The Solstice, the End of Q2, and Your Next 90 Days

I'm always driven by the natural timing of the seasons and how they line up with the quarterly rhythms of running any successful sales and marketing machine. With the Summer Solstice arriving this past Sunday at 4:21 AM to announce the official start of summer, and the end of Q2 now just six days out, it's time to step back, review where we've been since January, and lay out a specific plan for July, August, and September.

Here's how I do it, in order:

First, I block out vacation. As much as I love the work at the firm and my teaching at Tufts and MIT, the first thing I did a month ago was strike out summer vacation time. Living on the NH beach with regular travel to the house in VT keeps the logistics simple... though I'll admit I still start most days with some office time. My heavy blocks are the first two weeks of July (especially this year, for the nation's 250th) and the last two weeks of August.

Second, I fill in teaching time. Tufts and MIT class days for the balance of the year, with office hours built around each.

Third, I fill in board meetings.

With those three locked, I assess what's actually left in Q3 and Q4, run a rough calculation of the hours owed to existing clients on existing projects, and what remains is the real number in available selling time for the rest of the year both for me personally and for everyone in the firm.

Our business as management coaches in strategy, sales, and marketing is relatively simple. It runs on available hours in a defined market and a geography focused on New England and New York. Yours is far more complex — more products, more services, more functions, more people. Which is exactly why you need to do this same assessment right now. What's the available time left in the quarter, measured against where you stand on quota, measured against vacations and what is always a punishing September.

And keep this in mind while you're counting your own hours: your customers and prospects are counting theirs at the same time. A recent Q2 Gartner survey in their Q2, 2026 "The CSO Report" shows that customers increasingly expect salespeople to do three things: (1) establish personal and corporate trust, (2) lead with financial value for them rather than product and services, and (3) stay genuinely available in a 24/7 environment.

What's your real available selling time between now and December 31, and does your plan match it?

Have a superb day selling today!

Now's THE Time to dive into your Sales planning for what lies ahead in Q3!

Think about taking a full day in August or September to commit to updating your Sales Playbook for the balance of 2026.  Just connect with me at jack@derbymanagement.com, or give me a call, and we can discuss a few ideas.   

"Writing the Winning Sales Plan"
"Writing the Winning Business Plan"
www.derbymanagement.com
Derby Entrepreneurship Center at Tufts.