Things get super predictable in spring, don’t they? And it’s not a bad thing, necessarily. It’s nice to know that you can count on the fact that your trees will come back to life and the days will get gradually warmer and longer. Predictably, now’s when everyone starts playing hooky on warm Friday afternoons and daydreaming about summer vacations. (Remember that good time management and productivity actually requires you to take time off to rest and recharge sometimes—so get those summer getaways booked now!)
Consultants can also count on spring being a time when the rhythms of your business start to change.
It becomes harder to track your clients down. It takes them longer to follow through with next steps. As we move into summer, scheduling meetings gets more complicated. Everyone’s so busy. The changing weather makes good time management hard too. On a warm spring day, you’re not going to achieve peak productivity on tasks like research and creating presentations if you’re daydreaming about getting outdoors and soaking up the sunshine.
All of these shifts that happen during spring make prospecting and client service extra tough for consultants. How are you supposed to get the most important stuff done every day and grow your business when there’s so much working against you at this time of year?
Here are two things that seem to be true for many consultants in spring and summer:
- The clients that do show up during these next few months are probably going to be big ones. I was recently discussing this phenomenon with another colleague who works with consultants. She’s noticed the same thing I have: spring and summer tend to be about getting quality clients rather than quantity. The new clients that consultants get during this slow time of year are serious about needing help, and they tend to be those great clients that stick with you for years and years.
- Consultants can’t afford to be reactive in the summer, or they risk losing out on those big opportunities. We all tend to get reactive when we get busy… and consultants are always busy. There are just so many things you need to remember and get done every day. So many meetings to schedule and emails to follow up on and materials to review and clients to check in with… In summer, all the extra things that come up on the personal side (like travel, wanting to spend time outdoors, inconsistent childcare) just magnify any existing time management and productivity challenges.
You get into that mode where you’re just trying to keep your head above water. You lose the strategy perspective entirely as you just try to deal with the urgent stuff in front of you. But everything feels urgent, because there’s so much to deal with.
You can’t even take the time to stop, prioritize and get organized.
Getting overwhelmed by the stuff that’s already on your plate keeps you from doing the things you need to do to move your business forward. You just don’t have enough time or mental energy to strategize about what’s next. Without really clear priorities and good time management strategies in place, you’re not going to be able to capitalize on the big opportunities and sign the big clients when they come along.
Three Ways Consultants Can Prep for a Successful Summer
1. Adjust your prospecting routines for the summer months.
Summer is a time of transition for a lot of your clients and prospective clients, so think about ways to adjust your own processes to accommodate their schedules. The goal is to get maximum value out of your limited time. Maybe that means scheduling prospecting activities for mid-week to account for the fact that a lot of people take long weekends off. Or, doing a big push before the end of the school year so you can catch potential clients who are also parents before they transition into the chaos of summer break. Think about your ideal clients specifically: how are their schedules and pain points likely to change during the summer?
2. Make sure you have an efficient system for following up with people.
It’s important to be really intentional about your strategies for following up with clients and prospects. In the busy summer months, these check-ins can slip through the cracks, or take more time than you have to spare. How can you set up your weekly plans and use your other time management tools to prompt you to make those connections?
3. Get really clear about what a “successful summer” looks like for you.
Some consultants might welcome the summer months because they can afford to downshift their workload and take a lot of time off. Some people thrive in the chaos of a really busy summer, and want to squeeze as much into every day as they can. Others are focused on business above everything else. There’s no universal right or wrong way to run your business in summer, as long as you’re clear about what feels right to you. Get that figured out so you can build your daily, weekly and monthly plans around your top priorities.
Don’t let those time management challenges keep you from landing the high-quality clients this summer.
We’re moving into a pivotal time of year for consultants. Your time management and productivity tools are either going to help you get a ton done so you can enjoy your business and your personal life…. or keep you stuck and overwhelmed.
Ready to take action and live the summer you want? Request a no-cost Strategy Session today. Let’s talk about your most important goals for your consulting business, and the actual steps you can take next. Click here to request your no-cost Strategy Session!
Best,
Sarah
- Consultants: Why Does Time Management Always Go Sideways in Spring? - May 3, 2024
- Time Management Strategies to Help You Land the Big Clients You Want - April 17, 2024
- Stress Management for a Productive Spring: Are You “Normal”? - April 4, 2024
