Top five solutions for the summer sales slump

Selling is not seasonal

Liz Wendling //July 7, 2016//

Top five solutions for the summer sales slump

Selling is not seasonal

Liz Wendling //July 7, 2016//

The heat is on. Have you ever uttered these summertime money depleting mantras? “Nobody spends money this time of year.” "It's too hot to sell anything to anybody." “People leave early on Friday; I may as well pack it up too.” "Most of my clients are on vacation."

Really? Are you just going stop selling for the next 94 days? Pack things up until the season changes?

Many people do take vacations in the summer ― a week or so here and there. But they are still working the rest of the time. Even if your particular business slows down during the summer months, that doesn't mean you throw in the beach towel and take a selling siesta.

Your selling power hinges on your mindset. Change it now while you still have time. If you allow the super excuse of summer to rule your days, your sales will slump. While sales may slow down in the summer, there are still people who are looking to do business and buy. Don’t buy into the belief that no one buys in the summer. Don’t let that excuse stop your revenue-generating activities.

Smart business owners see the summer as a good opportunity to re-evaluate their business plan and goals. They are using this time wisely to plot out new strategies and experiment with new methods to increase their sales performance. Some are even updating their skills and gaining an edge over their competition.

Here are five solutions to avoid a slump and a sales siesta:

1. Alter your attitude – Your attitude is a key factor regarding the performance of your business. If you believe the summer is slow, and your sales will slump, then that is what you shall receive. Continue your sales activities like it is February or March. Perform in the same manner as you would in non-summer months.

2. Commit to winning – It is the commitment to winning that gives you the edge. It makes you create and innovate.  Restructure and redesign your sales strategies. Create new opportunities that will give you the advantages you need to succeed.  

3. Sharpen your tools ― Most professionals don’t spend enough time working to improve their sales skills and techniques. If your business is slower in the summer, take the time to learn how to sell more effectively. Begin now by putting your plan in place. Learn how to sharpen your sales skills. Hone your sales techniques. Savvy professionals do not blame the summer season for their slump.

4. Increase prospecting activities ― In the summer months, companies and salespeople cut their sales activities.  They have said to me, “If we are not going to sell anything, what is the point?”  It is completely backwards thinking. It’s the type of thinking that will never produce positive results. Increasing your sales activity will increase sales results.

5. Don’t believe the hype – The summer slump babble is the lie you buy. You create your slump. Don’t buy into everything you hear and see. Challenge the summer slowdown story. If you perceive no one is around, and everyone is on vacation, then you are setting yourself up for a negative, self-fulfilling prophecy. You are heading for a summer siesta.  

The options are endless to avoid the summer slump and sales siesta. Have a summer special. Make a few more calls. Prospect. Follow-up. Reconnect with old clients. Visit existing clients. Go to more networking events. Ask for referrals.

I could go on and shoot a few more holes in the summer sales slump excuses. You get the point.