Timing and relevance matter when planning and executing B2B marketing, branding, and sales activities. Still, many companies overlook a key input that can significantly improve timing and relevance: the financial year of their potential and existing customers.
Understanding where a company is in its financial year helps you approach it more informed, relevant, and effective.
Below, I provide you with four ways it makes a difference:
Budget planning and allocation
Most B2B companies make major spending decisions at specific points in their financial year — usually just before or during the budgeting process.
If you know when your target company is:
- Planning their next budget, you can influence decision-making early and be part of the planning.
- Closing their current financial year, you might catch the available budget that needs to be used or prepare them for allocating resources to your solution in the next cycle.
You increase your chances of being included in conversations and plans by showing up at the right moment.
This minor adjustment often leads to better timing, relevance, and substantial conversations.
Timing your outreach for relevance
When your marketing, branding, and sales efforts are aligned with where your target company is in its financial year, you're naturally more relevant.
You will avoid:
- Contacting them in the middle of internal budget freezes or yearly planning chaos.
- Missing the moment when they're most open to considering new initiatives.
Instead, you can help them:
- Reach current-year goals.
- Justify planned investments.
- Act on an end-of-year budget that might otherwise go unused.
For example:
- "Implement before the end of Q3 to contribute to this year's pipeline growth" is much more compelling than a generic value proposition.
Better qualification and prioritisation
Knowing where a company is in its financial year also helps you prioritise your efforts. It's a good time to start a dialogue if they're in budget-planning mode.
If they're in execution mode with locked budgets, it might be a better time to focus on nurturing or supporting.
This will help you:
- Qualify which accounts are more likely to act now.
- Prioritise your pipeline.
- Avoid wasting time chasing companies that aren't in a position to buy now.
Understanding a company's financial year isn't complicated. Surprisingly, few B2B teams actively use it in their work.
Personalised and timely messaging
Referencing where a company is in their financial year adds weight and credibility to your message. It shows that you've done your homework and are paying attention to their situation, not just your own targets.
Examples:
- "As you're heading into a new fiscal year, here are three ideas to consider including in your upcoming budget."
- "To help boost your Q4 results, we've seen companies in your position benefit from…"
- "Many companies use this period to plan for next year—we're happy to share examples of how others are doing it."
This context makes it easier for your contacts to understand the relevance of what you're offering right now.
A simple input that can make a big difference
Understanding a company's financial year isn't complicated. Surprisingly, few B2B teams actively use it in their work.
It might be time if you haven't included it as an input in your database, ABM efforts, CRM setup, or sales process. This minor effort often leads to better timing, relevance, and substantial conversations.
