Here’s how you can make the most of summer trading.
Much the same as the lead up to Christmas, the height of summer can cause a real sales slump. Why? Well, for one, many of your customers and prospects go on holiday. In fact, it’s thought that around 58% of us Brits plan a summer holiday each year! This means fewer decision makers are available to speak to, and so naturally you assume there’s half the chance of making a sale.
Then there’s another problem. Exciting summer events and great weather distract or dissuade consumers. In 2016, during the Rio Olympics, total retail sales fell by 0.3% and online retail sales saw their biggest drop since December 2007. Why? Many people were too busy glued to their screens or drinking pimms in the park to pick up the phone or place an online order.
Basically, in a nutshell, the summer brings about a number of issues for sales teams. But does that mean we should give up and admit defeat? No!
The fact is, most of your competitors will also mentally check-out for the summer. They see a slump as inevitable and may even book their own time off to coincide with their prospects’. Do you know what that means? It means you’ve got more of a chance of getting through to the 42% of prospects who have chosen not to go away this summer – the ones who are happy to quietly get on with their work. Not only that, you’ve also got a far better chance of having an in-depth, successful and prosperous conversation with them because they won’t have as much distraction at their end.
By continuing to work through the summer at the same pace you would at any other time of year, you’ll also demonstrate to your prospect that you’re the right salesperson for the job. While your competitors are off sunbathing in the Bahamas, you’re at your desk ready to offer a premium service to the prospect on the other end of the phone.
Now, we aren’t suggesting you don’t take a holiday. Of course you deserve a break. The message we want to get across is that the summer slump only needs to be a slump if you’ve resigned to that notion in advance. By scheduling in some quality conversations throughout the month of July and August, you can at the very least avoid a sales dip and make the most of your summer trading.