As Q4 approaches, it’s time to start thinking ahead to the new year and setting goals that will accelerate your business into 2025. The fourth quarter is the perfect time to lay the groundwork for success, ensuring you’re not only prepared for the upcoming year but also positioned for growth. To help you get ahead, here are three critical "rocks" to focus on. These key areas will help drive long-term business value, enhance your sales team’s effectiveness, and foster an innovative culture ready to tackle future challenges.

1. Measure and Scorecard Enterprise Value

The number one goal of a business is to maximize enterprise value. Yet most companies do not have enterprise value on their scorecards. Instead, they manage to revenue and profit. The problem is that not all revenue and profit are created equal. For example, contracted recurring revenue has way more value than one-and-done project revenue.

In Traction, Gino Wickman reminds us that, “What gets measured gets done.” If you want to grow enterprise value, you need to measure it and put it on your scorecard. Then your leadership team needs to understand what drives value so you can make great decisions that enhance value.

It all begins with a process to measure and update company value. To discover the enterprise value of your company and learn how other companies are maximizing their enterprise valuation (even ones that are not planning to sell in the next 3 years), schedule your 90-minute executive briefing.

2. Evaluate Your Sales Team

Most leadership teams set revenue goals and then hope their sales team can deliver results. Instead, begin the habit of benchmarking your sales team using a data-driven approach. A Sales Team Analysis Report reveals how much money the sales team is leaving on the table. It shows the strengths and weaknesses of the team as well as the strengths and weaknesses of each team member.

Empowered with this information you can create a plan to prune the team where necessary. You can understand how many new reps you need to onboard to hit your goal. And, you can create a development plan to ensure your sales team operates at peak performance.

To learn more about a Sales Team Analysis Report for your company and to see a sample report, schedule a conversation with the team at Selling From the Heart.

3. Launch a Strategic Innovation Council

Change is the one constant. With change comes new opportunities, and potential disruption. Head into 2025 ready to capitalize on changes in the marketplace by launching a Strategic Innovation Council. This strategic thinking team, composed of employees with Working Geniuses® of Wonder and Invention, aims at creating the future.

The Strategic Innovation Council gathers quarterly to analyze your customers and the market to come up with new ideas. Then they work over the next 90 days to pilot, optimize, and package the good ideas for implementation. This puts your company in a position of leadership, allowing you to live out the value of innovation.

To learn more about creating a Strategic Innovation Engine for your Business download the Visionary’s Guide to Unleashing Strategic Innovation.

Take Action!

By focusing on these three rocks—managing to valuation as a scorecard metric, evaluating your sales team, and launching a Strategic Innovation Council—you can set your business on the path to accelerated growth in 2025. Each rock addresses a crucial element of long-term success: maximizing enterprise value, optimizing sales performance, and fostering a culture of innovation. Taking action now will help you stay ahead of the curve, allowing you to enter 2025 with momentum and a solid strategy in place.

Originally published on Darrell Amy's LinkedIn.