What To Do When Business Is Slow

Hey there,

There are times in every successful entrepreneur’s life when their business is slow. Maybe you’re not getting more clients as quickly as you would like or maybe you’ve stalled. No matter the reason, you want to get things moving. 

Here’s a list to help you, bookmark it and refer to it anytime you need some inspiration on how to get out of a slump.

1. Attend an Event

In person is best. Put your phone away and get out from behind your computer to meet some new people. I bet some of the people you meet are your target audience.

2. Read a Good Book

Read a good non-fiction book. Some of my current favourites are:

3. Do Research

What are the trending hashtags in your niche? What’s hot on Pinterest? Every niche and industry evolves, stay close to what’s happening with yours.

A great tool you can use is Hashtagify.

4. Start or Refresh Your Blog

Have you been procrastinating about starting a blog?  Now is a great time to start. Ask yourself what would your ideal client like to know more about, how can you help, educate or inspire them.

Or if you’ve been blogging for a while, try a new approach add some video, try a new format or go for an all-out blitz and publish a post a day.

5. Contact Your Clients

Send your clients an email or a handwritten note. People love to get snail mail, it shows that you’ve put in the extra effort to connect with them. It’s a great opportunity to create some additional rapport with present and past clients.

6. Create a Freebie

Create a valuable checklist, blueprint or guidebook that you can give to people who sign up for your email list as a thank you.

7. Update your Blog Posts

Read them all again from start to end with a curious eye. Now tidy them up, refresh the links and tags and remember to update the SEO.

8. Host a Workshop

Decide on a topic that would really help your clients and potential clients. Send out invites and host a workshop in your living room or at a local restaurant. It doesn’t have to be long 2 hours is more than enough and it’s a great way to demonstrate your knowledge

9. Do Some Pro Bono Work

You’ll still learn and improve your skills and this investment will translate to higher income in the future.

10. Have a Sale

Offer a reduced rate on your premium packages or a promotion where if they buy 3 hours of coaching they get the 4^th hour free.

11. Gather Testimonials

Go through your records and follow up on with any clients where you haven’t received a testimonial about the benefits of working with you.

12. Ask for Referrals

Ask your current and past clients to refer you to their friends, family and associates. Send a thank you note or offer a free mini coaching session in return.

13. Get Active on Social Media

Get busy on social media. Try new platforms and post types.  Promote the heck out of your business.

Post more frequently, get visible. Tweet or post quotes from your blog or testimonials from your clients.

14. Update Your Social Media Profiles

Create new covers for Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, Pinterest and any others your active with. Keep a consistent look across all platforms (see #18 below). Use some free online software like Canva to help you get creative! 

15. Host a Virtual Summit

All you have to do is record and hold interviews with some experts.  Broadcast what you’re doing to gather the emails of interested viewers/listeners. Send out invites to your mailing list and let them watch or listen for free. Have the experts promote your summit to their email list which will handily expand your audience.

16. Take a Break and Do Something New

Your best creative ideas come when you’re relaxed and having fun. Who knows what inspiration will strike?  Make sure to keep a notebook close at hand to capture the good ideas you come up with.

17. Create Your Marketing Plan

If you’ve been flying by the seat of your pants, now is the time to create a strategic content and marketing plan that you can implement over the next few months.

18. Create a Style Guide

Create a style guide for your brand and refresh your website, social media profiles and all your content. Consistency will give your entire business a more professional appeal.

19. Improve Your Business Processes

Do you have a standard for all your client forms (discovery paperwork, contract, welcome letter)? Now could be the time to get this set up so when you’re busy you can be efficient.

20. Organize Your Expenses and Get Ready for Tax Season

Get your paperwork and expenses in order. Could it be time to implement a new piece of accounting software like Freshbooks or Quickbooks?

21. Clean Up Your Email 

Clean up your email inbox and unsubscribe from any newsletters you no longer read. At the same time update your email signature to something interesting and informative. Remember to include current links to your website and social media accounts. 

22. Set Up an Online Calendar

Use one of the available online scheduling tools. I prefer Acuity Scheduling it has saved me so much time and frustration.  Allowing your clients to choose an appointment time that works for their schedule will save you a lot of time in the future of back and forth emails.

23. Update Your Bio

All business owners should have a long and short version of their bio. Update your bio to reflect your growth. 

24. Learn a New Skill

Check out Coursera, SkillShare or Udemy, all have great options for classes you can take to improve your skillset. 

25. Fine Tune Your Elevator Speech

Know the message you want to convey anytime you meet someone new. If you want some tips, check out my blog post. How to Avoid One Of The Biggest Mistakes New Coaches Make