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Can you believe it’s that time of year already beating the direct sales? We are smack dab in the middle of the dreaded “J” months. If you haven’t heard that term, it refers to the months of the year that start with the letter J (January, June & July). They are typically slow sales months for the network marketing industry. It’s not hard to see why. January is right after Christmas, and June & July are the best of the summer months. While it’s fine and dandy that everyone else wants to take time off, you are a business person. You have bills to pay, targets to reach, and commission levels to keep. So what can you do to stay strong through the slow months? We have a few ideas for you.
Stay Consistent
We hate to be the ones to drop truth-bombs, but we’re going to be real here. Consistency is hard at this time of year! It’s especially hard during the back to back months of June and July. Does your routine change during the summer? Maybe your kids are home from school, maybe you’re on holidays, maybe your spouse or roommate is home, you might even live somewhere else at this time of year (hello, summer house).
It’s hard to be consistent when there’s no consistency in your day to day life. It’s hard but it’s not impossible at all! It simply means you’re going to have to recognize and plan for it.
Start with building a to-do list and a schedule for each month. At this time of year scheduled posts can be your best friend! You still have to stay active on your social media accounts, but this will allow you to be more flexible with your time. You want to be out there enjoying the summer too (after all it’s one of the perks of owning your own business), but unfortunately if you try to ‘set it and forget it’ your customers will too. Pop onto your accounts a couple of times a day to check in and engage with people when it works with your schedule.
Pro tip: Start with the goals you have for the month. Break those goals into weeks. Then break those weekly goals into your daily to-do list. It sounds a little backwards, but trust us, it works!
Try Something New
Whether you run your parties in-person, online virtual parties, or both, slow months are a great opportunity to try something new! You probably aren’t booked as solid as you are during your busier months, so you have some time that you can spend on creating new ideas.
Have you ever held a host appreciation event? This is a fantastic opportunity to connect with previous hosts and hostesses! Spoil them with an exclusive party where they get a sneak peek of new products and access to your open fall booking dates first.
Or you could try doing a ‘Make and Take’ event where, for example, your guests make their own bath soak using your company’s essential oils. This can require some creativity and planning on your part, but it will certainly help you stand out! It’s a great way to attract potential new hostesses and customers, as it shows them first hand that your parties are about having fun, not just sales.
With some extra planning you could do an online ‘Make and Take’ class. Have people pre-register, mail them a package of the supplies they will need, and then do an beating the direct sales class of how to actually create the product, just as you would if you were doing it in person. Obviously this won’t work for every business, but if you are willing to be creative, you’ll be able to keep your momentum going and keep those sales coming in.
It’s Preparation Time
Sometimes no matter what you do, there is still downtime during these months. Don’t get discouraged, things will pick up! Use this time to focus on preparing for the busier months. Back-to-school season is a big sales month for a lot of direct sales companies, and you don’t want to miss out.
Spend the “J” months getting setup for your busy season.
- Will you need supplies for your fall parties?
- Do you have a stack of catalogs labeled and samples made up?
- What about your hostess and consultant opportunity packages – are they created and ready to go?
- Do you have digital versions of those packages available as well?
- Have you tweaked your follow up strategy recently?
- Do you need to create a follow up strategy?
- Are you planning to attend vendor events for Christmas?
Now is the perfect time to source them out, especially because you have to apply months in advance for many of them. There are so many things you can be using this time to prepare for. Take advantage of it! You will thank yourself when things get busy again.
The “J” months can certainly be a bit scary, especially if you’re new to direct sales and haven’t encountered them before. With consistency, creativity and planning, you’ll sail right through this dreaded season. You’ve totally got this!
Interested in more ideas like these? Come and join our Facebook page where you’ll meet other network marketers wading through this crazy season just like the rest of us.