Thursday's Thought: The Little Touches

Thursday's Thought: Branding is often a major, conscious effort - and it's a very important part and consideration of who we are and how we market ourselves. Take this beautiful oak tree with its majestic, strong, twisting limbs. Impressive. Yet, add the spanish moss, and now it is an unmistakable southern tree. It's the little touches that can mean the most.

For more information about my consulting, teaching, and coaching services visit my website at stevehoffacker.com. I also maintain a blog (Sales Quips) on the real estate network Active Rain, and you can begin participating in this great forum by visiting here. I also write and maintain blogs for Gold Coast SMC and Florida SMC. © 2009, Steve Hoffacker. All Rights Reserved.

Photography displayed is original composition and artistic expression of Steve Hoffacker, and as such is copyrighted. Photos are in their original digital image state and have not been cropped, edited, or enhanced in anyway.

The Good Old Days Are Gone

We sometimes long for the good old days, but if we really could relive them, there would only be a few parts that actually appealed to us. There would still be the struggles and issues.

Still, we are seeing a return to more moderate housing prices - those that we had before the severe run-up in prices and artificial appreciation.

People who were priced out of much of their marketplace now have several choices available.

Governments who took extraordinary steps to help insure that workforce housing would be available in their communities through manadatory inclusionary zoning or similar programs now find that these are meaningless since so much is available in a moderate price point.

While we can't go back and live in an earlier time - except for possibly the surroundings or the setting, we can appreciate that some things - housing prices - are more reminiscent of what we remember from several years ago.

This can only mean good news as more people are able to shop for and own homes again. The market has given us affordable housing again.

For more information about my consulting, teaching, and coaching services visit my website at stevehoffacker.com. I also maintain a blog (Sales Quips) on the real estate network Active Rain, and you can begin participating in this great forum by visiting here. I also write and maintain blogs for Gold Coast SMC and Florida SMC. © 2009, Steve Hoffacker. All Rights Reserved.

Acting Is Better than Reacting

Reaction implies a reflexive movement that wasn't necessarily planned or anticipated. Reactions, in my book, aren't generally desirable.

On the other hand, responses are often necessary. While a response and reaction may sound synonymous, they really aren't.

A response is an action that is often anticipated. Even when it isn't, it is a strategic approach to an issue that is based on experience, practice, or training to be able to offer the best or most appropriate way of addressing or working with the issue at hand. It often is thought-out or planned ahead of time.

A reaction is often a spur-of-the-moment, seat-of-the-pants, shoot-from-the-hip way of just attacking an issue without a clear idea of a possible outcome.

If we act correctly when faced with an issue, we don't have to re-act.

For more information about my consulting, teaching, and coaching services visit my website at stevehoffacker.com. I also maintain a blog (Sales Quips) on the real estate network Active Rain, and you can begin participating in this great forum by visiting here. I also write and maintain blogs for Gold Coast SMC and Florida SMC. © 2009, Steve Hoffacker. All Rights Reserved.

Creating Urgency

Urgency is something that can have different meanings depending on who we are and just how quickly we like to act on things.

In sales, the are two types of urgency (or speed of acting) that come to mind - one involves the customer or buyer, and the other concerns us.

While we want our buyers to understand and recognize the great opportunities we are putting in front of them and to make a decision to purchase it, we really can't know all of the behind-the-scenes thoughts and mitigating factors that are in play that may forestall a decision even though everything points to this being the the perfect time for that decision to occur.

That leaves us to focus on. In my podcast message today, "CREATING URGENCY," I encourage us to find a way to put a little pressure on ourselves to make things happen.

Whether its calling people, setting appointment, sending out email or notes, getting out of the office, working our referral or social network, or whatever it is that we think will produce business for us, now is the time to go all out. The phone isn't ringing, the front door isn't opening, and the inbox isn't filling up as rapidly as they used to, so we need to take matters into our own hands.

This is the type of urgency I'm talking about. We need to demand more from ourselves.

For more information about my consulting, teaching, and coaching services visit my website at stevehoffacker.com. I also maintain a blog (Sales Quips) on the real estate network Active Rain, and you can begin participating in this great forum by visiting here. I also write and maintain blogs for Gold Coast SMC and Florida SMC. © 2009, Steve Hoffacker. All Rights Reserved.

Competition Makes Us Better

Competition helps us remain sharp. We know what we have to do to gain or keep our advantage.

Without competition, we wouldn't necessarily try as hard to be good, and the market would suffer. Competition helps everyone. It helps us be the best, it gives our customers a clear choice, and it create value for the consumer.

Yesterday's baseball game between the Yankees and the Red Sox brought this out in dramatic fashion. Both teams are good in their own right. If they never played each other, they might not how good they are or how good they need to be.

Baseball scores are usually measured in single digits, such as 4-0, 5-3, or even 1-0. A "wild game" might be 7-1.

The Red Sox and Yankees posted a football-like score yesterday and kept finding the reserves to bounce back after being down. The final score was 16-11 in favor of the Red Sox.

Yes, competition does help to bring out the best in us.

For more information about my consulting, teaching, and coaching services visit my website at stevehoffacker.com. I also maintain a blog (Sales Quips) on the real estate network Active Rain, and you can begin participating in this great forum by visiting here. I also write and maintain blogs for Gold Coast SMC and Florida SMC. © 2009, Steve Hoffacker. All Rights Reserved.

Draft Day

Today is one of the most anticipated days by all fans of professional football. This is "Draft Day" - actually today and tomorrow. This is the weekend where all of the top prospects from colleges across this country (graduating seniors and those declaring for the draft under the rules) are systematically selected by all 32 of the NFL teams to fill roster spots where they have identified needs.

Just getting selected doesn't guarantee that playing time will result, but this is the first step.

In our businesses, we need to periodically look at the personnel and contractor resources that we have. Do we need to hire, replace, augment, bolster, consolidate? Do we need to form strategic alliances with partners that can perform services better than we can and benefit from what they're already doing?

In my podcast message today, "DRAFT DAY," I talk about this very issue, and use the occurrence of the NFL Draft Day as the perfect time for us to look at our business resources and assess what changes we might want to make.

We might need to restructure our personnel, attend classes, create more alliances, joint venture with other businesses, or take advantage of opportunities that we may have overlooked or not been interested in previously.

There's no time like the present to evaluate and take action.

For more information about my consulting, teaching, and coaching services visit my website at stevehoffacker.com. I also maintain a blog (Sales Quips) on the real estate network Active Rain, and you can begin participating in this great forum by visiting here. I also write and maintain blogs for Gold Coast SMC and Florida SMC. © 2009, Steve Hoffacker. All Rights Reserved.

Choices Have Consequences

I wrote on Wednesday about my podcast message about "Choices" and talked about the decisions that we make - sometimes minor and occasionally quite important.

One factor that people often overlook when it comes to decisions is what transpires as a result. In other words, choices (and the decisions than emanate from those choices) have consequences.

Sometimes those consequences are unforeseen and no amount of reasonable caution would prevent an unpleasant outcome. For instance, if we park our car under a tree, we may get bird droppings on it. That is foreseeable and avoidable by parking someplace else - or we can accept the consequences of getting a messy car as a result of parking there.

Conversely, we don't expect someone to back into us, dent our car, and then take off as if nothing happened while we are not there to witness it. In a large sense this is foreseeable because such things occasionally happen in parking lots, but in the practical realm there is nothing we can do to prevent this.

Here comes the choice, and the consequences. We can choose to let such matters, when they occur, ruin our day (and the next several days, weeks, or months after that) by feeling victimized, being mad, thinking revenge, and just having a grouchy disposition. Or, we can accept them as something that happened - even we have to incur some expense to rectify it - and move on. Release it and move on with our lives.

Being a victim or thinking like a victim continues to injure us and is a very negative use of our resources. These are consequences of not letting go and moving on.

For more information about my consulting, teaching, and coaching services visit my website at stevehoffacker.com. I also maintain a blog (Sales Quips) on the real estate network Active Rain, and you can begin participating in this great forum by visiting here. I also write and maintain blogs for Gold Coast SMC and Florida SMC. © 2009, Steve Hoffacker. All Rights Reserved.

Thursday's Thought: Steadfast

Thursday's Thought: We all encounter storms - wind, rain, hail. We have to remain steadfast in the face of those elements and weather the storms. Our appearance may look weathered and become etched by the storms, but that's also how character is formed.

For more information about my consulting, teaching, and coaching services visit my website at stevehoffacker.com. I also maintain a blog (Sales Quips) on the real estate network Active Rain, and you can begin participating in this great forum by visiting here. I also write and maintain blogs for Gold Coast SMC and Florida SMC. © 2009, Steve Hoffacker. All Rights Reserved.

Photography displayed is original composition and artistic expression of Steve Hoffacker, and as such is copyrighted. Photos are in their original digital image state and have not been cropped, edited, or enhanced in anyway.

Choices

Decisions. They are constant, as are choices - the reasons we make decisions.

Sometimes a choice is simple, seemingly inconsequential. What color shirt to put on in the morning. Take an umbrella or not. Read the paper first thing or later. Check email right away or have a cup of coffee first. Skip breakfast or grab something on the road.

Sometimes they are more important - which ads to run, where to run them, where to cut expenses, where to focus marketing efforts, which social sites to join, how much to participate.

Some decisions are quite impactful. These usually deal with family matters, realtionships, employees or associates, property owners, buyers, lenders, and how we spend our time.

In my podcast message today, "CHOICES," I talk about how choices are a constant in our lives and that we always have a choice - even when it seems like we don't or it seems like there is only one way to go.

Remember that indecision or procrastination is still a choice.

For more information about my consulting, teaching, and coaching services visit my website at stevehoffacker.com. I also maintain a blog (Sales Quips) on the real estate network Active Rain, and you can begin participating in this great forum by visiting here. I also write and maintain blogs for Gold Coast SMC and Florida SMC. © 2009, Steve Hoffacker. All Rights Reserved.

A Little Rain Must Fall

Every so often, we awake to a gentle rain rather than sunshine. We've had a dry spring, so the rain is welcome.

I wouldn't like a steady diet of it - our bodies need sunshine and vitamin D that it offers.

Still there is something kind of soothing about a light rain in the morning. It makes that cup of coffee taste even better.

All of our lives have a little rain mixed in among the sunshine. We just have to avoid the real serious storms as much as possible. Rain we can deal with. Thunder and lightning and flash floods are another matter.

Balance in our lives is a good way to prepare for the occasional rain - sometimes hard and blustery - that comes our way.

Into every life rain does fall, but we can choose how we are going to respond to it.

For more information about my consulting, teaching, and coaching services visit my website at stevehoffacker.com. I also maintain a blog (Sales Quips) on the real estate network Active Rain, and you can begin participating in this great forum by visiting here. I also write and maintain blogs for Gold Coast SMC and Florida SMC. © 2009, Steve Hoffacker. All Rights Reserved.

Making Our Team Better

For purposes of understanding my analogy today, I hope you're a football fan. If you're not, I'm sorry - maybe someone who is can fill in a little background for you.

This coming weekend is one of the biggest events in professional football (NFL). They may be several others by the way you keep score, but to me, the most important dates in the NFL calendar are the start of training camp, the first regular season game, and what we have in store this weekend - the draft.

Draft Weekend is when teams try to bolster their rosters very strategically by selecting the best formerly college players still available for the positions they need and for the dollars they can spend. There is suspense, trading, buying and selling, and generally high drama surrounding this weekend.

Here's my point. If we looked at our company or ourselves (if we are the company) and identified weaknesses and strengths, are there new players (personnel, employees, associates, affiliates) that we would want to attract to make our roster (company) even stronger and better able to compete effectively in the market? If it's just us, are there business, sales, or marketing skills that we would like to attract to bolster our chances of success?

Publish Post

As we head into draft weekend, let's use this as a reminder to take stock of our businesses and determine where we might need to acquire some help. Then we can formulate a plan to do just that. Unlike the NFL, we don't have to worry about huge signing bonuses or getting everything done by this time next week.

For more information about my consulting, teaching, and coaching services visit my website at stevehoffacker.com. I also maintain a blog (Sales Quips) on the real estate network Active Rain, and you can begin participating in this great forum by visiting here. I also write and maintain blogs for Gold Coast SMC and Florida SMC. © 2009, Steve Hoffacker. All Rights Reserved.

A True Hero

I wrote yesterday about the way Captain Phillips conducted himself throughout the entire ordeal of having his ship come under attack from a small band of pirates, then having it boarded, then bargaining with the captors to set his men free in exchange for becoming a hostage himself, then escaping once to be recaptured, then escaping again and being rescued by the US Navy, then coming home to Vermont and making a very brief, eloquent statement that demonstrated his humility and gratitude - and leadership.

Today, I prepared my podcast message ("A TRUE HERO") about Captain Phillips and what has transpired.

Courage, bravery, humility, leadership, gratitude, and service. Thank you, Captain Phillips.

For more information about my consulting, teaching, and coaching services visit my website at stevehoffacker.com. I also maintain a blog (Sales Quips) on the real estate network Active Rain, and you can begin participating in this great forum by visiting here. I also write and maintain blogs for Gold Coast SMC and Florida SMC. © 2009, Steve Hoffacker. All Rights Reserved.

The Qualities of a Modern American Hero

Every so often an event happens that is so noteworthy that it impacts the lives and attitudes of so many others. The recent incident with the Somali pirates and the vessel commanded by Captain Phillips is such a course-changing event.

The act of piracy was despicable. It cannot be tolerated, and it wasn't - but it came close to getting out of hand.

Fortunately for all concerned, Captain Phillips bargained with the pirates and exchanged his freedom for that of his crew. Then the drama really began.

He had placed the life and safety - and liberty - of his crew above his own. What a leader. What a servant. What a hero.

Finally it took the US Navy and the Navy Seals to rescue him and put down the piracy.

When he landed in Vermont yesterday, Captain Phillips minimized his role and credited the military entirely for the heroics and the rescue.

We can learn much from this example.

For more information about my consulting, teaching, and coaching services visit my website at stevehoffacker.com. I also maintain a blog (Sales Quips) on the real estate network Active Rain, and you can begin participating in this great forum by visiting here. I also write and maintain blogs for Gold Coast SMC and Florida SMC. © 2009, Steve Hoffacker. All Rights Reserved.

Grass Roots, Tea Party-Style

April 15th - long remembered as "Tax Day" - may never be the same. At least not for a while. This is the day Americans took to the streets by the millions to let their governments and elected officials know that the status quo was no longer acceptable. Even the long promised change is going in the wrong direction.

Americans have had it and said so. Oh, there probably are people satisfied with the current system, but there are many who are not.

In my podcast message that I posted yesterday, "TEA PARTY," I discuss my personal experiences in attending our local Tea Party and why I think it has come to this.

I think this is a turning point for America to get back to our core values, but it's not going to happen overnight.

However, the next Congressional elections are just around the corner.

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For more information about my consulting, teaching, and coaching services visit my website at stevehoffacker.com . I also maintain a blog on the real estate network Active Rain, and you can join this site and begin participating in the fun and networking opportunities by clicking here. I also write the blogs for Gold Coast SMC and Florida SMC. © 2009, Steve Hoffacker. All Rights Reserved.

Thursday's Thought : Opportunity

Thursday's Thought: We all have the ability to create opportunity or to recognize it when it presents itself. Sometimes it's a fertile field lying in front of us. Sometimes it's more hidden from view and requires work to appreciate it.

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For more information about my consulting, teaching, and coaching services visit my website at stevehoffacker.com. I also maintain a blog (Sales Quips) on the real estate network Active Rain, and you can begin participating in this great forum by visiting here. I also write and maintain blogs for Gold Coast SMC and Florida SMC. © 2009, Steve Hoffacker. All Rights Reserved.

Photography displayed is original composition and artistic expression of Steve Hoffacker, and as such is copyrighted. Photos are in their original digital image state and have not been cropped, edited, or enhanced in anyway.

Headlines Don't Always Tell the Real Story

You've heard it said that you can lie with statistics. You can also distort or spin. Depending on which number you feature first or how you combine the numbers, you can adjust the facts to suit your case.

Take today's front page story in USA Today. The headline is "Most Americans OK with Big Government - for Now." I guess that the "for now" qualifier makes the story true, but it isn't the overwhelming consensus that the headline would have us believe.

When I hear or see the word "most" I think of "nearly all," "the vast majority," or "a sizeable percentage." That's because I'm supposed to think that way. That's the power of words. From a purely statistical definition, "most" can mean either the majority (50.1%) or the mode (the most frequent response regardless of the percentage).

Back to the article. It turns out that just 13% (notice how I minimize this with the word "just") approve of the size and role of the federal government and want it to remain. This is roughly one-eighth (12.5% is one-eighth) of those surveyed - hardly "most."

Another 39% (or basically two-fifths, which is 40%) approve of the size for now but want it reduced over time - this is where the "for now" comes from.

When you combine the 13% and the 39%, you get 52% (just over half) that supports the position of big government either permanently or temporarily. While more than half, this is not what one thinks of when they hear or read the word "most."

Actually, the largest response (the mode), and what "most" people actually do feel is that they disapprove of the expanded government role.

Regardless of how you feel about this issue or other issues that are reported - and surveys in general - look beyond the headlines to see what the real story is.

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For more information about my consulting, teaching, and coaching services visit my website at stevehoffacker.com (click here to visit). I also maintain a blog on the real estate network Active Rain (click to access), and you can join this site and begin participating in the fun and networking opportunities by clicking here.

The Fine Line of Confidence

Confidence is an important component of being a good salesperson - make that an essential one.

Confidence in knowing what to to do and how to do it, confidence in the product we represent and knowing it will perform up to the way we have described it, confidence in our ability to learn about the needs of our customers to be able to recommend the proper product to address their needs, confidence in our capacity to create and foster relationships, and confidence in how we can service the sale and earn referrals from the experience.

Confidence comes with a self-assurance that we are prepared and up to the challenge of playing the game.

Then there's arrogance which is "confidence with an attitude." You may have heard the term "quiet confidence." This just means that we know we are good at something and the customer will appreciate that we are good as well by how we work with them and create a pleasant buying experience. It doesn't need to be flashy.

One of the things about confidence is a sense of being fully secure in our abilities.

If we are the least bit insecure, this means that we lack the self-assurance and the total confidence in ourselves and our abilities and have to make up for it by intentionally trying to impress the customer or by going over the top portraying ourselves and our products as great - or by putting our needs ahead of the those of the customer.

There's a fine line between being confident and being arrogant or cocky. Customers like the former. They shun the later.

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For more information about my consulting, teaching, and coaching services visit my website at stevehoffacker.com (click here to visit). I also maintain a blog on the real estate network Active Rain (click to access), and you can join this site and begin participating in the fun and networking opportunities by clicking here.

Full Spring Ahead

Finally, no more excuses to getting on with our lives. Spring has arrived. The time has changes, Easter has come. It's clear sailing, or as I like to say, "Full Spring Ahead."

Now that winter is behind us, we see signs of spring wherever we look. We are experiencing warmer temperatures, the days are longer, the flowers are blooming, the grass is greening, the trees are leafing out. Even Washington's famous cherry blossoms and Atlanta's dogwoods have bloomed. It is time.

In my podcast message this morning, "FULL SPRING AHEAD," I talk about this very occurrence and how it's time to put our plans into action.

Yesterday, I posted "Spring Fresh - with a Sense of Purpose" on my Sales Quips blog where I likened this time of year to a waterfall.

All of the plans that we have made for a great 2009 are waiting for us to get behind them and make them work.

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For more information about my consulting, teaching, and coaching services visit my website at stevehoffacker.com (click here to visit). I also maintain a blog on the real estate network Active Rain (click to access), and you can join this site and begin participating in the fun and networking opportunities by clicking here.

Celebrating Life and Love

Life is not all business. There are many other sides to life, including a spiritual one.

Today is Easter (except next week for the Orthodox), and Passover has just occurred. Both symbolize life and love. Regardless of which one we celebrate, we are recognizing that we have been given a newness of life and a rebirth because of the ultimate love of God.

Coincidentally, spring also means a rebirth and renewal.

As we begin this week, we have most of the year in front of us. Let's be re-energized to go out and pursue it.

In celebration of and as a testament to the life and love shown to us, let's be all that we can.

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For more information about my consulting, teaching, and coaching services visit my website at stevehoffacker.com (click here to visit). I also maintain a blog on the real estate network Active Rain (click to access), and you can join this site and begin participating in the fun and networking opportunities by clicking here.

Photography displayed is original composition and artistic expression of Steve Hoffacker, and as such is copyrighted. Photos are in their original digital image state and have not been cropped, edited, or enhanced in anyway.

Spring Is a Great Time for Cleaning

Spring is in the air. It's in our hearts. It's in our minds. We see evidence of it everywhere.

Color is returning to our world from a winter's slumber.

This is the time for spring house cleaning - tossing out or donating unwanted items from past seasons, painting, cleaning, freshening up. Open the windows - weather permitting, and let the fresh air fill the house.

Basement, attics, and garages are targets of spring cleaning.

But let's not stop just at the home front.

Spring is the time to clean offices, go through and purge file folders and computer records, and get ready for the remainder of the year.

Our vehicles need constant attention - especially when we use them for escorting customers to look at properties. They need to be reasonably clean - inside and out.

Finally, we have ourselves - particularly our attitudes. This is the perfect time for mental housekeeping - again to get rid of old habits and ideas and to make way for the rest of the year.

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For more information about my consulting, teaching, and coaching services visit my website at stevehoffacker.com (click here to visit). I also maintain a blog on the real estate network Active Rain (click to access), and you can join this site and begin participating in the fun and networking opportunities by clicking here.

Everytime the First

Remember the first time we went camping or skiing or bungee jumping - or anything that we looked forward to and prepared for? Remember how we felt when that day arrived and we actually got to do what we had been anticipating?

I saw an interview with Bob Barker, the former long-time host of "The Price Is Right," and the interviewer stated that he always looked liked he was enjoying himself and that each show was like his first one.

He went on to explain that this was a conscious choice - that he wanted each show to have that energy and that spontanety that comes from doing your first show - and that was his plan for each show.

Of course, we're not talking about being inexperienced and doing our first performance. We're talking about having the type of enthusiasm that comes from making a fresh impression on someone who hasn't met us before or experienced what we have to offer.

In my podcast message today, "EVERYTIME THE FIRST," I take Bob Barker's comments and attitude and use it as a sales lesson. We all should bring a fresh excitement and enthusiasm to each customer encounter. It's how relationships are built, and that's how sales are made.

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For more information about my consulting, teaching, and coaching services visit my website at stevehoffacker.com (click here to visit). I also maintain a blog on the real estate network Active Rain (click to access), and you can join this site and begin participating in the fun and networking opportunities by clicking here.

Introducing "Thursday's Thought"

I am introducing a new, regular feature here on "Home Sales Insights" called "Thursday's Thought."

Beginning today, and every Thursday from now on, I will publish an inspirational photograph that I have taken and then add a brief inspirational message below it.

Please enjoy "Thursday's Thought:"

Thursday's Thought: Be bold. We all have something to stand tall for and to shout about. We all are beautiful, and we need to let that beauty shine so that others can see and appreciate it.

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For more information about my consulting, teaching, and coaching services visit my website at stevehoffacker.com (click to visit). I also maintain a blog on the real estate network Active Rain (click to access), and you can join this site and begin participating in the fun and networking opportunities by clicking here.

Photography displayed is original composition and artistic expression of Steve Hoffacker, and as such is copyrighted. Photos are in their original digital image state and have not been cropped, edited, or enhanced in anyway.

Taking Financial Responsibility

Being thrifty can be a good thing, and many businesses are finding that out first-hand today. Some are learning it from necessity.

We don't have to hold onto every dime that we have and be miserly. We just need to spend responsibly. If it's something that we use on a regular basis and we need to replace or replenish it, we should go ahead. Even then, however, there may be some items that we can put off replacing for a little while.

If it's strictly a discretionary purchase - something we'd like to have but don't actually need to have it - we have to evaluate whether something else should be purchased instead - or the money just saved for something later.

If we run our businesses by budgeting for expenses like office supplies, travel, advertising, memberships, subscriptions, and entertainment, we may find that by being frugal we don't actually need to spend everything in the budget. Saving money in one area may come in handy for something else - or it could just be a nice savings that isn't spent at all right now.

One trap that's easy to fall into - and one which can undermine our financial health - is to spend every penny of the budget. Just because there's money in the budget doesn't mean that it needs to be spent. If something comes along that technically is in the budget but doesn't really need to be purchased or used, then we should pass. Save the money.

This is private business. This is small business. A few dollars here and there can matter. This isn't government where every penny in the budget must be spent to help insure that next year's budget won't be any smaller.

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For more information about my consulting, teaching, and coaching services visit my website at stevehoffacker.com (click to visit). I also maintain a blog on the real estate network Active Rain (click to access), and you can join this site and begin participating in the fun and networking opportunities by clicking here.

Good, Better, Best

Ever notice how many items are manufactured or offered in various sizes and values - with the included features increasing along with the price? Absolutely nothing wrong with that - just a marketing strategy. Why deliver more product than someone needs or wants - or is willing to pay for the use they have in mind?

However, taking this philosophy to the real estate sales realm, we can be people doing just enough to get by, or those a little bit better than that, or ones aspiring to go straight to the top and be the best in our field.

In my podcast message today, "GOOD, BETTER, BEST" (click to listen), I challenge all of us to settle for nothing short of being the best.

It requires dedication and commitment. It's work, but it's worth the effort.

It's a win-win-win situation where we are more successful, our companies are more productive, and our customers are happier working with us and more pleased with the results than would be the case if we stopped at just being good or better than good - and not the best.

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For more information about my consulting, teaching, and coaching services visit my website at stevehoffacker.com (click here to visit). I also maintain a blog on the real estate network Active Rain (click to access), and you can join this site and begin participating in the fun and networking opportunities by clicking here.

A Positivie Attitude Will Yield Great Gas Mileage

Just like buying a good grade of gasoline or keeping our car's motor tuned can help with performance and gas mileage, a positive mental attitude can do the same for us.

A lot has been written, and I'm sure will continue to be written and advanced, about the value of a positive mental attitude. However, let's be clear on what we mean by a positive mental attitude.

We're not talking denial or wishful thinking. We're not talking about setting unrealistic goals.

We're talking about being optimistic and about looking at the good in any situation - even those where we might have to look long and hard to find it. We're talking about believing in ourselves and our abilities. We're talking about persevering and coming out on top.

That's what a positive mental attitude is all about, and that's how we will get better mileage to go the distance than those without it.

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For more information about my consulting, teaching, and coaching services visit my website at stevehoffacker.com (click here to visit). I also maintain a blog on the real estate network Active Rain (click to access), and you can join this site and begin participating in the fun and networking opportunities by clicking here.

Competition Gives Us a Chance to Be Good

Competition can help keep us sharp.

I've read many news account of how “mom and pop” stores are disappearing from the landscape as bigger retail concerns supposedly affect their ability to compete. I think that this is more of an excuse than it is an actual explanation.

Small retailers come and go, but if they are failing because they feel that they can't compete with retail giants, they only need to evaluate how they are trying to compete.

A large national retailer may have a larger advertising budget and a huge collective buying power that translates into typically lower prices – but only for the items they carry. I doubt they compete very well with "mom and pop" or boutique stores on the items they don’t inventory.

Small retailers can take advantage of the bigger stores by locating close to them to piggyback on their traffic and offer items that just aren't available at those stores that people want and need.

There's plenty of room for small retailers as long as they don't try to beat the giants at their game.

Competition gives a chance to be really good and successful by filling a niche that the big box stores can't or don't.

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For more information about my consulting, teaching, and coaching services visit my website at stevehoffacker.com (click here to visit). I also maintain a blog on the real estate network Active Rain (click to access), and you can join this site and begin participating in the fun and networking opportunities by clicking here.

Just Say "No"

Many of us may remember First Lady Nancy Reagan popularizing the phrase "Just Say 'No'" as she campaigned against drug usage in this country - particularly among young people.

I have borrowed her phrase to say that we need to be courageous and learn to say "no" to commitments on our time for activities that we don't enjoy, aren't that good at, or don't really need to be doing to concentrate on those areas where we can make a real difference and really contribute.

In my podcast message for today "JUST SAY 'NO'" (click to listen) I am not saying that this is an excuse to dump unpopular items from our schedule. Rather we must evaluate the time demands on our schedule and judiciously remove those items that aren't productive or can be done better by someone else to allow time for new appointments and committee assignments.

All of us have the same number of seconds, minutes, and hours in each day. As much as we'd like to squeeze in more time or bank some of the time for use at a later date, it can't be done. Time management is really a misnomer because the time goes by regardless of what we do with it.

We can just schedule and make sufficient time in our lives to accomplish what is important to us, such as family, business, spiritual, financial, fitness, health, and leisure. And we have to maintain a relative balance among those areas.

Saying "no" to new commitments or only saying "yes" when something else is removed makes it easier and more pleasant to live a peaceful life.

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For more information about my consulting, teaching, and coaching services visit my website at stevehoffacker.com (click here to visit). I also maintain a blog on the real estate network Active Rain (click to access), and you can join this site and begin participating in the fun and networking opportunities by clicking here.

Too Strong of an Offense Can Be Offensive

We all like to make sales or presumably we'd be in some other line of work. We all look for and welcome opportunties to enage a customer about a potential sale and see if we can effect a positive outcome.

Defensive selling is order taking - letting the customer set the terms and eventually declare that it is time to buy and offer the order. This often happens in retail. In many ways, it's not really selling but just being there to process the order and deliver it to the customer.

Being on the offense (as opposed to being offensive), or intentional selling, is having a process and effectively executing those steps to make a transaction come together.

One of the things that traditionally has given salespeople a bad reutation and a black eye is the blurring of the line between wanting to make a sale and needing to make a sale.

When we operate on the customer's agenda and seek to determine what they need and what their desires are, we can be much more successful and create much stronger relationships than when we try to service our own agendas of making a sale to get a payday.

When we press too hard to make a sale because it's clear that we want to make a sale more than we want to satify the needs of our customer, we become very offensive. No sale is likely on these terms even though the customer and the product may be a good fit for each other.

Patience, relationships, and caring for the customer will net us our sales, but the focus must be on the customer.

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For more information about my consulting, teaching, and coaching services visit my website at stevehoffacker.com (click here to visit). I also maintain a blog on the real estate network Active Rain (click to access), and you can join this site and begin participating in the fun and networking opportunities by clicking here.

Where Did We Go Wrong?

As a student of watching people in public and as a long-time salesperson, I scratch my head at the immaturity of some people that plays out in lack of sensitivity and awareness as well as self-centeredness.

As babies, our world is ourselves. It is the ulimate self-centered environment. However, there comes a point when that baby begins to socialize with others and realize that they are not the only person in the world - or the only one that matters.

There are just so many people who haven't learned this. As salespeople, we work with all types of personalities, and one of those is the person who never grew up and doesn't understand that other people - us - have feelings, too.

Who among us haven't experienced situations like someone intentionally not keeping an appointment with us and never bothering to call or email, someone in hotel lobby or other public place who just decides to change the channels on the TV (right in the middle of something we were actually watching) without ever checking with anyone - because they wanted to watch something else, changing lanes at will on the highway - even if we are in the spot they wish to occupy, or blocking the entire lane in the store with their cart or conversation?

These are the same people that expect us to drop everything we are doing to meet with them on a moment's notice or accommodate their needs - because after all. they are more important than anyone else we might be working with or helping.

Oh, where did we as a society go wrong?

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For more information about my consulting, teaching, and coaching services visit my website at stevehoffacker.com (click here to visit). I also maintain a blog on the real estate network Active Rain (click to access), and you can join this site and begin participating in the fun and networking opportunities by clicking here.

The Second Quarter Begins

Did anyone hear it? It was early this morning, but the whistle blew to signal the commencement of play for the 2nd quarter of 2009.

Regardless of how well we liked the first 3 months of 2009, and how well we were able to accomplish our plans, the 1st quarter is now history. The score has posted. Now it’s on to quarter number 2.

We can’t do anything about the 1st quarter except to change the score in this quarter.

We may have made some great plays in the first quarter – ones we’d like to run again. There may have been some things that didn’t work too well. We’ll avoid those or do them differently in the 2nd quarter.

Who knows? We might be able to get away with a trick play or two to get the momentum onto our side.

Let's get started and a very eventful second quarter so that in June when we gaze at the scoreboard we'll be impressed.

Today's podcast episode - "THE SECOND QUARTER BEGINS" (click to listen) - discusses this new beginning.

Have a fantastic second quarter.

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For more information about my consulting, teaching, and coaching services visit my website at stevehoffacker.com (click here to visit). I also maintain a blog on the real estate network Active Rain (click to access), and you can join this site and begin participating in the fun and networking opportunities by clicking here.