Despite the snow, be prepared for Spring, don’t let it take your business by surprise.

Is business seasonal? Hannah of Hoyland Marketing tells us how our business behaviour may change through the year.

The clocks changed on the 26th and Spring had then (we hoped) officially sprung.

Are seasonal parallels in business a coincidence?
In a word, no! Because, whether you are a B2B or B2C organisation, you are still working with people. Here’s how our behaviour may change through the year:

Spring
Everyone returns from work and takes a while to get into the swing of things. Business owners may panic a bit in January or February as things don’t start with a bang. But by the time the daffodils are coming up business is hopefully booming! Don’t let it take you by surprise.

Summer
Apart from August, when everyone seems to be away, Summer is usually pretty good. The weather is warmer and hopefully we are seeing a bit of sun. Everybody feels more positive. Things feel as if they are more on an even keel. 

Autumn
The last half of the year really depends on your business and who your customers are. Gift businesses will be well on their way to a Christmas ramp up while anything property related will be on a wind down to the quietest seasons of the year. Do you know how your business is affected? Do you plan for this?

Winter
People take time off over Christmas and new year to spend with family, go skiing or get some Winter sun. Or, if it’s anything like this year, to be ill! 

Why does this matter?
You should ensure that your forecasts and targets reflect this. For example, there is no use setting a sales team targets that are the same every month. There must be a seasonal variance. What that should be depends on your business. Take the average of the last 3-5 years sales figures as a guide.

If your figures reflect this, you will have a happier sales team and/or a happier you (depends on who is doing the selling!). Make sure that you have the seasons reflected in your 2018/19 plans. If you need a steer in the right direction contact hannah@hoylandmarketing.co.uk.