Derby Management's "Competitive Edge" Blog

I spend a lot of time driving fast from the NH beach to work in Boston, frequent trips to Tufts and end-of-the-week...like this afternoon...3-hour expeditions to VT.  As a result, I frequently trade in cars just before the time of the dreaded "you need new tires and brakes" checkup.  

Following Friday's Job Report and this morning's WSJ article on job creation, the bottom line seems to be "slowing, not stalled".  Given that... and the ups and downs of tariffs...the word we hear everywhere in our fall planning sessions for 2026 is "uncertainty"!

What is certain is that there's a surplus of incredible younger talent looking for jobs from recent GenZ grads to heavily experienced Millennials especially in sales and marketing.  What this means for those of you who are looking to hire, now is the time push ahead...but do it slowly. 

We clearly understand the uncertainty issue, but considering the 12-18+ months it takes to fully ramp up any salesperson, my strong recommendation is to start the process now...but be slow and absolutely thorough in your process:

• Tighten up the job description, and most importantly, create a very detailed internal checklist.
• Detail the exact skills and experience you need and then test for those skills in presentations.
• Define the personal characteristics that match your, and use PI or similar tools for assessments.
• Be exacting in discussing your 2026 KPIs during your interviews.  

There's a phrase we use in our hiring process for salespeople: "Be Slow to Hire & Quick to Fire".  

What we've seen too many times is that there's a sales opening because a salesperson or a manager unexpectedly quit creating a rush to hire and fill that opening. Job descriptions are quickly updated, KPI objectives are generalized, postings are made on LinkedIn and other platforms, and a flurry of "let us know if you know anyone" calls are made to personal connections. Nothing is wrong with these tactics, but they're just not thorough enough.  The cost of a bad sales hire is not just the two years of lost revenue; it's the hit on reputation both internally and externally.

Where it goes wrong...

• Detailed time is not taken and 100% agreed to by the hiring team regarding the four bullets above.
• There are artificial pressures that lead to "good-enough" hiring.   
• There is not enough emphasis placed on interpreting and assessing the personal characteristics.  We often use the analogies of dating and getting married since that's exactly what's happening in the senior management positions of sales.   

If you want to talk through a couple of ideas or get access to my students or recent alums, just connect with me at any time.  A good use of my time commuting in and out of Boston. 

Have a great day selling today!

It's time to begin your business & Sales planning for what lies ahead in 2026.

Think about taking a day out this September and October to tune up your business and sales plans.  Here's our free how-to ebooks for a few ideas: 
"Writing the Winning Sales Plan"
"Writing the Winning Business Plan"
"Writing the Winning Marketing Plan"
"The Marketing of Me"

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 and let's discuss your own 2026 planning!     

Given the confusion and uncertainty in every market that we're involved in as to the current business landscape, there continues to be a lack of clarity in how to plan for 2026.

Having said that, as we've experienced in every September-November annual planning cycle, most management teams will ultimately come together in an timely process. Like the seasons of the year, this fall planning process maps the natural rhythm of business, and well-performing management teams always figure it out.  My advice for this season's planning cycle: Focus only what you can control and don't get distracted by politics or by national and global economics.  Be aware, of course, of what's happening around you, but run this year's planning sessions on the mechanics of your products and your marketing and sales go-to-market tactical planning focusing on what your customers want and how they want to be sold and marketed to. In 2026, we believe that success will be all about customer mapping. 

One of the outputs of your business plan cycle will be your 2026 hiring plan. What we're experiencing is that this is a great time to be hiring with more people not only available, but at a much higher degree of quality...at least in Sales and Marketing.  BTW, for what it's worth, our forecast for 2026 is very positive!

No, it's not The Season, this is the other one...the end of the Summa of '25.  One can already hear it in the language being used by parents with their kids, most of whom are already back in school.