Raise your hand if your January (and frankly, the rest of Q1) sales are usually on the sucky side of success. Yeah, it’s a thing for this industry. There are reasons for that, but we don’t need to dwell on them.
What we do need to talk about is how you can have a better Q1 than you have ever had before, but you have to do some things differently. How you always handle Q1 sales hasn’t worked, which is why you have the same problem every year.
To get a different result, you have to make changes. It’s that simple.
The truth is that Q1 sales are already in motion. Once Thanksgiving rolls around, most prospects hit the brakes with the tired and all-too-familiar line, “Let’s talk after the first of the year.” When January rolls around, by then it’s too late to fill your pipeline, and this domino effect means you’ll spend the rest of the first quarter of 2026 playing catch-up instead of gaining momentum.
So here is the pattern break. Treat September through November as the months you spend working on filling your pipeline for the beginning of next year. Start planting seeds, having conversations, and creating opportunities.
The result? When the calendar flips, you have business and revenue already lined up and ready to hit your books.
To be clear, this isn’t about pushing holiday orders or chasing last-minute work. Holiday work is important, but your effort here is about building your Q1 sales pipeline so it is strong, full, and ready to carry you into next year. The work you do now determines your sales fate for 2026. Will you be behind or ahead? It’s up to you.
The mindset shift you need
Most shops in this industry treat the first week of January as the official launchpad for the new year. However, it is often the toughest month financially. That first week in January is dormant for sales, as customers are just getting back from vacations. Activity in the second and third weeks can be good, but by the time those deals close and work, you are now into February. In the meantime, Payroll still has to be met, and bills have to be paid. Cash flow is razor-thin.
These aren’t observations of the industry. These are clues for change. The REAL start of Q1 isn’t January. It’s right now. This second.
The mindset shift is simple: When you view September through November as the launchpad for Q1, you start taking the action needed for a more positive first quarter. It doesn’t have to be rocket science to have an explosive effect. Here’s how you can put this mindset into action using habits and new systems:
- Anchor pipeline work into a daily routine: For example, “After I pour my coffee, I spend 20 minutes prospecting.” Turn your daily outreach into a solid habit.
- Track the system, not just the outcome: Commit to five solid touches a day. Do the math: If you start today, how many would that be by Thanksgiving? Build a pipeline you can measure, not simply wish for.
- Make it visible: Post your “top 10 accounts” you will contact this week, somewhere you can see them. Cross them off or take notes as you take action. Don’t have this buried in a spreadsheet. Use a whiteboard or printed sheet on your desk.
- Shape your environment: No email, no production work, no order entry, no other work except your prospecting work during your prospecting block. Protect this time like it is gold, because it is.
Why does this matter? Let’s consider the financial impact on your shop. If your company is in the red every Q1 because of the lack of sales, you spend another chunk of time crawling out of that financial hole. You might not even be profitable until late Q3 or even Q4.
Imagine your future if you break even or have a small $5,000 profit instead. Now, your company is profitable earlier in the year. By the time December rolls around, you could be more profitable than you have ever been in your company’s history. It pays to start sooner.
Brainstorming an action checklist
By the way, you don’t need more work in Q1; you need smarter work. When shops are slow, they usually start saying yes to anything to keep employees busy. It’s like eating a candy bar. It might be okay now, but in the long term, it isn’t healthy.
What you want are customers who keep you busy, with healthy margins, and who bring you other clients. Those folks are out there; you simply may not have met them yet.
Here’s how to build better opportunities for Q1:
Audit your current channels
Review where your sales have come from in the past. Which accounts are steady? Which ones have slowed down? Who are your top customers based on volume and margin?
Go on tour. Get in front of these folks and discuss their business. Talk to them about next year. Understand their situations. Are they expanding? Struggling? Hiring? With what you do, how could you be a benefit to them? Don’t sell them stuff. Solve their problems.
Define your upsell process
Restaurants never miss the chance to ask if you want an appetizer or dessert. It’s part of their standard process. What is yours?
In Q1, you might have fewer opportunities for orders. But with each, can you imagine the impact you would have on your business if the average order value were higher because you added more items to each order? Add stickers, an embroidered hat, T-shirts, banners, promotional products, tote bags, or a gazillion other things to any order simply by making the upsell part of your standard routine.
If you upsell $200 on 50 orders, you added another $10,000 in revenue without adding a single new customer.
Focus on profit, not just orders
Quick, can you name the absolute sweet spot in your shop for an order? You know, the quantity, decoration type, garment brand, color or stitch count, timeframe for delivery, or any other attribute that adds margin to anything you do. For most shops, this is impossible as they haven’t actually done the work and measured it on this before. Maybe it is time to start.
Before you say yes to an order, ask three quick questions:
- Is this profitable?
- Is this a customer worth building a relationship with for the future?
- Does this order block capacity or resources for better work?
Saying no to the wrong order frees you to say yes to the right ones. Help your future self by creating a profit logbook for your business. Record jobs you regret taking, or ones that were home runs. Describe the circumstances and the impact on your business with these jobs. Use a journal only for this task and read through it when you
need clarity.
Bird-dog new customers
Opportunities don’t land in your lap on a constant basis. You have to do the work to sniff them out. Get out of your office and discover new opportunities around you. Prospect in new places. Look for interesting partnerships or collaborations. Revisit prospects who went cold earlier.
The worst thing you can do is assume anything. Talk to people. Ask clarifying questions. Your new best customer is out there. You simply haven’t met them yet.
One more thing. They are not going to come to you. Therefore, take the “Bird-dog Challenge” each week. Commit to:
- Meet three new people this week.
- Visit two local businesses in person.
- Ask one customer for a referral.
Build an idea bank
Do this daily: Set a timer for 15 minutes and write down ten outreach or upsell ideas. Don’t edit yourself. Simply start writing. You want a free flow of ideas, and it doesn’t matter how funny, ridiculous, or lame they are. Keep going. Fifteen minutes is a long time, and your brain will start connecting things, and some good ideas will show up.
At the end of the period, circle three ideas that look like they could be something you can use. Start banking the top three into a weekly list for action. Find the ones that will bring the most profit with the least friction. Commit to executing these ideas before Thanksgiving.
Tip: If you get stuck, ask yourself, “What else could a customer need that I provide, or what work should I avoid because it isn’t profitable?”
Tactical steps to fill your Q1 sales pipeline
This is where the rubber meets the road. Ideas and a new mindset are great, but they only pay off through consistent, measurable action. Use this OKR framework to hold yourself accountable.
Objective: Fill your sales pipeline with profitable, high-quality opportunities before Thanksgiving so you can start January with work already booked.
Key results: These are the actions that will deliver positive results for you if you implement them.
- Daily prospecting routine: Block a consistent segment of time daily for prospecting, follow-ups, and customer outreach. This is the only activity you are doing during this time.
- Reconnect dormant accounts: Reach out to at least 25 customers or prospects a week who haven’t ordered recently. Goal: Reactivate 20% into quoting or ordering by January.
- Sharpen your story: Update your pitch to focus on customer problem-solving, not selling “stuff.” Create a one-page leave-behind or PDF for emails that clearly explains your value.
- Leverage referrals: Before the holidays get into full swing, ask at least 10 current customers for introductions to someone else they feel could be a great fit for your shop. Then, follow up.
- Systematize follow-up: Of course, you can buy or use software, but if you aren’t using that yet, create a simple CRM, spreadsheet, or whiteboard system to track every lead. No contact should go more than two weeks without a touch. Send a newsletter, postcards, emails, or even samples. Get top of their mind and stay there.
- Intentional upselling: For every order quoted, present at least two upsell options. Your goal: Increase your average order value by 20% in Q1. Upselling can be a better garment blank, a different item, better packaging, or getting them to start an online store. Use what fits the situation.
Be the boulder rolling downhill
This is all about building momentum. But like the boulder at the top of the mountain, it only makes it to the bottom if it starts rolling.
A strong Q1 pipeline and sales heading into January isn’t the result of one big push, it’s the cumulative effect of small, consistent actions stacked over time. This is why momentum is your best friend.
Every touch you make today leads to a conversation tomorrow. This creates a quote next week. Which turns into an order for January. That’s the pipeline math you can’t escape.
The best salespeople understand this. They don’t whine about slow seasons or blame the market. They take responsibility. They create their own opportunities. They own the result. Because they know all too well the dangers of an empty pipeline.
Here’s how to keep the energy alive and the pipeline full:
Measure activity, not just results
You can’t control when an order closes, but you can control how many touches you make. Track your behaviors: prospecting calls, upsells offered, and referrals requested. The more quality touches you make, the momentum you build toward a brighter Q1.
- Own your work: Excuses don’t build sales pipelines. Action does. Make prospecting calls a daily, nonnegotiable part of your schedule. Even 20 minutes a day separates you from shops who wait around all day hoping the phone will ring. Sales is the most important part of your business.
- Celebrate small wins: Closing orders are great, but sustaining momentum lives in the little victories along the way. Celebrate when you book a meeting, reactivate a dormant account, or obtain a referral. When someone sends you a nice letter or email, create a folder of “wins” you can look through when you need some motivation or an uplift. Sometimes a positive feedback loop is all you need to have in your corner to make “one more call today.”
- Always ask: What’s the next step? In every call, meeting, or email, be sure to define the next move for both you and the customer. You want to keep everything moving forward. Always nail down the next step. Great salespeople never end a conversation without a next step on the calendar. Clarity is your friend here.
- Build habits that stick: Don’t leave energy up to willpower. Some days your mojo won’t be there. You can’t let victory be powered by “when you feel like it.” Anchor your important tasks such as prospecting, customer calls, upselling, and follow-ups to daily routines. Systems beat motivation every time.
- Stay human and visible: It’s easy to sell one T-shirt with a social media post. Impossible to sell one order of 20,000 the same way. Why? Because orders that are connected to numbers with commas are sold on trust. Your customers want to trust who they are working with for things that matter. Stay visible and connected with updates, samples, or a quick “thinking of you” note. Your mission should be to communicate with them before they do. It shows you care and keeps you top of mind and referrable.
- Focus on the right work: You don’t need to fill your Q1 pipeline with busy orders. You want it to be jammed with profitable ones. Know the difference.
If you want to win Q1 next year, don’t wait around for the calendar to change to get busy. Start now and create opportunities, fill your pipeline, and drive momentum. For example, 50 touches can create 15 conversations, which leads to five quotes, which produces two orders.
Keep planting seeds, moving forward, and when January finally arrives, you’ll be ahead of the curve instead of chasing it.
