Is Your Business Ready for the Summer Slowdown?

The days are heating up, and the sun is staying out longer. It won’t be long before kids are out of school and all your clients head out on vacation at the same time. 

It can only mean one thing—the summer slowdown is almost upon us.

In This Article:

What Is the Summer Slowdown?

The phrase “summer slowdown” (sometimes called the “summer slump”) refers to the dip many companies see in their sales cycle during the summer months. 

This dip tends to start in May and last through August. Thanks to everyone taking time off for the Fourth of July festivities, many American companies see the most significant dip in July. In Europe, the drop often happens in August when everyone goes on holiday.

The primary reason for the summer slowdown is that people are less available during the summer months. For one thing, with kids at home, it can be difficult to get as much work done, especially if you’re working from home (ask me how I know). 

Plus, more people take vacations during the summer than during other times of the year. This means it can be challenging to get a hold of decision-makers at an organization. You might get stuck trying to make sales because your prospective clients are all out of the office at the same time.

Hopefully, you can take a bit of a vacation yourself this summer. When you’re back and ready to work, though, you’ll need a game plan for managing a drop in business.

5 Things To Do During the Summer Slowdown

I’ve been tracking People First Content’s revenue for the last five years, so I’ve been prepared for the summer slowdown for some time now. Still, I know that it can be difficult to manage, especially in those vital first few years when you’re still trying to land regular customers. 

Here are five things to do when business slows down during the summer so you can keep building your business without missing a beat. 

1. Focus on team development

The summer of 2021 was the first summer I went through with a team. So, I let them know well ahead of time that summer tends to get a little weird. I didn’t want them to worry that the business was struggling when they suddenly had fewer projects on their plates.

The good part was that we had a lot of extra time available for development. We spent a lot of those months on training so that everyone would be up to speed when things got busy again. I also went to a conference where I met some fantastic marketing partners that led to an increase in MRR we’re still enjoying nearly 12 months later.

2. Re-engage with clients

Instead of spending money chasing new leads, re-engage with previous clients or prospects who are likely to send some work your way. Because they already know and trust you, they might require less time to decide on whether or not to hire you versus a new vendor.

3. Try a new service 

Summer is a great time to test a new service or product offering. Companies often wait until fall to launch new products, so you’ll stand out. Market it to your existing clients to gauge interest. If nobody notices it or decides to try it, you can quietly remove it from your service menu without making a big deal of it.

4. Work on internal projects

How many things are in your backlog that you’d love to get done “if you had the time?” If you’re like me, there are too many to count!

Use the break in the summer months to focus on those things. Start with one thing at a time. For instance, last summer, we focused on developing a link-building strategy that has raised our domain authority 10x. This summer, we’ll focus on creating an e-book (more to come on that project!)

5. Plan for next year

If you’re new to the summer slump, you might be stressing about how you will hit your revenue targets. These next few months can be an excellent time to strategize, so that next year isn’t nearly as nerve-wracking. 

For example, I have spent the last few years developing a plan to get more monthly subscribers to keep our monthly revenue steady. PFC now has more monthly subscribers than we ever have, which gives me more peace of mind going into the summer months.

Does Your Summer Project Include Content Creation? Let’s Talk!

Summer is an excellent time to focus on a content strategy. If you’d love to hit the fall months with a backlog of blogs, white papers, and lead magnets ready to publish, we can help!

Click the button below to schedule a time to talk about your content needs. I can’t wait to meet you and learn more about your business!

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