The arrival of summer means longer days, backyard barbecues, afternoons at the pool, and the lure of the beach, but not everybody is in a celebratory mood this time of the year.
For B2B companies, summer slow-downs can be a harsh annual reality. According to a recent survey conducted by international email marketing company Sopro, two-thirds of B2B businesses experienced sales slumps during the summer, with 75% of those companies reporting drops in sales of at least 20%. The survey showed July and August to be the hardest-hit months.
But companies don’t have to resign themselves to suffering through the summertime blues. Taking a proactive approach is a much more effective sales and marketing strategy, and is a surefire way to separate yourself from competitors who are likely also seeing drops in sales during the summer months.
One of the best ways to keep your sales funnel full this time of year is by partnering with a skilled and experienced lead generation and appointment-setting firm. More leads means more sales opportunities and, ultimately, more revenue—even during the dog days of summer.
VSA has been helping our clients grow their business year-round for 22 years. Here are five of the ways we can help you shake up your summer.
1. Increase telephone outreach without burdening your own reps
One of the reasons businesses might see opportunities dwindle during the summer is that their inside sales reps have more vacation time, reducing their opportunities to make cold calls to untapped prospects or follow-up calls to previous contacts. Even when the reps are at work, it’s very possible they’re taking on added responsibilities to cover for vacationing colleagues, further cutting into their telephone prospecting time.
Even in the best of times, sales reps probably aren’t spending enough hours on the phone. According to recent statistics compiled by HubSpot and SalesInsightsLab.com, salespeople only spend 34% of their time actually selling. Throw summer vacations into the mix, and that number almost certainly drops.
That’s never an issue at VSA. Our team-based calling model ensures we always have enough Business Development Representatives available to reach out to your target prospects for as many hours as your campaign requires. Because each of our programs is handled by a team of BDRs working together, they’re not dependent on a single person’s schedule. This model also allows us to quickly scale up or down, depending on the size of your calling list at any given time.
On top of that, our advanced dialing technology dramatically increases the number of connections our BDRs can make in an hour, resulting in far more conversations with potential buyers.
2. Focus on your existing customers
Summer is the perfect time to reach out to your loyal customers, especially if you’re struggling to generate business among new prospects. Upselling upgraded products or offering promotions to encourage additional purchases is a great way to create fresh sales opportunities.
This strategy also applies to lapsed customers who may still have a need for your products or services. Letting them know you appreciate their past business and perhaps offering them an incentive to return can rejuvenate a dormant relationship.
VSA can help you nurture or revive these valuable relationships by providing personalized outreach on your reps’ behalf. Our messaging is always customized specifically to the target list we’re calling, so we can develop multiple phone scripts for your campaign, depending on your previous level of contact with the prospect.
3. Update your database
When was the last time you updated your target list? Decision-makers are changing roles or switching companies all the time. Finding new leads during the summer is challenging enough without relying on an out-of-date or incomplete prospect list.
Summertime is not too late for a little spring cleaning of your data. While many clients ask us to enrich their existing lists with additional or more accurate contact information, we can also build you a list from scratch based on your ideal client profile. Either way, VSA’s experienced list-building team and multiple list-building resources help ensure you’re targeting the right people in the right places with the most up-to-date data.
4. Gain market intelligence
Maybe your sales funnel isn’t as full as you’d like this summer, but that’s no reason to assume the situation will repeat itself next summer. Learning more about your market now could not only alleviate future summer slumps, but also put your business in a strong position for the fall and winter months.
From gauging prospects’ level of satisfaction in their current products or services, to learning about peak buying times, to surveying executives about their most pressing needs, VSA has a long history of conducting market research for our clients that pays off in increased sales down the road.
5. Get a jump on your competition
There’s a perception that decision-makers are harder to reach during the summer, and that might be true in a lot of cases. But not everybody will be on vacation the next few months. In fact, according to a January 2023 survey conducted by Gocity.com, 53% of Americans were planning to cut back or change their vacation plans this year due to the economy.
Regardless of vacation schedules, summers are typically a slower time for many businesses, which means busy executives might have more time to talk and be more inclined to listen to the ways your offering can solve their pain points.
So while your competitors might be cutting back on their lead generation initiatives during the summer due to internal staff limitations or budgetary concerns, this could be the perfect time to ramp up your outreach to prospects and increase brand awareness. Even if prospects aren’t ready to buy now because they’re in a summer slump of their own, it’s a way to keep your brand top of mind for when a sales opportunity does arise.
Conclusion
Generating enough leads to drive more pipeline is challenging at any time, but it can be especially tricky during the summer. Taking a proactive approach, perhaps by outsourcing your lead generation and appointment-setting needs, can help you avoid the summer slump.
VSA has had many clients over our 22 years acknowledge that they’re unable to devote enough time to prospecting on their own. We’re always happy to fill that gap.
If you’re looking for a more effective way to grow your business this summer, give us a call. To paraphrase the famous song, maybe there is a cure for the summertime blues after all.