Summer summer, the time to relax… right? It’s likely that each summer sales seems to be a lot slower compared to the rest of the year, because a lot of people are taking a lot of days off and new plans are usually starting in September.

So, you have a lot of time and you want to make more sales? I have a couple of tips and tricks of things you can do when summer sales are slow. 10 Things to do when summer sales are slow:

1. Catch up

My favourite thing to do in the summer (work wise) is catching up on things. I’m working on things that have been for way too long on my to do list. Things that I’ve been putting off for months (yes, sometimes that happens unfortunately).

So summer time means catching up time! Also perfect to take the time to read your industry news, educate yourself or have a good look at your website – are contact details still up to date, are there any errors? Do you need to update your about page, can you update older blog posts etc.?

2. Create a strategic plan for the second half of the year

There is enough time to create a strategic plan for the second half of the year. Are you launching a new product, new projects or maybe even a new company?

This is the time of the year to create business plans, strategic plans & PR plans. You’ll have more time in the summer to write, research and plan for the rest of the year.

3. Create a content calendar

Create a complete content calendar for the rest of the year. The more you plan now, the easier it will be the rest of the year! When do you have to follow up certain projects or clients, when will you publish blog posts, what are they about, etc.. Keep in mind that not everybody is celebrating their holiday, and it’s really boring for the people at home if you don’t publish any new blog posts. So instead, make sure you’re the go to blog for these people!

4. Review the first half of the year

Take your time to review the first half of the year. How did business go? How many clicks did your website get? What are the most popular pages and posts on your website? How many sales did you make?

Make sure you create a strong analysis, so you can compare this analysis with the one at the end of the year to see your progress.

5. Improve

Think about how you can do better. How can you improve? This is where the analysis comes in. Improve the pages people don’t read. Improve your web copy and content marketing.

6. Time Management

Think about your time management. Are you working efficiently throughout the year? Are you putting in the hours compared to with what you make money? Or are you working a lot on things that actually don’t really matter when it comes to making money (read: surviving!).

Find your balance by having a good look at your current time management.

7. Start with something new

Start trying new things. Recently for me that was cold e-mailing. I’m working on a blog post about that, but basically, that is e-mailing companies you’ve never worked with, never had contact with and offer them your services (or products). It’s a great way to make new connections and improve your sales!

8. Use ‘summer only’ marketing tricks

Another thing you can do to give your sales a boost is creating a couple of smart ‘summer only’ marketing tricks. Offer customers or clients a good reason to use or buy your products during the summer.

Think about a discount, a good price or a ‘buy now and receive a better price the rest of the year‘ kind of thing.

$5k in 21 days with these marketing tactics. Accept the challenge now and push yourself as hard as necessary to make that $5k!

9. Get the word out

Get the word out! Don’t forget to e-mail clients you haven’t heard from in a while and send out your newsletter to customers and readers. But the most important thing here is: keep track and schedule wise.

Don’t e-mail on the 4th of July if you’re located in the US (nobody will read your email), and don’t do it on the 14th of July if you’re based in France (same, same).

Pick a strategic date, pick a date when people just got back from their holidays OR when people usually tend to leave in – about – two days. This is when they’ll work hard because they have a mission: empty their inboxes. But in the end; expect to receive a lot of ‘out of the office’ replies. So keep track of them!

Set up a calendar when to get back to your clients when they’re in the office again, let’s say about a week later (when they have already read a lot of the massive amount of e-mail they probably got when they were away). Ask if they’ve had the time to read your email and maybe follow up with a coffee date.

10. Run contest

Last but not least… set up a couple of social media contests. Summertime means social media time for a lot of people. Imagine, laying on the beach or in the garden, the sun is out, you’re bored… time to read… every. single. tweet!

And don’t forget:

Tweet: When everybody is slowing down, it’s your turn to step it up! -@nnonimay

P.s. Don’t forget to enjoy the summer at the office too. Buy ice cream for everybody every now and then (your colleagues will love you!), work from the beach or a nearby terrace or take (or give) everybody an afternoon off to have some fun in the sun.

You might also like to read:

• Taking Care Of Your Health During The Summer
• Be seen in slow business months
• Slowing down, if only for a second
• 6 Essential accessories this summer
• Free Course: A Media Kit That Sells. More press attention. More sales that take less time. More followers. More fun + freedom.