How to Keep Momentum this Summer

Summer is officially upon us and that means longer days, warmer nights, and the inexplicable call of lounge chairs and hammocks everywhere. It might feel like everything slows down, especially when life is speeding up with holiday events, kids out of school demanding to be entertained, summer movies to see, and clients who take off on vacation; but if done wisely, you can actually maintain your momentum and avoid the end-of-summer sales slump that so many service providers are used to experiencing.

Does your ideal client really take 3 months off?

There seems to be a pervasive belief that no one works during the summer. Despite evidence to the contrary, it can feel like no one is buying if your webinars are poorly attended or emails open rates are dipping.

But this is precisely the time to keep moving forward instead of slacking off until your leads seem more ready. In fact, some of the most motivated clients might be ready to start now, to skip the rush later in the year and get going right away. Here’s how some service providers can make the most of “slow” months.

Event planners: contact corporate clients and encourage them to book those holiday parties and venues now before the holidays sneak up on us

Marketing strategists: summer is the best time for your clients to plan out their Fall and holiday strategy and begin creating content

Health professionals and nutritionists: create strategies for your clients to fit around their summer travel plans and get a jump on the New Year resolution crowd

Home renovator? Now’s a great time to do that project when the days are long so you can actually enjoy your new space over the holidays.

When client work slows down, plan ahead

If you know that your workload, inquiries, and business generally picks up in the Fall, then now is not the time to sit back and relax. Instead, use some of the downtime to plan ahead, whether that means creating content that can be released over the next few months, preparing systems to handle the influx of clients, or improving your skills.

It always amused me to see people who were just okay with business being slow – sure, there’s a time for vacation and time off, but when work slows down, it’s a gift of time to work on your business growth. There might be training you’ve been meaning to do, a website to revamp, sales emails to write, maybe even strategic planning that you never got around to in January because you were slammed with work.

This is the time to focus on strengthening your business for the future, not waiting around for the future to arrive.

Consider and shift how you really want to work

When there’s a summer slump I like to find the happy ground between working full out and ending up more exhausted than before and slacking off and getting nothing accomplished. It’s a great time for self-reflection too.

How much do you really want to be working?
What programs or products are really worth your time?
Is each team member truly working out or just getting by?

Take the space and use it to expand into the type of business you really want, from what you sell to your brand, team members, marketing strategy and even how you show up.

At the end of the day, a seasonal slump isn’t always bad. It can be a great time to look strategically to the future and build your business better for tomorrow. Even if sales drop off, don’t let your momentum, energy or excitement wane or you might just find yourself playing catch up the rest of the year.