Derby Management's "Competitive Edge" Blog

Earlier this year, I underwent open heart surgery.  What did I know beforehand?  Not much, I found out

Tags: sales

Hopefully, you're taking time at the beach in August and not worrying about attending any meetings.

My belief is that the whole purpose of August is to cram in as many of your vacation days as possible, since when business ramps up in the post Labor Day Crush you're out in front of it...recharged and ready to sprint toward December's end of the year craziness.   

August for me is about reading.  Reading about...

- What's new in Sales?
- What's new in Marketing?
- What's new in business strategy?

My goal is a book a day, but it comes out to be more like a book every other day...just because some days aren't beach days, and turn into meeting days.

 

Tags: sales

"There's only one single source of the truth"

Sales Stats

With the first six months of the sales year behind us, the Big Scoreboard in the boss's office says it all:  

Tags: sales

Here we are at the beginning of the last month of the quarter, and as managers and sales professionals, we're consistently reviewing ....

Tags: sales productivity, Sales Optimization, Sales Best Practices, Sales Management Best Practices, sales and marketing best practices, sales, sales management, sales plan process, sales effectiveness, sales enablement, sales planning, sales management training, sales management boot camp

The Day After The Big Thankful Day

Yesterday’s Thanksgiving holiday has got to be the best holiday of the year.  In my own personal book of holidays, it actually ties with the 4^th of July.  What sets it apart from all the other holidays is…

Tags: sales productivity, Sales Optimization, Sales Best Practices, Sales Management Best Practices, sales and marketing best practices, sales, sales effectiveness, sales enablement, sales tools, selling, sales training

3 Simple Tips for More Effective Sales Connections.

As a sales guy, I have no problem with making connections.  For my business associates.  For my MIT and Tufts students.  For our customers of the firm.  It's part of the process of living and working in a tight ecosystem like Boston...or in any other city for that matter.

Tags: Sales Optimization, Sales Best Practices, Sales Management Best Practices, sales and marketing best practices, sales, sales management effectiveness, sales effectiveness, sales enablement, sales planning, selling, sales management training, selling skills, sales training

As we wind down the 5th month of the sales year, and we're steaming ahead toward the end of the second quarter, it's a good time to take a deep breath this weekend and just answer this simple question...

Tags: sales coaching, Sales Optimization, sales, sales management effectiveness, sales optomization, best sales practices;

Did you watch the Barbara Walters special Friday night?

Tags: sales coaching, Sales Optimization, Sales Best Practices, sales, sales plan process, sales enablement, sales tools, improving sales productivity

This is the final week! Or, more appropriately...this is Finals Week.

Tags: Sales Best Practices, Sales Management Best Practices, sales and marketing best practices, sales, sales effectiveness, sales enablement, best sales practices;

When Hurricane Irene devastated Vermont, we became Vermont Strong!  We didn't wait for FEMA to show up to hand out blankets and food stamps.  That next day, we worked knee deep in the rivers with wheelbarrows and shovels to get Vermont back on the map. Even though 6 bridges had been totally torn away in the 30 miles between Brattleboro and Stratton, the road was open again in two weeks. Two years later, tens of thousands of Vermonters proudly display "We are Vermont Strong" license plates.
 

Tags: sales productivity, Sales Best Practices, sales and marketing best practices, sales, sales management coach, sales effectiveness, sales tools, sales training, best sales practices;