Avoid the Summer Sales Slowdown

As we near our annual steady stream of 90 degree days, we can be tempted to believe that summertime sadness is upon us.  Summer can be the 2 month stretch where nobody buys anything and where every meeting is delayed, or it can be the season where you turn your frown upside down.  Here are 10 simple ways to avoid the summertime blues.

1. Use vacations as a motivator.  Don't blindly accept the tired, "I'll have to get back with you after vacation" mantra.  The truth is, the decision maker can eliminate one more pain point before they head of town, which means they can truly enjoy their vacation without a nagging perception that a purchasing decision awaits them when they return.  Try to cajole your way onto their calendar before they go.  They may be eager to get it over with.
2. Get out of the office.  Your customers look out the window too, so give them an excuse.  Take them fishing, or golfing.  The allure of a late afternoon meeting that's close to home or that's over by 4:30 may be too much to resist. 
3. Add sprinkles and Gummy Bears.  Here's an stretch, let's make frozen yogurt the new "meet me for coffee."   It just takes one of us to push this idea across the finish line.  
4. Reward your team.  A summer promotion or contest can take advantage of your local area's activities like professional sports, gardening, or music festivals.  One or two extra sales in the summer can move the needle, and staying motivated is the key.
5. Have a  BBQ.  Everybody likes BBQ.  People who don't like BBQ are probably un-American or your worst customers anyway.  Nothing draws more people outside of the office than ribs, so...eat and meet.
6. Don't stop marketing. A slow summer can turn into a bad autumn if you don't stay the course.
7. Don't waste your downtime!  If you do get slow, work on improving your products, marketing, or social media.  You'll kick yourself if you don't.
8. Refuse to lose touch with your hot leads!  Work the process.  Don't stop following-up.  If you do, you'll lose out to the interloper who will marry the woman you've been dating for a year.
9. Don't buy the hype!  If you believe nobody's doing business in the summer, you're deluding yourself. This isn't Greece.
10. Do something!  Anything.  Activity begets activity.  Meet with strategic partners.  Go to networking events.  Call up existing customers.  Just make a commitment to keep moving.  Momentum, once lost, is hard to regain.