I don’t know about you, but in the middle of July business slowed down and after that it nearly stopped… We do have business, of course – very much like you – but the pace of business, the new leads and especially the urgency of the first half of the year seem gone…
What happened??
Summer happened, that’s what. As I speak to clients and colleagues (those who aren’t on their family vacations that is) 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.
In fact, many people I know are taking as much as three to four weeks off! (I just spoke with a potential coaching client, and when I asked him when he was thinking of starting our coaching relationship, he told me it would be after his month long vacation in August). He and his wife will be back right before Labor Day.
So there you have it. Business is seasonal. Kids get out of school and the weather changes. Heck, I can’t even reach half my Canadian clients until mid way through September! People have worked hard and are now ready to take some time off. Business changes, people relax, and they won’t start thinking about their initiatives until right before the fourth quarter.
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 right now, not yours.
So here are 5 things you can do to not only make sales right now, but also to set yourself up for the strongest end of the 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 this labor.
It reminds me 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, to make a call, and to talk with clients about things other than business. For example, where are they going for summer vacation?
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 what you can do to help them?
3) Work on improving your sales skill set, or work on a new product development or other part of your business that will make a difference in the second half of the year. If any of you have thought about developing a greeting card campaign to stay in front of your customers and prospects, this is the perfect time to do it!
Some of you know that I use sendoutcards.com to keep in front of my clients and prospects, and did you know that you can now 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
Why 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 when you call in September.
4) Make goals for September through December and develop a plan of action to accomplish them. Develop an affirmation card and goal sheet of what you’re going to earn, what it’s going to feel like over the holidays to have accomplished it and begin smiling each day as you feel the feelings of having done it.
Remember, “Fear Pushes, and Vision Pulls.” Use this time to create a compelling vision of the rest of the year for yourself and let that vision pull you through the summer. If you would like some help with Goal Setting, Click Here.
5) Feed your mind a positive daily diet. 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: “Beyond Positive Thinking” by Dr. Robert Anthony. You can get it on Amazon.com
I’ll bet you have your own list of positive reading material you’d like to finally read. Pick one book tonight, put it on your desk and commit to reading it before next holiday. That alone will make a huge difference for you.
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’ll be more prepared than your competition to prosper when it does…