--- title: 22 Days to make a Difference...and Sales description: We're coming down to the home sales stretch.   The Thanksgiving break is teasing us just around the corner.  22 more sales days... image: https://www.derbymanagement.com/hs-fs/file-2635976965-png/images/22_days-resized-600.png --- [![Derby Management](https://www.derbymanagement.com/hs-fs/file-2618089236-png/derbymanagement/derbylogo.png) ](https://www.derbymanagement.com/)                                                  [![Social media-LI logo](https://www.derbymanagement.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Social%20media-LI%20logo.jpeg?width=26&name=Social%20media-LI%20logo.jpeg) ](https://www.linkedin.com/in/jackderby/)[![Social Media-Twitter ](https://www.derbymanagement.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Social%20Media-Twitter%20.jpeg?width=25&name=Social%20Media-Twitter%20.jpeg) ](https://twitter.com/derbymanagement)[![Social Media-Facebook logo](https://www.derbymanagement.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Social%20Media-Facebook%20logo.jpeg?width=27&name=Social%20Media-Facebook%20logo.jpeg)](https://www.facebook.com/derbymanagement/) **Working with you to create success in 2026!!!  ** # Derby Management's "Competitive Edge" Blog # 22 Days to make a Difference...and Sales Posted by [Jack Derby, Head Coach](https://www.derbymanagement.com/blog/author/jack-derby-head-coach) on Mon, Nov 17, 2014 Find me on: [Facebook ](https://www.facebook.com/managementcoach) [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/in/jackderby/) [Twitter ](https://www.linkedin.com/in/jackderby/) - [Tweet](https://twitter.com/share) ### **We're coming down to the home stretch.  ** - The Thanksgiving break is teasing us just around the corner.   - The countdown to the end of the quarter is well underway  - Only a very short number of days left in the year.  ### **So, are you ready?  No, I mean- *really ready*?** ![22 sales days](https://www.derbymanagement.com/hs-fs/file-2635976965-png/images/22_days-resized-600.png)These are the 22 most important sales days of the year.  These are the days that can make a difference whether it's by making money the old-fashioned way through blocking and tackling your way down the field like the Patriots last night, or by investing time in a couple of those opportunity bluebirds that have been hanging out there for a while.  Whatever it is, these are the days that will count the most.  And the very good news is that there are still **22 DAYS TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE** This week, plan out the days and leave nothing to chance.   ### **3 Critical Steps:**  1. **Plan out all of your travel days** whether it's New York or Portland focusing on the time between now and December 19th. Work out your centering tactics.  Focus on centering your travel on one key account in a geography, and then gather 3 to 5 other customer or prospect visits around that one account over two days.  Bang, you're back in the office three days later, and you've made a demonstrable difference at those accounts that are in your opportunity funnel.  The sooner you take advantage of this tactic, the more likely you're going to move these prospects down to the closing step of the funnel.   2. **Focus on your health. **Get plenty of sleep**.**  Get a flu shot this weekend. Eat the right foods.  Exercise more than usual.  Train your body and your mind like the warrior that you are.  Any other behavior will just slow you down...and that's exactly what you cannot afford. The importance of this is critical to your success over the next 22 days. If you were to lose just two or three days, it could be the difference between making plan and going to Club...*or not*.  Don't screw up on the easy-to-do things.    3. **Focus, just totally focus.**   Back in the day, when I was Chairman of the MIT Enterprise Forum, we used to joke about whether we could get paid $1 for every time we used the word, "focus" in recommending to our early stage entrepreneur presenters that they stop boiling the ocean and focus on "Streets not States"...let alone countries.    The same focus applies to all of us as salespeople right now!   The best example of this focus for any sales team is the strategy and the accompanying tactics of **["Key Account Management".](http://www.brainshark.com/derbymanagement/vu?pi=zFnzNmxkvzFFz0)**   This is  a classic example of the 80/20 Rule, or better yet, the 90/10 Rule. You have all of these 22 days, and the best that you can do...in addition to your bread & butter smaller accounts that will keep pumping no what what you do...is to focus on those 10 accounts that are going to make ***the difference*** in your quota achievement during the next 22 days. ### **![3 sales rules](https://www.derbymanagement.com/hs-fs/file-2635976975-png/images/3_things-resized-600.png)** ### **Just 3 Things:    ** - **Travel Smart  ** - **Keep Healthy  ** - **Totally Focus ** ***...and, oh yeah, work your butt off*   **** ** ** ** Have a great week... **Good Selling for the next 22 days, and Good Sales Planning for 2015! **  ![Jack Derby](https://www.derbymanagement.com/hs-fs/file-13639936-jpg/images/signature0003-resized-600.jpg?width=79&height=58&name=signature0003-resized-600.jpg)  **[Head Coach ](https://www.linkedin.com/profile/view?id=56984&trk=nav_responsive_tab_profile)**  [Derby Management](https://www.derbymanagement.com/about-us-Senior-Management-Coaching/)...for 25 years Sales & Marketing Productivity Experts Business & Strategy Planning Specialists Box 171322, Boston, MA 02117 617-292-7101 Jack's Cell: 617-504-4222  [![describe the image](https://www.derbymanagement.com/hs-fs/file-665692789-png/images/twitter_logo-resized-600.png?width=38&height=30&name=twitter_logo-resized-600.png)](https://twitter.com/derbymanagement) [![describe the image](https://www.derbymanagement.com/hs-fs/file-674656770-jpg/images/facebook_logo-resized-600.jpg?width=32&height=32&name=facebook_logo-resized-600.jpg)](https://www.facebook.com/managementcoach?ref=br_rs&fref=browse_search)  [![linked in ](https://www.derbymanagement.com/hs-fs/file-13638968-jpg/images/linkedin_logo-resized-600.jpg)](https://www.linkedin.com/in/jackderby)  Tags: [sales productivity](https://www.derbymanagement.com/blog/topic/sales-productivity), [Sales Optimization](https://www.derbymanagement.com/blog/topic/sales-optimization), [Sales Best Practices](https://www.derbymanagement.com/blog/topic/sales-best-practices), [Sales Management Best Practices](https://www.derbymanagement.com/blog/topic/sales-management-best-practices), [sales and marketing best practices](https://www.derbymanagement.com/blog/topic/sales-and-marketing-best-practices), [sales effectiveness](https://www.derbymanagement.com/blog/topic/sales-effectiveness), [sales enablement](https://www.derbymanagement.com/blog/topic/sales-enablement), [sales tools](https://www.derbymanagement.com/blog/topic/sales-tools), [selling](https://www.derbymanagement.com/blog/topic/selling), [selling skills](https://www.derbymanagement.com/blog/topic/selling-skills), [sales training](https://www.derbymanagement.com/blog/topic/sales-training), [sales jobs](https://www.derbymanagement.com/blog/topic/sales-jobs), [finding sales jobs](https://www.derbymanagement.com/blog/topic/finding-sales-jobs) ### Subscribe Here! ### Most Popular Posts ## Share this Page [![Share on Facebook](https://static.hubspot.com/final/img/common/icons/social/facebook-24x24.png)](http://www.facebook.com/share.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.derbymanagement.com%2Fblog%2Fbid%2F108789%2F22-Days-to-make-a-Difference-and-Sales%3Futm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_source%3Dfacebook) [![Share on LinkedIn](https://static.hubspot.com/final/img/common/icons/social/linkedin-24x24.png)](http://www.linkedin.com/shareArticle?mini=True&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.derbymanagement.com%2Fblog%2Fbid%2F108789%2F22-Days-to-make-a-Difference-and-Sales%3Futm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_source%3Dlinkedin) [![Share on Twitter](https://static.hubspot.com/final/img/common/icons/social/twitter-24x24.png)](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?original_referer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.derbymanagement.com%2Fblog%2Fbid%2F108789%2F22-Days-to-make-a-Difference-and-Sales%3Futm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_source%3Dtwitter&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.derbymanagement.com%2Fblog%2Fbid%2F108789%2F22-Days-to-make-a-Difference-and-Sales%3Futm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_source%3Dtwitter&source=tweetbutton&text=22%20Days%20to%20make%20a%20Difference...and%20Sales) [![Share on Email](https://static.hubspot.com/final/img/common/icons/social/email-24x24.png)](mailto:?subject=Check%20out%20https%3A%2F%2Fwww.derbymanagement.com%2Fblog%2Fbid%2F108789%2F22-Days-to-make-a-Difference-and-Sales%3Futm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_source%3Demail%20&body=Check%20out%20https%3A%2F%2Fwww.derbymanagement.com%2Fblog%2Fbid%2F108789%2F22-Days-to-make-a-Difference-and-Sales%3Futm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_source%3Demail) ## Recent Blog Posts