Ain’t No Cure For The Summertime Sales Blues……Or Is There?

As the mercury rises in the thermometers, do your sales start to drop?

You’ve certainly felt the summertime blues when sales slow down during the long summer months. Everyone’s either on holiday with the family or volunteering for some fabulous charitable or sporting event.

There are things you can do though that will change the shape of your summer slump into something more of a summer swing. Plan appropriately to ensure a summer full of new directions, new sales, and new opportunities.

Try some of the following suggestions to see if you can shore up your summer sales a little bit more…

1. Straighten out your thoughts. Whether you think you can or you think you can’t, you’re right. If you believe that you’ll see a slump over the summer months, then you probably will. If you keep positive and achievable thoughts, though, about keeping your pipeline full, you’ll be in a better position to do whatever it takes to stave off a slump.

2. Follow up with old leads. Haven’t heard from a prospect in several months? Now is the best time to send them something of value, like a newspaper article or blog post that would be of value to them. Perhaps now that their summer is slower, they will be ready to talk to you.

3. Take advantage of summer activities. If you have a brick and mortar shop, take advantage of the summer activities planned by your city or neighbourhood. Is the local shopping district having an Art Walk? Make your shop inviting for people to stop in and hear about your products or services. Increased foot traffic during the summer can mean an increased reach to prospects you might not see otherwise.

4. Host summer events. Plan customer appreciation events for the laid-back summer months. What better way to show your customers how much you appreciate their business than with a garden party. Drinks and finger foods always attract the crowds. Bring them to your shop or host the event in your back garden.

5. Use some sizzling hot pricing strategies. Can you afford to offer some summer time deals on specialty items or services? Think about having daily hot deals for those using their mobile devices. People are on the go during the summer, so try to catch them wherever they are.

6. Think of a new direction. Have you ever considered selling your services or products to a market that might need them in new and different ways? For example, if you sell travel packages to consumers, summer might be a good time to offer layaway services to customers for their upcoming holidays next year. By purchasing on layaway during the summer, they can have several months to pay off their holiday packages.

7. Network, network, network. Go to all of the local events you can, mix and mingle and get to know people. You never know when you might meet someone who either needs your product or service or can introduce you to someone else who is your perfect client.

Even the best laid plans of mice and men will have some downtime during the summer.

Use your summertime to hone your techniques and skills in sales, negotiating or presenting so that you explode in autumn with your best months ever. To find out how you can do this, call us today on 0207 043 1582.

We will help you become a sales hero this Autumn.