Whether you’re looking to take a break this summer or work on sales, this episode is packed full of tips for you.
Taking a break
There is nothing wrong with taking a break. There should be zero guilt. Equally, there is no pressure to take a break either. It’s you, it’s your life and your choice. You may or may not have kids. In fact, if you don’t have kids summer can be a really productive time for you.
It is the same as the pandemic, everyone is going through the same storm but we are not in the same boat. We all have challenges to tackle, so let yourself off the hook. Do what feels right for you and not what anyone tells you that you should be doing. Make sure that you’re doing it for the right reasons.
As my business is stronger, I am able to take breaks with my child. There has been a time when taking long summer breaks has not been an option for me. I did need to keep my business going. I was able to because my ideal client was still buying through this time and I knew I could make sales when I needed to.
However, I no longer need to do this as my business has more stability. Therefore, I’ve had to remind myself that I don’t need to work in the summer. My daughter is 9 years old and is growing up so my summers with her are limited. I want to make the most of this time. While I am taking breaks, I am still making use of summer camps because I do run multiple businesses. I am also dipping into my businesses to keep things ticking over. There is a mix rather than taking a full six weeks off.
Create the balance for you
It’s about a nice balance between having downtime and running the business. There are still client calls during this time so they are still supported. It’s also about making sure my team is still supported. It’s about what is right for you and what works for you.
I work in sprints and take rest throughout the year rather than all in one go. It really depends on where you are in life, where you are in your business and what is suitable for you.
Accept consequences
This may sound ominous to accept the consequences of having downtime, you have to understand that if you take a break and are not doing sales activity without recurring income, then you will not make sales. Mentally prepare yourself for this and understand the consequences guilt-free.
If you want the whole summer off and make money while not working, this is clarity for you. You know what kind of business model you want to create. How does it all work for you right now? Be honest about the consequences of what you’re doing.
Visibility when taking a break
Your business will not fall apart if you’re not visible. Yes, you may not make any money for that period of time but nobody is saying they are never buying from you again because you took a summer break from LinkedIn. Sales activity and remaining visible are two different things. Nurture activities will keep people warm and keep you in people’s minds so when you come back they are more likely to buy. But your world will not fall apart because you don’t post daily.
My business summer strategy
I am not planning on doing any content and visibility at all. I am not doing anything live. This will be my last live podcast this side of September. Instead, I’ll be running some rereleasing of some amazing episodes that are stuffed with golden value.
I will be releasing some of the best episodes so you will still see and hear me over the summer but I am not recording anything this side of September. I will be batch recording in preparation for September. This is how I am managing over the summer.
Yes, I have a content manager who is supporting me with this. If you are in the position to hire one then I recommend you do so. Someone who can take your content and repurpose it. The more content you create when you are working on your business, the better it will be when you take a break. You have content that you know is gold and people will respond to it. You don’t have to create new all of the time. People need reminders.
What is your bare minimum?
If you want to take a summer break, what is the bare minimum that you need to do? You can put a call to action onto these nurture posts for when you are back. You can use your content so you can keep things ticking over but get it scheduled in.
My content manager does this consistently throughout my whole business so I don’t have to panic. She takes the live episodes that I record and repurposes them into blogs and posts. These are then pushed out across the board. I create the content I want to get to you guys and it comes out like magic.
You might not be at this stage yet but once you have a regular client base, I recommend getting a content manager to sort this for you.
Repurpose is key for summer content, especially if you want to make sales. Make sure your call-to-action takes them to book calls when you’re back or to sell a product. I appreciate it is generic advice but it is important.
You can also look at audience building, even if it’s slower during the summer.
Making sales in the summer
You need to ask: does your ideal client still buy during the summer break or are they taking a break? Most people take a summer holiday but might not take the full six weeks off. You need to think if it’s worth it. If your ideal client takes the summer off then it makes sense for you to do the same. Then you can prepare for the dips in sales.
If they do, then you can manage your expectations. There might be a dip in sales throughout this period. I have made plenty of money during the summer. When people are in the mode of spending, they spend on themselves as well. There are lots of different sales to be made during downtime periods.
You need to understand who you are targeting and whether they will buy. When you are honest about this, you can manage your own expectations about launches, selling high-ticket and coming up with a strategy.
I am still launching across some of my businesses but I’m at a stage where I have recurring income. If you are not at this stage and want to be then you need some foundations in place now. Then you can build this for the future.
If you want recurring revenue then you need to set boundaries and expectations around the summer period and let clients know there will be a reduced service. Or do you have a recurring revenue idea that doesn’t need a live element?
Nothing works for every single business. You need to look at your clients, industry and niche to make a judgement about whether it will work for you. For example, our competition campaigns don’t work for every business. You can potentially tweak it so it does work for you. You need to decide on the best strategy for your business.
When you still need to make money
If your clients are taking a break in the summer and you still need to make sales, then it’s time to get creative. This might be offering them an early bird for September or tweaking your offer slightly so it’s easier to buy. Pre-book people in now so they can spend more time and attention later. Now is the time to act if you need to do this.
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