12 ways to stay motivated and beat the odds through the summer sales slump
By Sandler Systems, Inc.
Avoiding the summer slowdown is critical to your business’ success. So is a systematized, methodical approach to sales, especially in this “new normal.”
Summertime is traditionally a difficult time for salespeople. Vacation time can make it challenging to get in touch with decision-makers. School and family schedules and the distractions of warm-weather activities are other challenges. This year, resolve not to fall into the summer slump with these 12 tips for staying motivated, creating your own opportunities and keeping the income flowing.
1. Set monthly goals with weekly accountability.
Since time frames get stretched out during the warm summer months, use the time to set long-term goals and a plan for accomplishing them. Revisit your goals weekly to check on your progress.
2. Work on goal time, not clock time.
Schedules tend to change this time of year, which can affect your workday. So work accordingly. Allow for some flexibility in your schedule during these months and focus on accomplishing tasks rather than simply filling the hours from 8 to 5.
3. Use the extra daylight to invest in yourself.
You spend nine months a year hyper focused on hitting sales goals. When summer comes, take the longer days and focus on your physical and mental health so you can go into the fall at full speed. Read industry publications, study, practice, research, work with your coach, or select an accountability partner. For tips on finding great resources, ask SalesTips@repertoiremag.com.
4. Use LinkedIn InMail to connect with vacationing prospects.
When high-level executives go on summer vacation, they take their social media accounts with them on their smartphones and check in regularly. LinkedIn InMail (requires a Premium account) is great for staying in touch, since a LinkedIn message is read about ten times more often than a traditional email. Be sure to keep your message brief and focused on a topic of genuine mutual benefit. (Remember, the recipient will likely be reading your message on a tiny screen.)
5. Plan ahead and use Up-Front Contracts to work around vacation schedules, both yours and your prospect’s.
Up-Front Contracts (UFC) – a foundational Sandler® principle – are verbal agreements between you and your prospect. They’re designed to set expectations and lay out exactly what happens next in the sales process. If you’re going on vacation, use a UFC to delay major decisions during this window of time. Alternately, you can specify that the process can and should move ahead while you and/or your prospect vacation by naming replacements tasked with driving the process forward.
6. Use the extra time to work on your “30-second commercial” or hone your selling system.
Remember, the summer is a good time for picking up an extra Sandler training class. Also use this time to craft a powerful “30-second commercial.” Have it polished and ready for any encounter with a prospect, whether it’s in an elevator, at a networking event or cocktail party.
Make sure it tells them exactly what you do and answers an important question: “Who is this person and how are they relevant to my business?”
7. Automate email blasts and social media to stay in touch with prospects while you’re away.
Create email blasts on topics of interest to your prospects and automate them so that they get sent out while you’re away. You can also get attention by trading your run-of-the-mill, out-of-office email notice for one that communicates your “30-second commercial” or tells an interesting story about what you do. Finally, automate content for social media to post at optimal times with a tool such as Hootsuite.
8. Use the extra time to connect with referral partners.
Referrals are the hottest kind of lead since somebody else has already prequalified them. Research says that sales based on referrals are eight to ten times more likely to close than sales based on other leads. So use the summer to build relationships with existing clients who have the power to refer you all year long.
9. Run a “summer motivation” contest with yourself or your team.
Help your team stay motivated by offering sales incentives such as a weekend getaway or a meal at a favorite upscale restaurant. You can even do this for yourself with a promise that if you hit your sales numbers, you can buy a new TV, for example. Make sure to have somebody such as a spouse or coworker hold you accountable.
10. Create marketing content that makes your business look good.
Use this time to put together a free talk or seminar. Write a white paper and post it online to establish yourself as an industry thought leader. Redo your brochure. Clean up your LinkedIn and other social media profiles.
11. Pay attention to the bookkeeping side of your business.
Export contacts from your emails into your BCM. Do some spring-cleaning on your pipeline. Follow the Sandler rule, “Close the sale or close the file” by officially closing the file on leads that have grown cold.
12. Send industry-related articles to your prospects.
Step up your reading of industry publications. Use an interesting article to make a first contact or reconnect with a prospect by sharing it with a “this made me think of your business” sentiment. Articles can be shared with a single click, or can even be done offline with a handwritten note accompanied by the physical article or a book you’ve read and want to pass on.
Ready to power through the summer? Send your questions, comments and tips about improving Sales Development in your industry with a proven, systematic approach to selling to SalesTips@repertoiremag.com.
About Sandler Training: With over 250 local training centers around the globe, Sandler is the worldwide leader for sales, management, and customer service training. We help individuals and teams from Fortune 500 companies to independent producers dramatically improve sales, while reducing operational and leadership friction. ©Sandler Systems, Inc. All rights reserved.