Partner Article

Summer melt down? Why sales shouldn't slow down

It might not look like it, but summer is around the corner. That tricky July to September period when the weather improves (apparently) and momentum at work tends to drop as people use up their annual leave to get away from the nine to five grind.

What does this mean for the sales professional? Well, it means it’s time to prepare for a short communication breakdown. It doesn’t need to be as serious as it sounds.

What can you do, and how you can best prepare yourself so you don’t miss any important sales or lose clients?

Now is the time people are away. For a couple of weeks you’re away; for a couple of weeks prospects are away. Leads are going away, and you cannot spend all your time on the phone because you can’t get hold of people. What do you do with your time then?

First things first

Look at your agenda, calendar, notebook, loose notes around your desk. Prioritise. It’s one of the most important skills that the modern day sales professional must master – and when time is even shorter than normal, working out what is important and what can wait, is essential.

Talk to your prospects and dedicate some time to finding out when they are away – there’s nothing worse than devising a great new proposal or strategy only to receive an out of office. You know what, it’ll be on a huge pile of ‘to do’ in two weeks when they arrive back with a distant memory of the beach.

The two-weeker – staying in touch

Now, if you’re planning to go away, have you made all the necessary arrangements? I’m not talking about booking the hotel room or the train tickets, rather, the sales professional should be preparing for prospects or leads who need reminding of a meeting. The twoweek period leading up to a pitch or presentation are crucial, you have to stay front of mind with your prospect to be in with a chance of success. You can’t do that from a beach in Spain. So, consider any of the following:

• Email: Schedule an email campaign to your prospect a week ahead of your return, email software is easy to use and allows you to schedule a campaign to one or more people at a future time and date. No need for radio silence for two whole weeks.
• Ask for help: Ask a colleague to call your prospects asking if they require anything ahead of your return, it might not be from you personally, but it is still a good idea to have someone make that important courtesy call
• Get social: One of the easiest and most relaxing ways to stay in touch with prospects is via social networks like Linkedin and Twitter. It won’t feel like work, so try to link with them before you go and spend a few minutes a week sharing their content and staying front of mind.
• The most important thing is to ensure you speak to colleagues, and have them covering you whilst you’re away. If you work in a team, leverage that team and ask for support.

In the loop

The best sales professionals do this anyway, but even more so during the patchy summer months, keep an eye on the news. It makes all the difference staying on top of what’s happening in your industry. It may be the difference between you and a rival, one who works in the same area you do. As soon as you ‘down tools’ for the week (or longer) you run the risk of becoming cut off from your industry. What’s coming up while you’re away, and what should your customers, colleagues and prospects be aware of?

Essentially, plan and prepare. Just because prospects are away, customers are away, and you are away, it doesn’t mean that the sales cycle should grind to a halt. Develop a strategy using the tips and guidelines above to ensure you remain on target for success after September and beyond.

Now go enjoy a few Maraschino cherry cocktails in a hot country.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by durhamlane .