Virden J. Thornton

Virden Thornton was raised in Utah and attended public schools there, eventually graduating with a degree in Speech and Political Science from the University of Utah. He served as a missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints from 1962 to 1964 in London, England. For 17 years Virden was a top sales producer, district and regional sales manager, and vice president of marketing for a firms like The Foreign Study League (Transamerica Corporation), Realty World, Merrill Lynch Relocation/Realty and Towner Petroleum Company before starting his own training and consulting organization in the summer of 1983.

For over 28 years, Virden's firm, The $elling Edge, Inc. worked with hundreds of clients like PNC Bank, Sears Optical, Shopko Stores, Service Linen Supply, The Texas Independent Bankers Association, Seamans and IBM just to name a few. During this period, Virden authored over 20 books and "how-to" manuals on sales, personal productivity and sales management, with his Closing, A Process Not A Problem and 101 Sales Myths becoming "Best Sellers."

Virden has not only written books over 20 books and manuals on sales, productivity, sales management and customer service, since retiring he has recently written three romance/Thriller novels: The Seventh Russian Doll (Espionage), The Centurion Papers (Mafia/Crime) and Tia Bishop's Exceptionally Bad Hair Day (Crime) soon to be published on Kindle. Also check out his latest book on Closing Sales on Kindle published by Blu Sky Books.

Virden and his wife Carolyn live in St. George, Utah near Zion's National Park.

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