How to beat the summertime slump?

No one around to pick up your sales calls? No enquiries into your inbox? Everyone’s on holiday? Sound familiar?

Some business owners accept that business is quiet, sit back and relax with a Pimm’s in a deckchair and enjoy a well-deserved rest.

Summer isn’t the time to take your foot off the pedal and I can guarantee your competitors won’t.

If you simply embrace the summer slowdown you’ll face an uphill struggle to regain ground with customers in the coming autumn months. Instead you should always be looking for new opportunities and setting up pipeline business.

Remember most people can only take a couple of weeks off in the summer then they’re back ready for business.

Summer months are the ideal time to think about the long term growth of your business and re-evaluate the business objectives you’ve set and start thinking about new ideas to grow the business.

Here’s 5 tasks that will make your summer more productive and guarantee ongoing business growth

• Review your business plan. Midpoint in the year is an ideal time to check if you’re business objectives are on track and make any necessary tweaks.

 

• Review your marketing plan. Check marketing collateral is up to date, update social media, plan future marketing activity and test new marketing ideas.

 

• Reconnect. Get back out there networking and reconnecting with business colleagues, customers and friends. Have longer phone calls, meetings and set up new opportunities.

 

• Refresh your knowledge. Spend time looking at latest industry trends, keep an eye on your competitors, you and your staff can undertake refresher or training courses to develop new skills.

 

• Review your product and service offerings, incentivise but don’t heavily discount as clients will expect it each year and wait for sales.

Bruce Wilson, our resident tax expert, would chin me for not reminding you to prepare your tax returns too. Preparing and filing your tax returns during quieter periods will avoid last minute stress at the busiest times of the year.

Staying active during the summer months I promise you’ll find yourself experiencing an unseasonably successful autumn.

If you’re looking for business advice or tax planning call on 0141 290 0262 or email  or connect via LinkedIn or Twitter.

Whatever you’re doing this summer, home or away, have a great one.

Simon