Don’t Let the Q4 MQL Chase Kill your 2026 Strategy
Q4. I know the feeling. I’ve been there. The pressure IS ON!
The sales team are rushing to hit their sales targets before the December holiday period kicks in. And that pressure trickles through the organisation, with the demands for leads and MQLs reaching peak volume.
This presents a bit of a marketing nightmare. On the one hand, you're turning your attention to your 2026 B2B marketing strategy, looking at how to actually move the needle on demand, rather than being reactive. But on the other hand, the CEO, sales teams and CFO are calling for your support to ensure revenue targets are met.
So what has to give? Your strategy.
Rather than spending the time it deserves analysing your numbers, speaking to customers, delving into the competitive landscape and getting your head around market shifts, you’re launching a quick-and-dirty campaign to see if you can convert any more of the 5% in-market.
The Problem: We end up sacrificing long-term strategic clarity for short-term, tactical survival. This leads to a rushed, safe 2026 plan, that almost guarantees you’ll be in this exact same mess 12 months down the line.
This isn’t just stressful. It’s commercial suicide.
Why Playing it Safe is Your Biggest Risk
Traditionally, this scramble to the finish line leads to the implementation of default, tried, tested, and tired marketing strategies.
What does "safe" look like?
- Plugging in the events you have coming up and calling it a plan.
- Focusing on quarterly "messaging themes" that are just a re-skin of this year.
- Detailing performance marketing campaigns based on what worked in 2025, backed by pages of data no one understands.
The message I’m trying to get across here is that in a rush, we ultimately fall back on what we know. What feels familiar. What we know will get a yes from finance. But this doesn’t challenge the business to break the norms, to try something new, to break free from safe campaigns and actually stand out.
Safe equals boring. And boring is dangerous
If your 2026 strategy is just a 2025 refresh, you’ve already lost.
You’ll be spending your budget on campaigns that nobody notices. That blends into the sterile sea of sameness. That leads you to the same scramble you’re in right now.
Research tells us that these safe campaigns need to work up to 7 times harder to deliver the same result. So you’re quite literally throwing good money after bad. Repetition and safety are not viable options for brands looking to grow in 2026.
So, What Can You Do About it?
First, breathe.
Firefighting can wait. A good marketing strategy for 2026 will be worth its weight in gold. So park the sales requests for a minute and let’s focus on your role.
Here are four actionable tactics you can execute NOW to start 2026 prepared.
- Run a "Brave Opportunity" Audit:
Stop reacting and start owning your unique position in market. Audit your competitors, your market and your buyers to better understand what makes you different, why you stand out and the gaps that you can own with brave marketing campaigns. - Pressure-Test Your Foundations: “The Who Cares?” Test
This one is simple. Put your key taglines, brand pillars, messages and CTAs on a screen. Put yourself in your customers shoes (and I mean really put yourself in their shoes) and ask yourself: Do I care?
If so, why do I care? If not, it’s time to re-evaluate. This is the fastest way to find the weak, emotionally-empty messaging that needs to be rebuilt. - Build Your Armoury: Focus on your 2026 Target Personas
Think about who you will be targeting in 2026. Do not say everyone. Be choiceful.
Select three buyer personas you truly want to win and hone in on them. Design your messaging and positioning around these targets and determine what tactics and distribution strategies are going to have the biggest impact. - Fix Your 95/5 Split: Reallocate Budget to Brand Marketing
If your chasing MQLs at the end of the year, it might be because your budget is geared too heavily towards short-term marketing tactics. These only target the 5% in market in any given quarter.
If you want to win in 2026, take a closer look at your budget allocation. Ensure a significant portion goes on brand or long-term demand generation. These campaigns should target the 95% of buyers who aren’t in market, capturing their attention so you’re first on the list when they do enter buying mode.
(If you’re stuck, there’s a lot out there to back up the “bothism” investment argument.)
I’ve been in your shoes. Choosing to pause in the mad scramble for leads is not easy. And it can be confronting moving away from what’s comfortable - especially for Dave from Sales, who immediately thinks his leads will dry up.
But having the breathing space to plan properly will pay dividends in the long run. And, by the end of 2026, quotas will be met, or even exceeded, with a solid plan in place.
So this year, choose to be brave. Say no, not right now. And spend the time building your marketing strategy, right.
And, if you need an extra pair of hands, you know where to find us.
