By Mike Schmidt
There are three classic mistakes agency owners make every single year when they hit a natural slowdown in their sales cycle. It happens during the holidays, during summer, during back-to-school season… honestly, anytime the market shifts into a planning mode.
I’ve been running a digital agency since 2003. Today, it operates with minimal involvement from me, and I spend my time helping other agency owners scale with more clarity and less chaos. These mistakes? They’re the same ones I coach people through over and over again and they’re completely avoidable.
Even though we call the strategy Clients by Christmas, the truth is this:
These moves work year-round. Any “quiet season” can become your most profitable one.
Let’s break it down.
Mistake #1: Calling Off the Hunt Too Early
Every agency owner knows the feeling:
Clients start saying, “Let’s wait until next quarter.”
A few leads go quiet.
You assume people aren’t buying right now.
And then too many agency owners make the same wrong move: they slow down.
They stop emailing their list.
They stop posting consistently.
They stop following up.
They pull back.
But here’s the truth:
For every person who ghosts you, someone else is actively planning their next move.
Every business has planning seasons. Sometimes that’s November, sometimes it’s April after taxes, sometimes it’s August before Q4. There is always a group of decision-makers mapping out what needs to happen next and choosing vendors during those windows.
If you disappear, they won’t pick you.
You don’t have to grind 24/7. You should take time off when you choose to.
But when you’re working?
Stay visible. Stay consistent. Stay in front of people.
Quiet seasons are when leaders plan which means it’s when buyers decide.
If you shrink back, you miss it.
Mistake #2: Taking Your Existing Clients for Granted
This one sneaks up on agencies every year.
During any planning period – end of year, end of quarter, summer strategy resets – your clients are evaluating:
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What worked
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What didn’t
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Whether to continue with you
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Whether to switch vendors
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Whether to expand services
These decisions are happening right now, no matter the month.
If you don’t show up for them, someone else will.
Instead:
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Treat your current clients like prospects.
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Get meetings on the calendar.
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Review results.
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Identify gaps.
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Make fresh recommendations.
Worst-case scenario?
You retain the client.
Best-case scenario?
You retain them and upsell them into services they genuinely need.
Agencies lose clients during transition seasons because they assume loyalty instead of earning it.
Meet with them now, not after they’ve already decided to move on.
Mistake #3: Failing to Preload the Next Season (Especially January)
One of the most painful patterns agencies fall into looks like this:
A prospect says, “Let’s talk next month.”
You believe them.
You pause the conversation.
You expect momentum later.
Then the next month arrives and suddenly:
“We’re swamped.”
“Let’s touch base next month.”
“Check back next quarter.”
And just like that, a warm lead turns cold.
The problem isn’t January.
The problem is believing people will magically be ready once the calendar flips.
If you aren’t preloading your next season — any season — you’re starting from zero again and again.
Instead:
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Get the call scheduled now.
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Get commitment now.
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Get on their calendar now.
Don’t settle for vague “follow-up later” promises.
Your pipeline should always be built ahead of the curve, not behind it.
When you preload January (or April, or September), you don’t suffer through “reset months.”
Your momentum carries forward.
Why This Matters (and Why Clients by Christmas Works Anytime)
The Clients by Christmas philosophy is simple:
Use high-leverage seasons, aka any natural transition period, to create urgency, visibility, and momentum.
These cycles repeat throughout the year:
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End of year
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Start of new year
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End of quarter
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Back-to-school
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Pre-summer
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Post-summer
Buyers behave the same way during all of them.
If you avoid the three mistakes above, you can turn any slow season into one of your most profitable.
Want the Campaigns That Make This Easy?
I’ve put together three complete campaigns that help you:
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Stir the pot during slower months
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Re-engage leads who went quiet
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Wake up your existing clients
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Preload your next big sales window
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Fill your pipeline with real conversations
These are the same campaigns I use in my own agency and the same ones I teach in our workshops.
If you’re ready to turn seasonal slowdowns into client-signing momentum, you’ll find the link near this post to grab the Clients by Christmas workshop. It’s packed with deeper training and all three campaigns ready to implement.
