Derby Management's "Competitive Edge" Blog

Here it is the beginning of March and time for me to figure out our Red, Yellow & Green dashboard relative to where we expected to be in the quarter.  Right now, it looks like... 

Tags: sales productivity, Sales Optimization, sales, sales management, sales management effectiveness, sales plan process, sales coach, sales management coach

Cold enough for ya’?

Last Saturday and Sunday were wicked cold on the hill.  Temp was around 10 when I left the house, about the same at the base, and who knows what is was on top since I couldn’t see anything due to the blowing snow from the 50-60mph gusts.  Wind chill?  Off the charts.  At the same time, perfect snow, great cover everywhere, but just wicked cold.  And, of course, to make it colder, we all told one another riding up the lifts that it was…what?  Wicked Cold.   This weekend, it looks like we're all going to be either complaining or rejoicing in the 15" of snow.  Glass half full, half empty? 

Tags: sales productivity, Sales Optimization, sales, sales management effectiveness, sales management coach, sales effectiveness, sales enablement, sales planning, improved sales management, sales management training, closing sales, sales plans, how to close sales

12”, 32”, 40”?  So, how much snow did you actually get at your house last weekend? 

In Vermont we received a paltry 12-15” depending where you stand on the hill, but there’s PLENTY of snow on every trail at Stratton for the upcoming President’s Week.  The NH beach was hit pretty hard with sustained 60mph winds which, with the super high tides, caused about 3 feet of sand to disappear from my beach, mix in with 35” of snow and head directly to my front door.  Well, maybe it was not just my house…but shoveling most of the day on Sunday made it feel like the storm singled out just one house.  This storm will be good fodder for lots of summer stories over the next few years of “remember back when…” .  Of course, by that time, 35” might have become 48”, and the time without power might be exaggerated to “weeks” and not “days”. 

Tags: Sales Optimization, sales management, sales management effectiveness, sales effectiveness, sales enablement, sales management training, sales listening

-Snow shovel?  
   Check-all three shovels
-Snowblower?   
   Check-tuned, gassed, extra gas in the cans
-Rocksalt?         
   3 full bags in the garage
-Generator? 
   Ready to go.  Probably could power half of VT
                                        

Tags: sales productivity, sales coaching, Sales Optimization, sales, sales management effectiveness, sales plan process, sales effectiveness, sales enablement, sales management training, sales checklists

The best mix...

The best of all possible worlds...I love what I do! 

Tags: sales productivity, Sales Optimization, sales, sales management effectiveness, sales effectiveness, sales planning, selling, sales training, sales jobs, finding sales jobs

Deep into January, and already settling into the rhythms of the year...

Tags: sales productivity, sales coaching, Sales Optimization, sales, sales management, sales management effectiveness, sales management coach, sales effectiveness, sales enablement, sales planning, sales tools, selling, sales management training, sales optomization, sales training, sales plans

Surviving January in Vermont means taking a long look at the woodpile and measuring what's left balanced against the need to heat the house for the next three months on one hand and, on the other, making sure that all of the wood gets consumed so that I'm not hauling unused wood back to the woodlot up on the ridge.

The good news about last winta' is that we did not use a lot of wood-maybe only two cords. The bad news is that I ended up having to haul three cords back into the woodlot and restacking it up on the ridge since the LP will not allow the ugly wood tent to stay up during the summer.  Must agree with the LP on this; the grey tarped wood tent really is ugly.

Tags: sales productivity, sales coaching, Sales Optimization, sales, sales management effectiveness, sales plan process, sales coach, sales effectiveness, sales enablement, sales planning, sales management training, sales training, sales plans

Yesterday was a great day for family, snow (at least here in Vermont), gigabytes of pictures taken with newly unwrapped cameras and iPhones, along with way too much food.  Just what Christmas is supposed to be.  I could have done without the 350 mile rotation to “therealworld”  commuting from "vermontwinterfantasyland”, however, other than that, it was all good.

Tags: sales productivity, Sales Optimization, sales management, sales management effectiveness, sales coach, sales management coach, sales effectiveness, sales enablement, sales planning, sales tools, selling, sales management training, sales training, sales plans

With everything going on around us…the pressures of the end of the year sales, the craziness of December in general, the senseless tragedy in Connecticut, and the continued stupidity of the party-entrenched Washington politicians carrying on ivory tower debates over what will determine the economic stability of our country for years to come, it’s hard sometimes to maintain focus on the things that really count.

Tags: sales productivity, sales coaching, Sales Optimization, sales, sales management, sales management effectiveness, sales management coach, sales effectiveness, sales enablement, sales planning, sales tools, sales management training, selling skills, Sales quota, sales plans

Dave Brubeck...

When I was 16, my friend and I hitchiked to Newport one summer heading to the NewPort Jazz Festival attending the free workshops during the day and sneaking into the concerts at night to listen to the true legends of jazz crossing the spectrums from Basie, Coltrane, Gillespie, and Monk to Dave Brubeck, whom I had never heard before. Five summers ago, I had the opportunity to be part of an intimate 90 minute session, where Brubeck, looking deceptively frail, once again took absolute command of the keyboard as he started the set with that same mystical lilt heard right at the beginning  of "Take Five".  I vividly remember Brubeck both back in the early 60's in Newport and also in a small art center a couple of years ago in Vermont and was saddened to hear about the death of this true legend last week.

Tags: sales productivity, sales coaching, Sales Optimization, sales, sales management, sales management effectiveness, sales coach, sales management coach, sales effectiveness, sales enablement, sales planning, selling, sales management training, selling skills, sales training, Zig Ziglar and sales