Many people accept that a slowdown in sales
is a fact of business life during the lazy days of summer. Well,
nothing could be further from the truth, and as a business owner you
need to get out of that frame of mind.
A summer slowdown may be something many people want because they
expect this to be a season for vacations when the living is easy. But
you don't have to accept that. When others go to sleep, you need to wake
up. If you follow these tips, you can create opportunity for your small
business while others are off to the beach.
1. Make a firm decision not to participate in a slowdown.
Don't allow your employees to buy into this thinking because I assure
you that they will make a summer slowdown one of the first excuses if
there are any issues with their job performance. Hold a daily meeting to
discuss what you are going to do to prosper--not contract—this summer.
Set clearly defined goals and list the activities that need to be
undertaken to achieve them. Give yourself deadlines for your goals and
create a no excuses, no negativity environment. You'll be surprised by
what you can achieve.
2. Work your power base. Get out in front of the
summer slowdown and let your best customers know you'll be available all
summer. Target anyone who has bought from you in the last 90 days
through direct mail, phone calls, emails or social media. Get into
regular communication with these customers and figure out how to expand
your business with them. For example, find out what you can do to assist
as they prepare for vacation or to help fill a gap in their absence.
3. Target busy customers who can't take a long vacation. Focus
some of your marketing efforts on prospective customers who plan to be
around in July and August. Remember that these are clearly busy people
who are pressed for time and can't afford a vacation or leisurely summer
work pace. Take the initiative by distributing flyers, getting on
social media and updating your website to let people know you will be
around, too, and can offer something valuable to help them deal with
their time constraints. For example, if you're an auto dealer, take that
new convertible by the customer's office and let your prospective buyer
test drive the car and sign the paperwork there. Or if you're a
lunchbox delivery service, let prospects know you can provide food so
they don't have to leave their comfortable, air-conditioned offices.
4. Offer a value-added proposition to avoid discounting prices.
You will probably need to make even more profit from each sale to
compensate for decreased summertime volume. So, figure out creative ways
to repackage your products or services to provide something extra, such
as a special summer-themed promotion. For example, I took two of my
lectures series and packaged them into a Fourth of July special. The
value-added proposition: When taken together, the lectures are both more
informative and effective.
5. Service is senior to selling and needs to be top of mind.
Service should be a year-around commitment, of course, but it is even
more important during a summer slowdown when your competitors go into
that "living is easy" mode and take their eye off the ball. Show that
you are motivated to make things happen quickly and empower employees to
accommodate special requests, even if it means opening your business
early or letting customers enter your establishment in flip flops or
beachwear. This is your chance to shine and make a lasting impression.
After all, your goal is to make sure your new business keeps coming back
to you long after summer is over.
Source
http://www.frontrow-solutions.com/
