I often joke that I live on a “glacier.” While Central NY certainly isn’t the Caribbean Sea, perhaps comparing it to a solid ice surface is unfair. However, around these parts, we do essentially get two seasons: Winter and Summer. Unfortunately, the Summer season only lasts for a few months. As insurance sales professionals, we know that consumer behavior and sales performance noticeably change during July and August. This can lead to what we call the “Summertime Slump.” Here are 5 tips to help you avoid or work through a slump and increase summertime productivity at the Agency.
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Less is more.
This is solid advice year-round, but the Summer months are an excellent time to hone in on this concept. Take some time to review your “BIG 3 goals.” What are your three main areas of focus at the agency? Throughout each day, work hard to focus almost exclusively on just those areas. If you are looking to start something new or working to develop a new habit, start small. For instance, don’t try to read an entire book in a week. Instead, read some pages a day or a chapter a week. If you want to work on your meditation practice, don’t start by pushing yourself into a 30-minute session. Instead, spend just two to three minutes each day focused on your breathing. By creating small, attainable goals and executing them daily, you will build momentum and accomplish big feats as the Summer winds down.
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Time Block.
The easiest way to find yourself in an “I never have enough time” mindset is to not time block. Each day, to combat this, identify the essential activities that you have to accomplish and then block off 15-30 minute sections of time to work on those exclusively. Exclusively means no cell usage, no inbound phone calls, no e-mail, no distractions. When you have 100% laser-like focus on your most essential goals, your productivity will increase.
Time Blocking is a focus concept in our Insurance Agency Optimization Mastermind program. By joining, you will get access to actionable ways to effectively time block.
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The Four-day Work Week
This concept has gotten a lot of buzz. If you are serious about giving this a try at your agency, dip your toe in the water during July and August. We have used this scheduling approach for several years now. I won’t say it’s a good fit for ALL agencies, but it may be for yours and could serve as a nice Summer perk.
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Throw a party!
Summer is synonymous with sun, fun, and BBQs. One of our Agency Optimization mantras is “If you’re not unique, you are weak.” If you want to be different and memorable, if you want to be respected and referable and if you want to increase retention, throw a customer appreciation event. This could be a BBQ, a music night, a baseball game, or whatever else you can think of to bring your customers together and show that you care about members of your community.
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The power of full engagement.
This success principle says whatever you do, do it 100%. This includes both work and play. Too often, we say we are going to “take time off,” but then we still check e-mails, return calls, and spy on production reports. When you are away from the agency this Summer, truly be away. Turn off all connections and communications and be present with your time off. This way, when you do return, you’ll be rested, recharged, and ready to engage 100% in your work.
What tactics do you have to combat the Summertime Slump? We’d love to hear about them.
