from your team?
- Do team members have the right knowledge and skills to execute effectively?
- How can you promote cohesiveness and drive quality execution?
Partner Relationships:
- How can you optimize available resources, including partners, to ensure year-end success?
- Where can partners provide additional support or expertise?
Planning 2025: Identify Learning and Skill Gaps
During your year-end assessment, identify areas where your team needs additional training or support for 2025. Ask yourself:
- What competencies or skills are underdeveloped within your team?
- How have these skill gaps impacted performance?
- What small behavior changes can you still address this year to drive results?
- What areas need attention to meet 2025 goals?
Planning 2025: Engage L&D and External Partners Proactively
Initiate learning conversations in Q4 for a strong start to 2025. Engage L&D and/or external partners early to:
- Share insights into your team’s performance and skill gaps
- Allow for design of thoughtful, customized learning plans
- Plan for year beginning meetings to address skill gaps and to focus on opportunities to take field teams to the next level
- Ensure development efforts align with team needs and business goals
Early engagement with L&D and vendor/partners enables customized, root-cause focused learning plans for 2025. This strategic partnership ensures development efforts align with team needs and business goals, creating a cohesive path to success.
Next Steps
Closing strong means swiftly addressing gaps and opportunities that impact year-end results while planning for 2025 success. By tackling skill gaps, leveraging relationships, and optimizing resources, you can finish 2024 strong and lay a solid foundation for the new year.
Ready to accelerate your 2025 initiatives? Contact WLH Consulting and Learning Solutions (“WLH”) today to discuss how we can support your leadership development, commercial excellence, or change management goals. Our proven expertise and tailored approach will help you navigate challenges and drive measurable results. Don’t wait – let’s collaborate on your path to success. Reach out now to schedule a consultation and jumpstart your 2025 strategy.
