6 Ways to More Sales During A Slow Season

Unbeknownst to me, it’s a slow summer for business this year. Here I’ve been panicking when I see a sales dip over 48 hours, and some folks are complaining of not seeing Any sales for a whole week!

So, upon feeding myself a healthy slice of “I need to stop whining - there are people with real problems”, I’m departing from my regular Yahoo and Google love affair to share what I’ve been doing that has me earning a steady income.

(If you miss my Google chatter, come by on Google Tuesdays to read my blog - see link at end of article.)

Please keep in mind, I’m no millionaire, so don’t expect some miraculous windfall of cash. Many of these tips steadied my income, as I now work completely from home and make about same as I used to make before taxes back when I worked as a IT Consultant.

Space permits only my top six, but you can stop by site on Fridays for more.

#1 - Take advantage of super-cheap ezine advertising.

The prices in summer are just incredible, if you know where to look. I have a list you can check out.

#2- Submit a press release. I haven’t done this yet this year, because I have a special date that I stick to, but you should take advantage as soon as you can. Why is this time of year different?

Except for election updates, this time of year is among slowest for fresh news. If you’ve got a quirky story about your site, your business, services or products, make it into a press release.

But not just any press release. Research what journalists in your market want to write about, and do most of work for them. Have a press kit on your site where they can get pictures, and updates. It shouldn’t read like a sales letter, it should read more like a slightly longer news story that you’d see in paper, very just-the-facts-ma’am.

A severely overlooked market for these are local journalists and smaller news papers. You might assume that because they are smaller, they don’t get read, but that’s not necessarily true. I used to save my Prince George’s County Journal when I lived in Maryland.

1. Craft your vision statement: Answer question, “Why does my company exist?” This is heart and soul of your organization and platform from which you should make every decision be it marketing, product development, or customer service related.

2. Identify your ideal client: Take a hard look again at why you’re in business in first place. Then identify who’s really going to want what you’re selling. Who’s going to understand exactly where you’re coming from and jump at chance to do business with you? If you can identify those quality consumers, you will have a much easier time finding them.

3. Target your SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats): The first two components are internal--what’s going on inside of you and your company. The last two areas are external or outside forces you must consider. There are unlimited applications for SWOT exercise. Email me at readytoevolve@earthlink.net for a detailed worksheet.

4. Ask, “What makes my company unique?” Why should anyone do business with you as opposed to your numerous competitors? Consider how you make decisions when faced with a choice between similar products from different manufacturers. How do you decide which car or soda to buy? Remember, each potential client asks same question when they consider buying from you. How do you stand out? If Starbucks just sold cups of coffee, they would not be as dominant as they are today.