Sales

5 Ways to Combat Slow Summer Sales

July 18, 2014

Slow summer sales got you down? Cheer up — just because your prospects aren’t buying now, it doesn’t mean they’re not planning for the Fall. Sales expert Mike Brooks explains how the best way to combat a slow summer is planning for a successful fall.

I don’t know about you, but two days before July 4th business started slowing down and after the holiday, it seemed to practically stop. We do have business, but the pace — the new leads and especially the urgency of the first half of the year — seems like it’s grinding to a halt.
So what happened?

Business is Seasonal

Summer happened, that’s what. When I speak to clients and colleagues, they tell me the same thing: Many of their bosses, co-workers, suppliers, or business partners are either on vacation, just coming back from a vacation, or just about to take a vacation.
Many are even taking as much as three to four weeks off! Just recently, I spoke with a potential coaching client about when he was thinking of starting our relationship. He told me it would be after his month-long vacation in August, and he would be back right before Labor Day.
So there you have it — business is seasonal. Kids get out of school. The weather changes. People have worked hard and are now ready to take some time off. The business environment changes and people start to relax.

5 Ways to Combat Slow Summer Sales

Does this mean companies aren’t buying or planning for the fall? Of course not. It just means that they are going to begin doing things on their time-table for a while, not yours.
So here’s what you can do to not only keep sales coming in now, but also set yourself up for the best finish of any year you’ve ever had.

1) Don’t let up

Keep working hard — if not harder. Make more calls. Send more emails. Stay later, and come in earlier. The time you put in now may not seem to pay off right away, but in the fall you’ll see the fruits of your labor.
Bill Parcells
Take a page out of the “dog days of summer” in NFL training camps. I still remember what Bill Parcells told his players in late December when they were about to begin a drive that would determine whether they got into the playoffs or not. He looked at his exhausted linemen and said: “This is why you lift all those damn weights!”
The effort you put in now will make the difference at the end of this year.

2) Connect with established clients

This is the perfect time to send a card, make a call, or talk with clients about things other than business.
Face it: if things are slow for you, they are probably slow in their business as well. How about asking what they are doing to deal with this period and what they are doing to get ready for the fall. And how about asking how you can help them do that? Set yourself up to work with them when they’ll be ready.

3) Improve your skill set or work on product development

This is the perfect time to work on any part of your business that will make a difference in the second half of the year.
One strategy I use to stay in front of my prospects and customers is through a greeting card campaign. Some of you know that I use Send Out CardsWhy not design a card with a picture of yourself and family on YOUR vacation and send it to all your clients and prospects! That’ll give you something to talk about.
Now, you can use that same system without a sign up fee. Click Here to find out how. Just use this number to try this system out for free: 83661

4) Set goals for September – December

Develop an affirmation card and goal sheet of what you’re going to earn. Remember,

“Fear Pushes, but Vision Pulls.”

Use this time to create an exciting and compelling vision of the rest of the year for yourself and family, and let that vision pull you all through the summer.

5) Feed your mind a positive diet

Need some food for thought?

summer reading rev Top 10 Business Books for Entrepreneurs


This is the time to feed your mind every single day (and many times during the day as well). My favorite book to re-read during each summer is The Advanced Formula for Total Success by Dr. Robert Anthony. It’s discontinued, but you can get used copies of it on Amazon.
I’m sure you have your own list of positive reading material. Another book I recommend is The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg. Pick out a couple of books tonight, put them on your desk, and commit to reading them before Labor Day. That alone will make a big difference for you.

In Conclusion

The most important thing to remember during the summer is that “This too shall pass.” If business has slowed down, that will change. And if you take advantage of any of the five suggestions above, you will be more prepared than your competition is to prosper when it does.
If you found this article helpful, then check out Mike’s bestselling book on becoming a Top 20% producer: The REAL Secrets of the Top 20%: How To Double Your Income Selling Over the Phone.
Image by Jo Christian Oterhals

Founder

Mike Brooks “Mr. Inside Sales”<a href="http://www.mrinsidesales.com/">Mr. Inside Sales</a> is the recognized authority on inside sales. Voted one of the most Influential Inside Sales Professionals by The American Association of Inside Sales Professionals for the past five years in a row, Mike is the go-to inside sales trainer and phone script writer in the industry. Mike is the best-selling author of “The Ultimate Book of Phone Scripts” which Brian Tracy calls “One of the best books on inside sales phone scripts I’ve seen.” Mike is hired by business owners to implement proven sales processes that help them immediately scale and grow Multi-Million Dollar Inside Sales Teams. For more information, you can visit his website <a href="http://www.mrinsidesales.com/"> www.MrInsideSales.com</a>.