Every salesperson goes through a slack period occasionally. Certain months, like July and August, might be soft periods for snowmobile salespeople, yet the same period is a high point for the swimming pool representative. Holiday and vacation periods create soft spots in many industries. There’s often a tendency to relax and take things easy while waiting for the slump to go away. However, this is often the bet opportunity to help your business grow.

What can the typical salesperson do to reduce the impact of any slump on the total volume of sales to which he or she is entitled? Here are seven ideas collected from other successful salespeople.

1. Keep your enthusiasm and optimism high. Without this attitude, you will not take the steps which follow to boost your sales and build your future. Besides, it rubs off on customers and can change their buying habits.

2. Use the extra time for planning. Review your territory management (i.e. your farm). Which prospects/clients deserve more attention? Which one less? Write out next year’s business plan and goals.

3. Develop new sales strategies. Now’s the time to be creative and come up with some new ways to reach people and work on your sales techniques.

4. Catch up on your record-keeping and resource files. We all have things that need to be organized. Why not take this opportunity to set up a client database in your computer or a new tracking system for your prospecting efforts?

5. Develop customer goodwill. Get in tough with former clients and see how they’re doing. Get out to your farm area and say hello. Do something that will remind people about you.

6. Improve your knowledge. Attend seminars, read books, listen to audio tapes, etc. Check out what your competitors are doing and see how you could do it better.

7. Work up incentives. Come up with farm contests, new ways to entice prospects to your open houses, develop a homebuyer’s seminar and offer free pre-qualifications - in short, give people a reason to see what your have to offer.

Instead of accepting the loser’s philosophy of working less during a slump, go with the winners who keep busy and productive all year. Take advantage of any extra time the slump affords to put your selling machine into better and more powerful condition. When you do, you’ll get the jump on your goof-off competitors and end up with more income for the total, and a more secure future.