By Jody Euloth S ummer is finally here. And now that it is, do you believe that all business development is going to come to a screaming halt? Do you already have a frustrated outlook that the sales slump starts once the warm air hits? If this is your thinking, or that of your sales team, then it’s time to change your mindset. You are going to defeat yourself and miss out on a lot of good business opportunities during the coming months. Having interactions with lots of senior level decision makers daily, I know the ones in my network aren’t taking the summer off. Will some take vacation? Of course! Will some choose to work remotely? Abso- lutely. But the ones I know are putting in work because there’s work to be done. I also know plenty of c-suite executives who only vacation during the winter months. So, there is no excuse: the summer slump is non-existent, unless you want it to be. I can remember working for Canon Canada selling multi-functional devices early in my career. It was an outside sales role, selling B2B, which provided some of the best sales experience available. For a short time, until they corporately let him go right before the holiday season, I had a manager who I’d say was quirky at best. A bit socially awkward, he took his selling very serious. I’ll always remember Friday after- noon as his favorite time to hit the streets to go make sale calls. As a youth, how annoying was this when all I wanted to do was hit a patio. I can remember mentally rolling my eyes when he’d want to go together on these calls. At the time, it was annoying. In hindsight, the Friday afternoon drop ins came to be some of my most productive and successful sales meetings. Energy was high and most of my clients were relaxed and in a good mood. Now, the cold call drop ins may be an interruptive and archaic tactic, but a phone call and email work the same way. The summertime sunshine and Friday afternoons produce positive energy that you want to take advantage of. Leverage the good moods and have an extra touch point with your clients. The positive energy is contagious and encourages optimal selling. The number one key to avoiding a slump is in understanding your client’s buying cycle and when they may be out of the office for an extended period. Experienced sales people will communicate well before the summer months set in to get this information. From both sides, being upfront on when decisions must be made and having transparent deadlines helps determine whether the sale will close or not. In the spon- sorship and marketing landscape, many of the national brands set their budgets for the following year in early fall. That means that opportunities must be sold before September before they lock in and make decisions about allocating funds. This makes the summer months’ prime time to position yourself. So, go ahead, stay focused and set yourself up for second half sales success of 2018 by doing the work this summer. The idea of the summer slump is only a myth. For more, sales tips and strategies, sign up for ‘The Dynamic Soul of Selling’ Newsletter at www.meshme- dianetwork.ca/dynamic-soul- of-selling/ For a free 15-minute sales consultation to determine if you would benefit from ‘The Dynamic Soul of Selling 90-minute Strategy Session’ email jody@meshmedianetwork.com Jody Euloth is the CEO of The Mesh Media Network and Founder of The Dynamic Soul of Selling. She helps entrepreneurs, business and sales professionals and creative visionaries get over their fear of selling so they can generate more revenue and make a bigger impact in business. Social handles @jodyeuloth • www.meshmedianetwork.com
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JUNE 2018 • SPOTLIGHT ON BUSINESS MAGAZINE
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