The summer is a relatively slow time for many of us… clients slow down, people go on vacation, kids are out of school, etc. And how people respond to that slowdown usually falls into one of two groups – those that gripe about it, chalk it up to seasonality and fall into a bit of a summer funk and those that take advantage of the extra time that the season provides to work “on” their business.
So, for those of you who in the second group (or those in the first group that want to be in the second group), over the next several weeks, I’ll make a series of recommendations of activities you can work now on to help grow your business.
And here’s the best part… even if you decide to take a little break from the office routine – most of these can be done from the beach with an internet connection.
Summer tip #1: Look for conferences to attend this fall
Fall is ‘conference season’ in the market research industry. ESOMAR, TMRE, QRCA, CASRO… you name it, every organization has their big event in the fall.
In addition to all the learning that takes place at these events (which in itself, can help with business development), there are several others reason to consider attending:
- Connect with vendors (exhibitors/sponsors)… see what’s new, discuss how their new products/services fit in with your current offerings, compare vendor vs. vendor, etc.
- Connect with prospective clients (of course)… network like crazy, use your best elevator pitch and then follow-up afterward.
- Connect with current clients… reinforce your relationships, extend your reach deeper into the firms by meeting new contacts and socialize a bit with them.
- Schedule sales calls in the city where the conference is taking place; add on a couple of days to your trip to schedule face-to-face meetings with targeted sales prospects.
- For a list of upcoming conferences this Fall, visit the Quirk’s website at http://www.quirks.com/events/index.aspx.
Enjoy the summer… and if you are a little slower than you want to be, take advantage of it and do something new to grow your business. Since many of your competitors won’t be… it’ll give you a competitive advantage going into the busy fall season.