Summer hours are bad for business. Employees focus more on vacation than on their regular tasks, and the heat induces a sort of lethargy that increases project turnarounds.
The good news is that everybody goes through the same issues — including competition.
The bad news is you can’t wait until autumn to start new projects. You need to change strategy and focus on a different way of doing things to stay ahead of competitors. And this summer is the right moment to reorganize.
Here are five practical ways to beat your competition that you can start implementing this summer.
Improve Your Business Processes
Implementing new processes to increase quality is an on-going project that keeps companies busy all year round. Why start it during summer?
Changing operational processes and introducing a new quality management system requires a lot of preparation. The first of the iso 9001 implementation steps, for example, includes planning, budgeting, setting goals and milestones, putting together a team, and deciding on a schedule.
It’s more about putting things together and less about implementing. Planning takes a lot of time. But, you can do it from everywhere. Using modern communication tools you can organize video conferences that your staff can attend from home. If they don’t have to commute to work through the summer heat, they’ll be more focused on planning. You get to keep them happy and working at the same time.
If you manage to build a realistic plan during summer, you’ll be ready to start when everybody comes back from vacation. With all your staff fresh and prepared to work, implementing new processes will go as smooth as silk.
Reach out to Larger Clients
Summer slows down all processes, including sales. It’s not a good time to start pitching new clients, right? You should reconsider. With many businesses waiting for colder days, you’re more likely to get a good deal. It’s your chance to get in touch with new companies.
A larger client almost always means increased revenues. Plus, it gives you more credibility, being a good reference for prospects.
Another advantage comes from the fact that large companies know how to do business. They don’t need guidance and hand holding. So, you won’t have to reinvent entire departments to keep up with the new client’s expectations.
Invest in Employee Training
Summer heat makes productivity go down by 20 percent. Let’s face it! No one wants to work these days. But, maybe you can motivate your employees to improve their skills instead of following their usual activities.
Employee training will give your staff something new to concentrate on. If you manage to implement an engaging learning system, you can make your team more active and more productive, despite the hot weather.
Even better, training can help you upgrade your entire company, by increasing the value of your employees. As their skills improve, you’ll have well-prepared stuff, who can handle various tasks and take new roles inside the company.
Trained employees reach high industry standards, making you a fierce competitor in your industry. You get to do more without hiring new employees, as you increase efficiency and productivity rates.
Grow Customer Retention Rates
In both B2B and B2C marketing, customer retention is vital for business. It costs you about five times more to acquire new customers than you would spend to generate new business with your current clients.
Better yet, a returning customer spends on average 67 percent more than a new customer. So, by growing your customer retention rates, you get to consolidate your market share and increase your revenues — all these while spending less.
A summer campaign can help you refresh sales during a slow period. Re-launch your product, evolve your offerings, or build new communication channels to get in touch with your current clients. Listen to what they have to say and try to come up with solutions to their current problems.
Another efficient method to increase customer retention rates is excellent customer service. Use this summer to improve technical support. This way, you can gain trust and reinforce your relationship with your customers.
Build A Solid Content Marketing Strategy
Content marketing done right can change your business for good. It’s the perfect tool to increase brand awareness, attract new prospects in your sales funnel, get new leads, and raise conversion rates.
Better yet, with high-quality content, you build a solid reputation online. You’re more likely to become an authority in your niche, leaving competitors behind.
You have an entire summer to reorganize your content strategy 100 percent focused on your target public and their current needs. Create a content calendar and start working on solid pieces of content that can add value to your readers.
Develop a plan to cover your website, a business blog, social media, and email marketing. 60 percent of marketers create at least a piece of content each day. You have a lot to catch up!
Be innovative, introduce new types of content to reach new audiences, such as podcasts or videos. Depending on your industry and target public, you can come up eBooks, “how-to” guides, infographics, white papers — high-valuable content that covers pain points of your current audience.
To Wrap It All Up
This summer can be the right moment to start planning new projects. Take advantage of your competitors’ lethargy and make yourself noticed by new clients. Use these hot months to prepare a fresh start — more efficient processes to create a solid foundation for future strategies.
This way, you’ll step ahead of your competitors with innovative projects, well-trained employees, and an upgraded marketing strategy.
