Downtime for companies should give you an opportunity to do something different. If you have weeks or months where foot traffic or client calls are rare, make the most of it and do some re-assessment and planning. You can start with these basics:
Organise – This would be an ideal time to take stock of your resources, staff and contacts. In most cases, starting businesses lose track of their wares and even their people because of continuous hectic days. Make the most of the calm to see what needs replacing, refilling, and repositioning.
Strategise – Slow days are considered the right time to ready the ranks for bigger, more active events. Track which teams or days are the most active and find out why these are so effective. Check which ones are dipping in quality and see if you can save them from total failure. If there are departments that need further improvement, then work with those people at once.
Advertise – Simply because your loyal customers aren’t buying doesn’t mean they don’t care about your products anymore. You only need to encourage them to return. Come up with activities, events, promotions, discounts, and freebies to get your present customer base’s attention and interest.
Enjoy – Downtime can be fun and productive, too. Talk to your people without setting up a meeting. Give them a one-on-one and find out how they’ve been doing. A good leader knows when to give their people a break and this might just be what they need to relax and reassess their priorities.
Expand – Lean months doesn’t necessarily mean it’s the same in the international market. Aim to sell in other cities, countries, and continents. Set up a website where you can sell and promote your products worldwide. Hire Internet marketing experts in Singapore to reach possible prospects wherever they are around the globe.
Every company will experience some slowing down during the year at some point. Big companies, start-up businesses, and online shops all go through it. What’s important is that these weak months should still be used for improving your business.