Serving Discriminating Clients Internationally Since 1983

Virden J. Thornton is the founder of The $elling Edge^®, Inc., a training, coaching and development firm, specializing in the areas of selling, telesales, customer relations, teleservice and sales man- agement. Virden has trained, coached and advised literally hundreds of clients, including Sears Optical, Eastman Kodak, Northern Uniform Supply, The Texas Independent Banker's Association, Deloitte & Touché, Smith  Barney, Jefferson Wells International,  The 

Government of The U. S. Virgin Islands, First National Bank of Arizona, City Laundering, Co, Jefferson Pilot, Service Linen Supply, ShopKo, Electronic Sales, Inc. and Wal«Mart just to name a few.

Virden is the author of Prospecting: The Key To Sales Success, A Realtor's Sales Success Formula, Organizing For Sales Success, and "best sellers" Building & Closing the Sale, and 101 Sales Myths. His audio/video tape series entitled Close That Sale, is based on his 50 Minute Series manual  Closing: A Process Not A Problem--published by a division of Thompson Learning.  He has also authored a client acclaimed self-directed learning series of sales, coaching, customer service, telemarketing, and personal productivity training manuals, outlined in the Books & Manuals section of this site. Virden has a degree in communications (public address emphasis) from the University of Utah.

As a sales representative for the Foreign Study League, a division of Transamerica Corporation, Virden was the top producer of  a ten man selling team for three years before being promoted to a District Sales Manager, overseeing sales activities in 12 Eastern states plus the Province of Quebec, Canada. As a sales manager, his 12 person sales team outsold the four other districts combined for two years running. Virden was then promoted to Assistant Vice President of Marketing overseeing a 32 person sales force and a telephone promotional center. As the Director of the Division of Higher Education, Virden managed the League's adult and university study-abroad programs. In the position of Director of the Home Finding Division for Merrill Lynch Relocation Management, Virden administered 19 counseling centers nationally, a TeleService group, and created Merrill Lynch Realty's Network 50, a real estate referral service. Virden was a regional manager (financial products wholesaler) for Towner Petroleum Company, successfully selling big ticket tax shelters through stockbrokerage firms in eight Midwestern states. He also owned an advertising agency and a wholesale/retail travel organization specializing in ski and snowmobile tours.

As a consultant and trainer, Virden has been retained by dozens of banks, savings and loans, and credit unions to help them move from operational, order taking cultures to proactive sales and cross-selling organizations. He has literally trained thousands of sales representatives and managers in businesses as diverse as distribution, auto sales, printing, eye care, uniform and linen rentals, manufacturing, and many others. Virden also specializes in training, coaching and advising service industry professionals (accountants, attorneys, engineers, architects, financial planners, stockbrokers, etc.) in the fine art of "business development." 

Virden has taught small business courses at Lorain County Community College in Elyria, Ohio, a bank sales curriculum at the Center For Professional Development, Texas Tech University in Lubbock, Texas and a short course on selling at the School Of Entrepreneurship, J. Willard And Alice S. Marriott School off Management at Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah. 

Virden and his wife Barbara reside in Avon Lake, Ohio and are the parents of ten children

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