Summer is not a time to just kick back.
It’s normal to get a little pushback on prospecting during the summer months due to vacations, holidays, et cetera. Once you get deep into the summer, some customers want to kick meetings into the fall. Whoa, big risk.
Let me walk you through 10 things to help maximize summer selling.
1. Short timelines
You have to make your timelines very short in terms of your cadence, or follow-up strategies. This also applies to when you set the meeting.
For example, when you call somebody up and they don’t have time to talk right now I recommend saying, “How about 2:00 this afternoon, 10:00 tomorrow morning?”
Don’t shoot for, “What’s your calendar look like next week?” You’ve got to grab the same day or the next day.
Read these 15 Dos and Dont’s for a Profitable Sales Process!
2. Keep it simple
If you’re selling something complex, you’ve got to break it down into the simplest of terms right now. The key is to keep the ball moving forward.
If it’s too complex, they’re going to make excuses. “Well, he’s on vacation… they’re on vacation. We can’t get things set up. So let’s just take a look at it in a couple months.”
That does not cut it. You’ve got to be short and quick. So keep it simple. Sell in the first piece, then sell in the next piece.
3. Friday is for closing
Yes. I love Fridays, especially Friday afternoons. I love them for selling and especially in the summer. You get to close more deals on Fridays because people want to get this off their plate before the weekend.
Sure, a lot of people are out Friday afternoons, and yet a lot of people are just a little more laid back. In fact, I get more senior level conversations during this time window! It’s true, I’m calling people at mid and higher level in organizations and get great conversations.
It’s also the time to be closing. You don’t want to allow a deal that is kind of hanging by a thread to sit there. “I’ll get to it next week.” could be that deal’s death sentence. You don’t know what’s going to happen from a vacation standpoint and everything else, so why not get it done on Friday?
4. Smaller meetings
I don’t recommend trying to get everybody on the call together.
Inevitably, somebody’s going to be on vacation. Somebody’s going to be out. Then again, you’re handing them an excuse.
Instead, keep the meeting small.
5. Activity counts
It’s easy to sit there and become frustrated in the summer as your motivation wanes.
The summer months are when I really count the activity. Count the number of phone calls I make and number of emails I’m sending out, the number of conversations I’m having. Activity really counts.
This is great to do with a partner. If you have someone you can be accountable to, challenge each other, and focus on your activities right now. Make a game out of it, even!
It’s a number game in the summer. I hate talking numbers. I hate saying that, but I’ll tell you what, it can make a big difference in your motivation.
6. Networking
Remember, people are a little more laid back, so I can have lunches, and breakfast and coffee with people who I don’t normally get during the year.
So I’m always working a networking list–these are people who I stay in contact with every year. Those hard to pin down individuals might just meet with you in the summer!
Reach out to some of those people that you don’t normally talk to.
7. Inbound hustle
What’s inbound hustle? You get a lead that comes in the summer, you have got to jump on it within 30 minutes. Within 30 minutes, if not 10 minutes and I’m dead serious on this.
With regards to inbound leads, remember, there’s a reason the customer has interest. You want to service that interest, and fast. If you wait too long, guess what? Just like the rest of the year, people get caught up in other things and then it’s no longer a priority. But especially in the summer because there are so many distractions for our time.
8. Time blocking
Time blocking is more important than ever because it’s got to keep you focused.
It’s easy to get distracted by a beautiful day. If there’s nothing on your calendar, it’s easy to say, “It’s kind of a nice day. I think I’m going to go golf 18 holes. It’s not on my calendar….but…”
Oops, there went your afternoon.
Read more for 6 Ways Great Salespeople Master Their Time.
9. Vary your hours
If you’re prone to outdoor activities, wonderful. That means maybe you normally start your day at 7:00. During the summer months, start your day at 6:00 AM. You just need crank it up earlier.
Here’s what I’ve found. It’s amazing the number of people who actually do that, who I can be reaching out to at 7:00 AM. I call people at 7:00 in the morning and have some great conversations because again, I’m varying my hours.
You might consider starting your workday earlier because there may be one afternoon a week where I kind of knock off at two o’clock. That’s okay. That’s varying your hours to take advantage of the summer months.
10. Your mindset
This is why I wrote the book A Mind For Sales. Your mindset is as important as ever.
It’s easy to become a little bit distracted, and frustrated, and unmotivated in the summer months. Distracted because there’s so many things you could be doing outdoors. A little frustrated because you’re just not getting the responses you want . So as a result, you become unmotivated.
Don’t get stuck there! There’s a tremendous number of decisions to be made. And an even more tremendous number of activity that needs to happen. You’ve got to be a part of it.
Consider adding A Mind for Sales to your summer reading list, and get your mindset in the right place this summer so you can attack the rest of the year with confidence and integrity.
This week on The Sales Hunter Podcast…
Stu Heinecke and Mark Hunter dive into botany this week, as they discover lessons we can learn from weeds.
How can you grow your sales and your career as ruthlessly and effectively as those pesky weeds in your yard?
Tune in Thursday morning to learn how on The Sales Hunter Podcast.
Copyright 2022, Mark Hunter “The Sales Hunter” Sales Motivation Blog. Mark Hunter is the author of A Mind for Sales and High-Profit Prospecting: Powerful Strategies to Find the Best Leads and Drive Breakthrough Sales Results.
