Think Summer Is Slow for Sales? Think Again.
- April-Lynn Levitt
- Jul 3
- 6 min read
Most advisors brace for a slowdown in summer. “Everyone’s on vacation - no one wants to meet right now.” That’s what an advisor told me in June, and I smiled. Because I used to think the same thing, until I realized that summer could be my secret advantage.
The truth? Most advisors pull back in the summer. That’s exactly why it’s your chance to pull ahead.
At this time of year, we hear so many advisors say to us, “Well, it’s going to slow down over the summer.” Or, “I’m not sure we’ll stay on our sales targets over the summer.” We know summer is short in Canada, but it doesn’t mean your sales have to slow down during that time.
Yes, the summer months can come with legitimate challenges - clients are away, routines are looser, and even your own team might be tired, especially in 2025, with so much volatility in the economy and markets. Both clients and advisors may be on vacation, clients may feel like putting decisions off until the fall, and as noted above, we may have just adopted the assumption that business naturally must slow down in the summer months.
It doesn’t mean your sales or progress need to stall. In fact, with the right strategy, summer can become a launchpad for stronger relationships and a powerful close to the year.
Here are some tips to overcome this challenge:
1. Take a Real Break, Then Come Back Ready
Burnout is real. Summer is your chance to take a meaningful pause. It's important to book actual holiday time over the summer to recharge your batteries. Many advisors and their teams will have a slower week during the summer, taking Fridays as a half-day or full-day off. If you can book some time ahead to totally disconnect from work (no laptop!), you will come back feeling energized and set the tone for Q3.
Pro tip: Send a vacation alert and encourage clients to book before or after your break. It creates urgency, keeps your calendar full and limits any business lag.
2. Reframe the Narrative: Summer Can Be a Growth Season
When you establish a negative mindset and tell yourself “no one wants to meet,” your actions follow suit. But what if you believed clients do want meaningful conversations in a more relaxed setting? What you believe directly influences how you show up for yourself and your business.
Try affirmations like:
“I stay visible and valuable year-round.”
“My summer activity fuels my fall results.” This mindset shift is subtle, but powerful.
“Summer is a great time to work ON my business to improve processes or catch up on projects.”
3. Lighter Touchpoints, Deeper Results
Shift to lighter touchpoints with prospects, clients and centres of influence. These can be touchpoints that are more about building a relationship instead of a short-term agenda. Summer is perfect for casual yet meaningful connections. Lunch on a patio, a walk with a client, or sending a summer-themed gift (one advisor sent mosquito patches!) creates connection without a hard sell. You could use this time as a chance to get feedback as well, which can help grow your business in the future (ask about our Value Conversation questions). It is a great time to discuss introductions with clients and COIs as well. Try scheduling a fun summer-themed gift for clients as a way to touch base as well.
Focus on conversations, not conversions.
4. Focus on Mid-Year Reviews.
Many advisors use June to August as a time for more planning-focused conversations. This can be a great time to schedule important insurance and estate planning reviews that often get pushed to the back burner with the focus on investments in the first half of the year.
One advisor we work with has a routine of asking her clients to send their Notice of Assessments to her every June, and this always sparks deeper tax planning conversations.
5. Refine your Marketing Plan or Sales Process.
Have a thorough review of your current processes from a client perspective. Are there things you can change to make things more client-friendly or noteworthy in your processes? Can you work on your marketing initiatives for the fall so you come back to pre-planned client or networking events?
Review your client experience from start to finish. Ask yourself:
Where are we losing people?
What feels clunky or outdated?
What can we automate before fall?
6. Stay Visible on Socials (Even If Clients are Poolside).
Clients are still scrolling through their social media when on holiday, and many may like to read relevant content or watch videos. Your audience doesn't disappear because they're catching some UV rays; they're just scrolling differently.
We recommend:
Post 2 to 3 times a week, if possible
Ensure that about every 1 out of every 3 posts is more personal content. (Vacation photos, client stories, economic updates, travel tips)
Rotate in educational and thought leadership content
7. Leverage Your Network. As our founder, Art, likes to say, “Good things happen when you get out there!” Your network wants to see you in action. Check for events in your community like golf tournaments, family events, pancake breakfasts, rib-fests, music and arts festivals. You may want to be a sponsor, or go the extra mile and host an event yourself: Host a BBQ, ice cream drop-off, family picnic for clients and prospects.Many teams also host a fun team event in the summer to increase internal morale and connection.
Summer Event Ideas:
Skeet Shooting
Family picnics
Pancake breakfast
River cruise and dinner
Golf - Tournaments, go alone
Cycling
Pickleball tournament
Winery tour
Theatre, Cirque Du Soleil
Outdoor movie night
Attend a sporting event
8. Launch a Low-Lift Summer Campaign.
Summer can be a great time to have a campaign for a certain initiative. Examples of this would be insurance-focused reviews, a financial planning check-in campaign, or a clean-up of outstanding KYCs. Some firms may have limited-time pricing on certain products that can spur clients to act sooner. Example: “Book your insurance reviews until July 31st.” Tie your campaign to a sense of urgency, limited time pricing, policy cut-offs, or goal-setting for the fall.
9. Feed Your Brain with Summer Reading.
As an avid reader, I often have both a fun fiction book as well as a non-fiction book going at the same time.
Many of the top advisors we coach read year-round. If you’re planning a beach day, bring both fiction and a strategy-focused book.
Here are a few of my favorite reads to aid your personal and business growth:
📚 Bonus: Our book, Mastering Your Momentum, is a great summer read for ambitious advisors (and yes, the first two chapters are free here).
10. Implementation is key.
We recommend you sit down with a calendar for the summer months and map out your schedule. Share your schedule with your team and your family. How many days will you be off? How many revenue-focused days does this leave? Set some activity goals (i.e. number of appointments per week or number of COI lunches) and start tracking to see what your actual results are. We recommend taking a day with no appointments when you come back from holidays as a buffer and pre-booking as many client meetings as you can, so you come back to a full schedule. It also helps to maximize your mornings. Take advantage of the earlier sunrise to get an earlier start on your day, and then you can leave earlier to enjoy the summer weather. Finally, if you have a very busy practice already, just scheduling one proactive activity a day, like following up with a prospect, a top client or COI, can be an easy way to move the needle and keep momentum going over the summer.
Use these 10 steps as a guide to make your summer sizzle and revisit them every spring to get ready for the summer season ahead. With the right mix of mindset, intention and strategy, you can keep your momentum going while still enjoying some downtime.
Whether it’s reconnecting with clients in a more relaxed way, refining your systems and processes or planning the remaining months of the year, summer is full of opportunity. Not only will this set you up for a successful rest of your year, but you will also be refreshed, motivated, and your fall season will thank you.
Keep showing up, stay visible, and above all else, stay consistent. Let’s make this your most profitable summer yet!
Looking for a step-by-step system to refine your summer sales process?
Join the waitlist for our September workshop: Pipeline To Profit, consultative sales program designed to help Financial Advisors strengthen their sales strategies, processes, convert more prospects and close out their year with confidence.
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