Sales Initiatives to Slay the "Summer Sales Slump"

BY Jessica Helinski
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Summer is a notoriously difficult time for sellers. Vacations, busy schedules and other seasonal factors can leave calls unanswered and deals put on hold. But certain sales initiatives can help prevent a lull in sales during the summer months.

Four sales initiatives for summer sales

Hubspot’s Emma Brudner reports that research shows lulls in business during the summer months are real. But these findings shouldn’t cause you to throw up your hands and accept the inevitable. Instead, use this knowledge to drive you to action to make sure you don’t become part of the norm but rather, overcome the odds.

She goes on to shares an impressive list of actions seller can take to avoid or bounce back from a summer slowdown.

Leverage trigger events

Trigger events can be anything, from a professional anniversary to a personal event, like a wedding, or even a national event, such an industry announcement or new legislation. Brudner defines trigger events as follows:

A trigger event is any occurrence that creates an opening for a marketing or sales opportunity. Sales and marketing automation workflows use trigger events to enable small organizations to scale customer interactions.”

This sales initiative can give sellers a specific reason to reach out to a prospect. Being aware of opportunities is the foundation for this initiative, so it’s important to actively monitor your contacts. “Set up Google alerts for your prospects' companies to keep abreast of any major announcements,” she suggests. “If relevant news is announced — big or small — pounce on the opportunity to send a message connecting your offering and/​or expertise to the event.”

You should also already be following prospects on LinkedIn, as well as keeping up on any blogs and other social media network posts. These provide an easy way to monitor for trigger events.

Revisit goals or make new ones

Summer can be a perfect time to take a look at goals; we are now at the midpoint of the year! When you find yourself in the midst of unreturned calls or stalled deals, this sales initiative can adjust your plan of action. “… it can be helpful to set a few mini goals as well to sustain a good amount of activity and keep your spirits high,” Brudner suggests. “Whatever it is, a smaller goal can keep you pushing ahead — especially when quota seems hopelessly out of reach. You might just find that the big number becomes a lot more attainable after you soar past a handful of smaller hurdles.”

For tips on adjusting your goals mid-​year, check out SalesFuel’s past advice here.

Switch up your messaging

One of the most effective sales initiatives you can embrace is to adjust how you’re reaching out. First, is there a different way you can try to connect? If your calls aren’t being returned, consider trying via LinkedIn or another social network. Your prospects may be more likely to keep tabs on their social network communications than their work voicemail.

Brudner also suggests adjusting your tone. “For example,” she writes, “you might kick off a voicemail with ‘You're probably on a beach somewhere now, but …’ or, ‘If you can pull yourself away from the barbecue …’ Of course, the more rapport you have with the prospect, the more effective these blips of humor will be.”

Turn to current clients

Don’t disregard opportunities to engage with current clients (and nurture revenue). When sales hunting is slow, look to ways you can reach out to clients and upsell or cross-​sell. “Up- and cross-​selling is one of the most valuable sales strategies—and it's especially valuable in the summer,” according to Leadium. “Sales reps have the extra time they need to create a very compelling case for an additional purchase. And if the customer isn't ready to make another purchase, reps can lay the groundwork for future conversations."

Need some tips? Check out our suggestions.

Simple sales initiatives can lead to summer successes

If your typical strategy is stalling during the summer months, you can drive sales. Applying these initiatives can keep you moving forward during this typically slow selling season, helping you outpace competitors and closer to meeting your year-​end quota.

Photo by Andrea Piacquadio


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