I see it every summer.
People are burned out, they don’t feel like working, so they take a summer vacation from building their business.
Then in the fall, they wonder why it feels so hard to get things started again. They wonder why there aren’t the funds in their bank account that they need or want.
It pays to avoid this trap. It’s much easier to speed up a moving machine than it is to start a machine that has totally stopped.
Your business is your machine. Keep it going, even if it’s moving at a slow pace because you want to take some time this summer, you will be glad that you kept it going.
Here are three ways to keep your business moving this summer:
Tip #1: Systems
Without systems, you are spending your valued time doing “tasks” rather than marketing, selling and actually working with clients.
Systematize everything you can. Only spend your time on income-producing activities. Delegate the rest.
- Do you have an assistant who knows what to do when you are on vacation?
- Do you have a system for scheduling appointments? I love www.Timedriver.com. This saves me HOURS every single week.
- Do you have a system for following up with people you meet?
- Do you have a system for writing content for your blog or newsletter and when that is sent out?
- Do you have a system for tracking your clients?
- Do you have specific time blocks set up in your calendar for clients, marketing, admin?
- Or are you re-inventing the wheel every time you take on a task or project.
Get your systems in place. Hiring a coach or VA (Virtual Assistant) is typically necessary to get this done. I remember I kept thinking I could do it myself…two years later I still didn’t have the systems I wanted and was wasting dozens of hours every month. I hired a coach and an assistant and everything changed.
Tip #2: Network
Get out of your office. My rule of thumb is to attend at least two networking activities every month. Then schedule time to follow up with people you met within two days of attending.
If you aren’t networking, how can people refer you? How can you build relationships with people? How can people trust you if they don’t know that you are showing up consistently.
People do business with people they know, like and trust. It’s really that simple.
Get out and network. Remember, give support first then receive. Networking doesn’t mean pitching people on your products. It’s about building relationships. Relationships always turn into business with time.
Tip #3: Keep Learning
When you are continuing your education and experience, you have more confidence. When you have more confidence, you attract people, people listen to you and you deliver more results.
You can’t fully serve your clients if you have no incoming information in your life or business. If you aren’t actively learning, you get bored. No one likes to work with people who are bored or who are boring. Stay plugged in to information. Beware of info overload yet make time every week to actively learn.
- Attend workshops.
- Plug into webinars and telesummits. They are happening all the time. Make time to participate.
- Read great business books – learn from the masters.
Success leaves clues, plug into those clues and model after them for your own business.
