Some of you may know that I have worked in many different sectors throughout my sales career – banking, stainless steel, advertising, digital marketing, retail, incentives, hospitality, venues, exhibitions, and more. I would say that 95% of the roles I had saw August as the quiet time of the year, the month of doom! The time when people went on holiday, when everyone shuts down, and when people just weren’t very interested in doing business.
The smart businesses make a contingency plan for those quieter months but even with great planning it can still feel like it’s the month we dread in business. So I thought what can I do to brighten everyone’s month this August, and I came up with a few thoughts for you.
Instead of seeing this as a quiet time when we feel a little lost or we don’t feel like we can generate any business, here’s how we can turn August into a very smart month and a great use of our time. Have a look at my August Inspirations:-
Strategy
I know some people have different year ends in the business accounting sense – my financial year actually ends in August and starts in September so this fits in well for me – but there is no doubt psychologically we work from Jan to December, so 1st August still leaves us with almost half a year left. If you don’t look at your strategy on a regular basis then this is a great month to do so. Not only do you possibly have some more time to do it and a clearer mind, but you have a whole 7 months of data from the current year to look at and see how everything has been working. Review what has worked well and make a point of thinking about who you need to reconnect with. What is your strategy currently and is it working? How can you add value to it and what needs to stop and what can you start? You will feel really motivated when you have done this – a similar feeling you get from a spring clean, only it’s your summer clean.
Learn
I’m not sure how much you invest in yourself but we all deserve to do that and in turn it means we are always improving. Never stand still. August is a great month to dedicate some time to learn and to grow, so look at how you can invest in yourself and of course the knock on effect is that your clients will benefit too from your expanding knowledge. Read books, listen to podcasts, invest in coaching, and attend events. Every one of these actions will add value for you and for your clients, so don’t miss any chances to learn in our lovely month of August.
Opportunities
As I have said August is generally a quieter month but that also means that you may find that the clients who aren’t on holiday are also in a quieter spell too! What a great opportunity to have more relaxed conversations with them because they have got time to chat and in turn you have time to build stronger and greater relationships. I always think the August chats and coffee meet ups are a great time to really step into the world of your client and get to know what their current challenges are, and what they really need as your ideal audience. Seek out the people who aren’t on holiday and help them to fill up their diary with meet ups and maybe even invite them to come to events that you are going to attend. This is a great way to spend some quality time with them, away from the office environment.
Write
I love it when I have time to actually write and share great content, but there are not many of the months when I have the luxury, so often I steal time in the early morning, evenings and weekends. However, August is a time where I can have the luxury of being able to write. Whether it’s blogs, talks, content for my website or even new modules for my sales training, all of this is not time wasted because this is ultimately content I will share. Writing is a great way to show your authority on your subject and you will also continue to be visible throughout the quieter times. The secret is don’t disappear during August – keep showing up! Get visible as I say in the ‘Sell it’ part of my book ‘Live it Love it Sell it’, and always come from a place of giving expecting nothing in return, and that is what you gain from writing.
Now it will be no surprise to you all that those few little drops of August Inspiration spell out the word SLOW! I know, clever eh! And for many of us it sums up how August feels, but it doesn’t have to be that way. It can be a month of strategy, learning, opportunities and writing, and I for one feel quite excited about the possibilities that our lovely month of August brings.
So GO SLOW now!
Happy August
If you are interested in my August Inspirational 90 min breakthrough sessions which will help with all of the above, then why not either book a virtual cuppa to discuss
https://liveitloveitsellit.as.me/virtualcuppa
Or
Just do it and book your session at the amazing special August deal of £149 for 90 minutes with a real Dragon Slayer, instead of the normal £199
https://liveitloveitsellit.as.me/August-Inspirational
