Are you having a weirdly slow September?
I've talked to a few clients in the last month who have said this.
Less intro calls. Fewer orders. People cancelling appointments last minute…
Funnily enough, they've all used the language of “weirdly” slow/quiet.
I've heard this from a variety of service providers (health/healing & finance), and product manufacturers.
Today, let's get in the weeds and explore the questions I'd ask anyone dealing with this:
1. Is this a seasonal pattern?
Look at the last few Septembers in your business. Is this a pattern?
We all have ebbs and flows in our business. Over time you might see that some months/seasons are higher or lower than others. You may also notice patterns in your own energy.
It's worth tracking this.
One, it may tell us that a slow September is expected and nothing to worry about. Two, it helps us continuously shape a business that better fits you and your people.
2. Have you done anything differently? What's going on inside your business?
This is where we look at what's within our control.
Have you changed anything recently about your marketing, your services/products, your customers, or how you show up online or offline? If your business has evolved… that might explain the shift in interest, inquiries, sales, or bookings. Your business might take some time to catch up!
If we were to look at last June/July/August, would we see that you had done a trade show, given a talk, hosted a workshop, been featured in a magazine… or otherwise done something that boosted your visibility? That might explain why you had a bunch of new business last September, and not so much this September.
Look at your loops 🔁: This'll depend on your unique sales cycle… but generally what you were doing and what was happening 3-6 months ago informs what you're experiencing in your business today.
3. What's going on outside of your business. What's changed in the market, the world, the economy…?
Let's look at the things beyond your control that might be shaping your business.
Consumer behaviour may have changed, the way people shop or consume information may have shifted… Maybe there's an upcoming election (🫠). Maybe interest rates or unemployment rates have changed and people are generally spending less. Or, perhaps your business relies heavily on SEO and a change in how search engines work means less website traffic for you.
Scan the field and get curious about what's happening around your business.
Talk to other business owners—inside and outside of your industry—and see if they're experiencing something similar.
— Finally, get specific about what's actually changing.
What do you mean by slow. What, exactly, has changed?
Do you have less inquiries/traffic… but the same number of new clients or sales? Do you have the same number of orders but lower order spend? What's changed, and do those changes even impact the stuff you ultimately care about?
Getting clear about what's actually happening, and making educated guesses as to why… is going to let you make clear, strategic decisions moving forward. It'll help you decide what, if anything, you want to do differently :).
I hope that gives some insight into what might be going on for you.
If you have a quick follow up question, please respond here and I'll get back to you as soon as I'm able.
Take such good care,
