Tips for a Great Summer

Now that we're in the dog days of summer, it's time to look at some ways to spend our time between now and the big event of World Expo, here's some great tips.

OK, maybe you were looking for something more than basic grilling tips. So, let's look at a few things that you can do this summer to improve your sales efforts.

1. Go out and sell! Seems obvious but the majority of salespeople have the tendency to coast through summer. After all, "summer time is the slowest part of the year, I might as well kick back" can be heard in the corridors of a lot of sales offices. But if you think about it, since the competition is probably taking it easy, doesn't it make sense that this would be the perfect time to get out there and take some of their business? Doesn't it make sense that their customers just might be needing some help?

2. Plan for success. Assuming that you are going to be spending some time prospecting this summer, you might want to think about how you will be supporting the new business when the rush of September business hits your doors like it does every year. Take a day and put together your Time and Territory Management program for the balance of the year.

3. Vacation. Yes, summer is "the" vacation time of the year and you are probably going to take a few days off so you might as well make them both fun and profitable. Consider dropping your customers post cards from the road. Let them know where you've been and thank them for their business. Make the notes personal and fun. If you want a really cool idea, here's a secret... Arrange a "post-card trading program" with your customers. Let them know you'll be sending out cards during your vacation (this is a lot better than a note saying "I will be out of the office and for support, please contact...."). Ask them to send you some from their vacation! Trust me, this can be a lot of fun and it helps create great personal relationships.