The last few days have been beautiful, and the weather has been almost perfect. Some of us have spring fever, while others are just having trouble with the pollen. At this time of year, I remember that summer is coming and that networking is about to slow down. I'd like to take a moment to talk about this trend and what I think might be behind it.
Let's start in the autumn. We are working hard to get new business at this time of the year because we know that things will slow down around the holidays. As December gets closer, some of us get busy with things like parties and shopping instead of working on our businesses. Others find it harder and harder to get in touch with people as long vacations start.
The holidays will be over. We worked hard at marketing and networking, going to several meetings a week to try to get things going again. Because of this, there is more business and more money. Have you ever noticed that things start to move faster and faster at the beginning of February? When this happens, if we aren't ready for growth, we start to slow down on our promotions as we rush to finish the work that our marketing has brought in.
So, we stop making connections. We stop talking to the people we've been making connections with and asking for referrals, and they start to think we're not interested in them anymore. When this happens, they might look for someone else to refer when that target prospect comes along.
By early to mid-summer, we are starting to get out from under our work load and are once again looking for opportunities. Children are out of school for the summer, which means that vacations have started again. So, it's hard to find the people we knew before our business started to pick up again at the end of last winter.
By the middle of August, school is back in session and people are starting to network again. There are some people who were there before, but there are also a lot of new people. We didn't work hard enough to get the word out, so we weren't there to meet the new people when they opened their business. So the people who have a well-balanced plan for marketing and networking will be there to meet them.
These are the people who seem to be doing well in business. They have a plan for marketing and networking that stays the same all year. In the spring, when a lot of businesses get a lot of new business, these business owners are ready to take on the new business with new employees or temporary help. They know that to keep growing, they need to be ready for any economic improvement that could help their business move up to the next level.
So how do we get this done? Plan first for growth. Have a plan for when you have more work than you can handle, so you can call for help. Building relationships with temp agencies, headhunters, and placement firms is how this is done. If you need to, hire people on a contract basis. When things are slow, this saves money on benefits and salaries. It also cuts down on the amount of paperwork that needs to be done for payroll and taxes.
Next, make a plan for networking that you can actually carry out. Set a goal for how many meetings you'll go to when business is just OK, and stick to it when things improve. You should go to events all through the year, even during the holidays.
Plan vacations when you need to, but don't assume that everyone is going on vacation just because it's summer. Most people have to work around other people's schedules, and companies don't usually all take vacations at the same time. Larger companies always have people on hand to take care of business while an employee is away. Also, keep in mind that big companies don't stop advertising just because it's July or December. They are the same all year.
If you want to grow into a big company, the lesson here is to look at what big companies do. If they are successful, try to be like them and you might be able to do the same. You have to constantly market, network, and promote your business if you want to have steady business all year. If you decide to take it easy now because business is good, you will have to work twice as hard to get things going again in the fall. If, on the other hand, you keep marketing the same way you did when times were slow, both your business and your bank account should grow over the course of the year.
