--- title: Birthdays, Journeys around the Sun, & Q1 Quotas description: Success in Sales is about totally focus on our ability to efficiently promote the value we're committing to our customers in a very specific number of days image: https://www.derbymanagement.com/hubfs/david%20Meerman%20Scott%202014-2.jpg --- [![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 # Birthdays, Journeys around the Sun, & Q1 Quotas Posted by [Jack Derby, Management Coach, Tufts Professor, Entrepreneur, Author](https://www.derbymanagement.com/blog/author/jack-derby-management-coach-tufts-professor-entrepreneur-author) on Sat, Mar 15, 2025 ![](https://app.hubspot.com/settings/avatar/26cd8d7f79473708399ec213226dad66) Find me on: [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/in/jackderby/) [Twitter ](https://twitter.com/JackDerbyTEC) - [Tweet](https://twitter.com/share) This has been a wonderfully busy week of events and busy sales schedules! - The shift to Daylight Savings Time...*always very frustrating *for me. - A birthday on Monday...*always* good to have birthdays!. - Customer calls, 2 whiteboarding sessions and 1 planning meeting. - At Tufts, the 7th week of both courses in the 13-week semester. - [David Meerman Scott,](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/) was our extraordinary Marketing guest lecturer Wednesday! Photo below is from 2014, which is how long he's been with us at Tufts!  Superb!!! - [Erika Veino,](https://www.linkedin.com/in/ericazahka/) Sales Superstar Tufts Alum gave a highly engaging lecture Thursday! - Tufts Biz Plan Semi-Finals yesterday at the [Derby Entrepreneurship Center ](https://derbyecenter.tufts.edu/)on[ PiDay. ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pi_Day) - And late last night, drove to VT-still with 2' of snow in the yard-to celebrate [The Ides of March](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ides_of_March). ![david Meerman Scott 2014-2](https://www.derbymanagement.com/hs-fs/hubfs/david%20Meerman%20Scott%202014-2.jpg?width=324&height=243&name=david%20Meerman%20Scott%202014-2.jpg)All in all a very exciting and wonderfully fruitful week, during which I keep focused every day on the reality of the ticking clock and the rapidly decreasing number of days left in March given my quota commitments to my partners for the first quarter. When one thinks about what it takes to be a successful salesperson, it's critical to always remember that all we really have to sell is our ability to efficiently and effectively promote the business and the personal value we're committing to our customers...in a very specific number of days.   Have a superb Almost-Spring Weekend and enjoy next Thursday's [Spring Equinox ](https://www.farmersalmanac.com/spring-equinox-first-day-spring)[!](https://www.farmersalmanac.com/spring-equinox-first-day-spring) ### updating your 2025 Sales plans for Q2! ![Planning 2023-2](https://www.derbymanagement.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Planning%202023-2.png?width=368&height=184&name=Planning%202023-2.png)With Q1 rapidly winding down, think about a day out of the 1st or 2nd week of April, to take the results and learnings from the quarter and tune up your business and sales plans.  Here's our free how-to ebooks for a few ideas: ["Writing the Winning Sales Plan](https://share.hsforms.com/1oPfElnOgRa6PfLEXLOi7Jglhx?__hstc=203056142.ee15cfdba1086676c65faa131c1f5cd4.1695380608480.1739900779026.1740050897674.206&__hssc=203056142.2.1740050897674&__hsfp=2935783122)" ["Writing the Winning Business Plan"](https://www.derbymanagement.com/conversion-pages/writing-a-business-plan) ["Writing the Winning Marketing Plan"](https://share.hsforms.com/1upzJXSVBRc69SRk_AgufUAlhx?__hstc=203056142.ee15cfdba1086676c65faa131c1f5cd4.1695380608480.1742038935983.1742040462414.211&__hssc=203056142.2.1742040462414&__hsfp=2562601565) ["The Marketing of Me"](https://www.derbymanagement.com/the-marketing-of-me-2025) We outline ideas on structure, models, process funnels, productivity tools and how to recruit, hire and onboard the best people.  A few hands-on guides for real managers written by real managers with their fingers in the dirt.   Connect with me any time at [jack@derbymanagement.com](mailto:jack@derbymanagement.com) and let's discuss your own Q2 plans!      [www.derbymanagement.com  ](https://www.derbymanagement.com/) [D](https://gordon.tufts.edu/entrepreneurship-center)[erby Entrepreneurship Center at Tufts.](https://gordon.tufts.edu/entrepreneurship-center) Tags: [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), [HubSpot Tips](https://www.derbymanagement.com/blog/topic/hubspot-tips), [Sales Hiring Perfectly](https://www.derbymanagement.com/blog/topic/sales-hiring-perfectly), [Derby Entrepreneurship Center at Tufts](https://www.derbymanagement.com/blog/topic/derby-entrepreneurship-center-at-tufts), [2025 Business Planning](https://www.derbymanagement.com/blog/topic/2025-business-planning), [2025MarketingPlanning](https://www.derbymanagement.com/blog/topic/2025marketingplanning), [DavidMeermanScott](https://www.derbymanagement.com/blog/topic/davidmeermanscott), [2025SalesPlanning](https://www.derbymanagement.com/blog/topic/2025salesplanning) ### 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%2Fbirthdays-journeys-around-the-sun-q1-quotas%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%2Fbirthdays-journeys-around-the-sun-q1-quotas%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%2Fbirthdays-journeys-around-the-sun-q1-quotas%3Futm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_source%3Dtwitter&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.derbymanagement.com%2Fblog%2Fbirthdays-journeys-around-the-sun-q1-quotas%3Futm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_source%3Dtwitter&source=tweetbutton&text=Birthdays%2C%20Journeys%20around%20the%20Sun%2C%20%26%20Q1%20Quotas) [![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%2Fbirthdays-journeys-around-the-sun-q1-quotas%3Futm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_source%3Demail%20&body=Check%20out%20https%3A%2F%2Fwww.derbymanagement.com%2Fblog%2Fbirthdays-journeys-around-the-sun-q1-quotas%3Futm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_source%3Demail) ## Recent Blog Posts