While the world runs Black Friday and Christmas, we are already closing the strategies and budgets for next year.

The quarter of multiplied chaos

Q4 has always felt like the most chaotic quarter, and not only because of Black Friday and Christmas. While you run the most important campaigns of the year, you are also closing next year’s strategies and budgets.

Events on top of everything

On top of running the present and planning the future, there is a third factor: events. October and November are intense months for our team and for Alex Karnatowski:

• Travel: Düsseldorf, Alicante, Valencia, Rome and Bolzano.
• Talks and events: the eCommerce Awards, the AI Dinner, Digital 1to1, the #SDGAction Awards, BrightonSEO, International Search Summit and client events.
• Follow-ups after every event.
• New proposals and pitches.

Three client situations at the same time

All of this overlaps with three different client situations:

• Clients who are with us and doing well: annual reports, budget planning and making sure they renew.
• Clients who had an average year: we need to rethink the strategy.
• Clients who went to another agency, did not do well, and are now coming back.

How the last months of the year really look

• September starts strong, catching up on what did not happen in August.
• October and November get more intense with proposals, pitches and events.
• December, commercially and strategically, is only half a useful month.

Q4 does not end in December

In our sector, it is no longer enough to close the year with good results. You need next year’s strategy and budgets closed before the year starts.