Join 1,850+ professionals and transform your B2B sales results. Learn to sell the way big companies buy. Get insights delivered every Sunday - read in minutes, use forever.
Share
Turn The Summer Slump Into Your Sales Advantage
Published about 2 months ago • 3 min read
Make The Most Of Summer With These Six Strategies
Turn The Summer Slump Into
Your Sales Advantage
Summer is often a slow period for sales, unless you sell ice cream. Enterprise sales activity typically drops around 20% in July compared to peak months. August can be worse in Europe.
"No, thanks, I don't want a new IT system just now..."
The dip is down to summer vacations, fiscal year planning and the tendency for the “C” suite to delay major decisions until after the holidays.
But, let's flip the script.
Instead of seeing this as a setback, let’s use it as an opportunity to lay groundwork for massive success in the rest of the year.
Let's get pumped for the second half of the year
Here are six strategies to supercharge productivity during the quiet period:
1. Training and Skills Development
This is the perfect time to sharpen your sales skills. Use the spare time to take courses that will boost your performance.
My course, for instance, focuses on foundation sales tools, from understanding customer psychology to mastering the art of closing deals.
Come on, I'm allowed one advert!
Continuous learning ensures you stay ahead of the curve and are ready to hit the ground running when sales pick up again.
Action
- Sign up for online sales courses.
- Set up skill-sharing sessions with sales support teams.
- Create a forum to share team takeaways from the year so far.
2. Deepen Client Relationships and Clean Your Database
Catch up with your existing customers and deepen those relationships. A simple check-in can go a long way in maintaining trust and loyalty.
At the same time you can clean your CRM database. Remove outdated contacts and categorise prospects based on their potential to convert, renew, refer and grow.
Having time for clients when you're not selling really counts
Action
- Schedule catch-up calls or meetings with key clients.
- Update client information in your CRM system.
- Segment prospects to tailor future marketing efforts.
Here's a short video that will help you make connections with your customers:
Team building is crucial for a joined-up, motivated sales force. Organise activities that foster collaboration, innovation and team spirit.
Action
- Book team-building activities like escape rooms or charity events.
- Set up brainstorming sessions to get everyone future focused.
- Team barbecues and picnics develop trust and familiarity.
Be careful, Escape rooms can be an opportunity to settle scores...
4. Research New Prospects
Use your time to take a deep dive into market analysis. Identify potential new clients and prepare tailored marketing campaigns to engage them.
Action
If only it was this easy
- Buy or commission market research in new markets or niches.
- Create targeted campaigns to engage with new “ideal clients”.
5. Review Performance Metrics
Analyse your sales data from the past six months. Identify trends, strengths, and areas for improvement. Use these insights to adjust your strategies.
All measures get gamed in the end
Action
- Change metrics so the team is not tempted to game them.
- Keep a balance between input (activity) measures and output (revenue) measures.
6. Optimise Your Sales Process
Evaluate and refine your sales process. Ask yourself how well it corresponds to the typical buying processes your clients follow. Look for bottlenecks to speed up your workflow.
Action
- Get the team to talk through their typical customer journeys.
- Get everyone trained in simple project management so the “one-size-fits-all” process approach can be retired.
This is a more realistic sales process than that 6 step one you drew up
Here's an explanation of how sales people see their process and how the rest of the world actually buys stuff:
This is the fundamental law of selling at the House of Sales.
A slow July doesn’t mean a lost July. By investing in training, building client relationships and team cohesion, you can use downtime for strategic growth and preparation.
The seeds you plant now will bear fruit in the busy months ahead.
Feel free to reach out if you need personalised advice or want to learn more about my course. Let’s make the most of this time to prepare for a stellar end-of-year.
In the meantime, follow me on LinkedIn and X, links below.
Join 1,850+ professionals and transform your B2B sales results. Learn to sell the way big companies buy. Get insights delivered every Sunday - read in minutes, use forever.
Issue #131 Great pose, lads, now where did you leave the ladders? The Narrative That Wins Deals Here’s a simple narrative you can use to create your own deal playbook. It’s the one I used to run in my head when I was selling supply chain solutions to big pharma and med device companies. That means it has been proven in the field and it has delivered many times. I still use it now with clients, but simplified because I am dealing in thousands not millions these days. It is important you use it...
Issue #130 The Only Way Is Up When you work in a corporate environment,, someone above you controls budget, priority and air cover. That is the reality, and you can moan about it or just learn to handle it. Managing up is a critical commercial skill in selling, in your career and even within social groups. This kid will go far People above you are not thinking about you very much at all, let’s get that out there straight away. They are thinking about exposure, political fallout and return on...
The theatre's storeroom needed a little tidying up... First Cut Is The Deepest Selling to a surgeon is like playing with a tiger, as long as they want to play you are okay, but as soon as they don’t, you are toast. The amount of confidence you have to possess to cut people open and hold their life, literally, in your hands, is staggering. As a result, surgeons don’t have opinions, they know things for sure. Playing hide and seek with Dr Atkins, does he look hungry to you? Cut to me, sitting...
