Q1 sets the trajectory for your entire year. You either come out strong, or you spend the next nine months trying to recover. Most companies underestimate this window. You shouldn’t.
You get one chance to build momentum. If you miss it, your 2026 plan becomes harder, slower and more expensive to achieve.
Here’s how you take control early and set the pace.
Start fast by fixing what slows you down
Look at the barriers that drag your sales team in Q1.
- Vacant roles
- Underperformers you haven’t replaced
- No pipeline discipline
- Weak inbound volume
- Poor onboarding for new hires
You know exactly which of these apply to you. The question is whether you act now or wait until the problems get bigger.
What slows your Q1 right now?
Hire before the market gets crowded
January and February are the two busiest hiring months of the year. Top sales performers take calls, explore offers and move quickly.
If you delay recruitment until March or April, you’re fighting for the leftovers. That gap alone can cost you an entire quarter of revenue.
You can avoid this by lining up vetted candidates now. You get speed. You get quality. You stay ahead.
Lock in pipeline discipline from week one
Sales leaders tell you they’re “building a pipeline” in Q1. That usually means deals that won’t close until Q3.
Shift the team into action by creating early accountability:
- Daily outbound activity expectations
- Qualified pipeline targets
- Weekly review of deal movement
- Clear criteria for removing dead deals
You avoid slow starts. You create control.
Make onboarding a non-negotiable
Most new sales hires underperform because onboarding is rushed or chaotic. The fix is simple.
Give every new hire a 90-day plan that outlines:
- What they must learn
- Who they must meet
- What results do you expect
- How you measure progress
When you set clarity from day one, performance follows.
Fix your goals early, not mid-year
If your targets rely on hope, Q1 exposes it fast.
Review:
- Your forecast
- Your headcount
- Your territory plan
- Your conversion rates
Make adjustments now. You won’t have time to fix them in June.
What’s the single biggest target risk you see for 2026?
Don’t wait for a perfect moment
Businesses lose months waiting for budget sign-off, internal alignment or market stability.
You don’t need perfection. You need movement.
The companies that win treat Q1 as a launch window, not a warm-up period.
They hire early.
They remove blockers early.
They build pipeline early.
They confront hard truths early.
That’s how you get ahead of your 2026 plan – not chase it.