7 Strategies to Close Your Month in Direct Sales

(No matter how your month started out!)

Can we set the scene for you on the close of your month?

The month started out slowly.  Calm, cool, uneventful.  You looked at those blank blocks on the calendar and thought, “I’ll have tons of time for my business this month!”

And then your kids got the flu.

Your dog had an emergency vet visit.

The car broke down.

You took an unexpected trip.

Your full-time job hit a busy season.

The next thing you know, you’re looking at a calendar that’s quickly closing in on the end of the month.  The realization hits you that you didn’t work your business the fraction of the time that you thought you would.  You feel a little disgusted with yourself because all of the goals that you had in mind, well, they don’t seem attainable in the last 2 days before the end of the month.

You think, “How did I let it slip by again?”

Maybe you even think, “Oh well, I don’t care.  I’ll get it next month.”

Can we intervene on this mental spiral before things get out of control?  We have 7 strategies for you to use to close your month strong, no matter how it started out.  Read on, friend.  We’ll take it from here!

Change your mentality to “I do care.”

Listen, we get why you might be telling yourself, “whatever… it is what it is… I don’t care… I’ll get it next month.”  If you downplay it, then letting yourself down doesn’t hurt as badly.

But here’s the thing: if it’s you and a mirror alone in a room, can you honestly look yourself in the face and say that you don’t care that you missed closing the month with your goals crushed?  We’re guessing that because you’re a strong and confident business owner, the answer is no, you can’t.

So change up the narrative, sis.  “I care that I’m close to missing my goal this month.  But it’s not over yet!”  If you acknowledge that you care, the likelihood of you achieving the goal is going to skyrocket and you’re going to close your month strong no matter how much time is left.

Step out of your feelings and into your action plan.

Alright, time is up on the feels.  We’ve acknowledged that we didn’t care, then we did care, and now we are just pumped up and ready to finish this thing.

“Setting goals and achieving goals is incredibly important because it builds your confidence.  You start to realize that maybe you were selling yourself short before.” – Melanie Mitro

Even if there are two days left, you can still set out to achieve a goal and you can still DO IT.  Ask yourself, “what are the things that are going to bring results?”

Here’s what we would do:

• Decide which product or service is going to get you to the goal.
• Show up on social and start talking!
  • Talk about the benefits of the product.
  • Discuss why you yourself love this particular product.
  • Demonstrate yourself using the product!
• Create some urgency.
  • Why is now the best time to enroll/sign-up/purchase?
• Sprinkle in some FOMO (fear of missing out!)
  • “You have until midnight to purchase to grab this deal!”
  • “I only have 3 spots left!”
• Create a clear call to action.
  • How can they place an order or get ahold of you to help them?

The bottom line is, you have to get the momentum going again so that you can roll through the finish line confidently! Following these steps will start the process and allow you to close your month strong.

Be visible to your network.

We’re talking like clone-level visible.  You’re in several places at once!  Your enthusiasm is high and your message is the same no matter where they look.  Where can you show up?

1.  Your grid: create a post or Reel that contains information from the action list above.  When people start to like or comment, engage with your audience.  Comment back with a genuine reply, direct message those who express interest, but above all, do not post and ghost.  You’re here to be a finisher.
2. Your stories: take the content that you shared to your grid and post it to your stories.  Utilize the engagement buttons like the question box, the poll option or the link feature.  Check who is engaging with your stories and even who is watching.  Is there someone on that list that you talked to earlier in the month?
3. Your customer group:  do you have a VIP group for current customers?  Pop in there with your pretty face and share what deals you have that are going down at month end.  Ask if anyone in the group has a friend that is looking for what you offer.  Pro Tip: referral gifts go a long way with loyal customers who are happy with the service that you provide!
4. Your email list: this is a great time to utilize some back-end marketing strategies and shoot out an email to your list to inform them about any last minute deals or services that you have to offer.  Never underestimate the power of a short, sweet and well-timed email!

Follow-up with your invite list.

You know that running list that you keep of all of the people that you talked to throughout the month?  Time to pull that baby out and start going over your notes.  You may think that there’s “no one left to talk to,” but we promise, your notes will likely tell a different story.

Remember when you were at that party and your neighbor mentioned she’d been meaning to pick up that mascara from you?  Did you ever follow-up with her?

Or how about that woman on Instagram who told you she wanted to join your accountability group when she got back from vacation.  Is she back yet?

What about the friend who said she wanted to grab some new leggings for her collection but she was waiting for pay day?

There’s a reason why they say, “the fortune is in the follow-up.”  Now it’s time to start cruising that list and reach out to each and every person that you have had a conversation with previously.  Revisiting previous conversations that you’ve had is a great strategy to employ when you’re closing your month.

DISCLAIMER ALERT.  Hear us when we say: these are not spam, pre-packaged cold messages.  These are follow-up conversations to people in your pipeline with whom you have previously started building relationships.

Visit your previous groups.

If you run your business using Facebook, then chances are that you have groups that you have run in the past.  Revisit those groups with a post or a Facebook Live to share your deal.  Give a clear call to action on how anyone in the group can place an order or connect with you.  Truthfully, this is a great practice to share at the close of each month!

Don’t sacrifice authenticity to urgency.

We know that it’s crunch time and you’re recommitted to crushing your goals with the energy of 10,000 suns.  But, a quick word if we may?  Don’t sacrifice your authenticity to the hustle.  If you’re rushing to meet your month end goals, that’s cool.  But, your lack of planning does not constitute an emergency for your network.  Try not to show up, DMs blazing, dropping deals like Oprah handing out her favorite things.

Have some chill.  You’re a respectable business owner.  You’re just one whose month slipped away from her.  And yes, you have goals in mind, but no, it’s not your neighbors responsibility to help you meet them.  (Are these truth bombs hitting too close?)

Show up with grace and as yourself.  Share your offer.  Do your sales thing, baby.  But keep your authentic self at the forefront the whole time.

Vow to change things up for next month.

Friend, you don’t have to hate the end of the month.  You can actually cruise in, goals crushed, just waiting patiently for the calendar to flip over to where you get to start again!  But, this is an intentional move that comes with planning your marketing calendar and income producing activities wisely.

When you do the work at the beginning of the month, it impacts your results for the end of the month.  That momentum that you start on day one is going to move you confidently through that finish line on the last day of the calendar. Working hard during the last 3 days (or 2… or the last 24 hours) is not a sustainable strategy.

Maybe you’re someone who has a hard time setting goals or even understanding why you need goals in the first place.  We think you’ll love Episode 139 of our Make Chic Happen Podcast: 5 Reasons Why Your Goals are Essential to Your Business.

Finally, if you’re someone who struggles to get your marketing calendar in place, we encourage you to take a look at our Make Chic Happen Planner.  It’s loaded with practical information that will guide you to creating a monthly roadmap that makes sense.  Or, if time management isn’t so much a natural born gift of yours, we encourage you to pick up the Make Chic Happen Time Blocker and apply our guidance about how to plan out your week for maximum business productivity!

Are you a leader in direct sales who is already thinking about how you want the next 6 months to look?  The 6-Month Leadership Mastermind with Melanie Mitro is likely for you! Be sure to reach those end of the year goals by joining the mastermind that begins on July 6th.  Complete your application today and let’s see if working together can help you grow and scale your business to the next level!