Land Snails Threaten Florida

Adam Putnam, Agriculture Commissioner for Florida, reports a possible dangerous infestation of the non-native Giant African Land Snails (GALS). The are larger than the palm of your hand and if holding one will stick out past both sides of your hand. They can be up to 8" in length.

They can carry a parasitic nematode that causes meningitis in humans, and they are capable of destroying plaster or stucco homes.

They can also lay about 1,200 eggs in a year.

This is potentially very serious, and I hope that Adam and his office can determine a way to deal with this.

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. © 2011, Steve Hoffacker. All Rights Reserved.

Falling Alert

With October comes the main part of fall. We must be careful not to get so consumed with enjoying the beautiful fall season with all that it has to offer that we forget to tend to other matters such as working our business plan.

October is a favorite month for many people.

With all that October and the fall offer - the colorful leaves, festivals (including Oktoberfest), the harvest, cooler temperatures that make us feel energized, and of course, football - we must not lose sight of the work we need to accomplish to complete out goals this year. Hence, the alert for fall.

In my podcast message today "Falling Alert" I warn us all not to get so caught up in enjoying the season that we forget to stay focused.

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. © 2011, Steve Hoffacker. All Rights Reserved.

Supreme Court On Deck

This coming Supreme Court term, which starts Monday, we will learn - hopefully - that the ill-conceived and poorly crafted Health Care bill is to be rendered null and void and never rear its head again. The Supreme Court has the chance to fight for us and do just that this coming term.

The Supreme Court gets the opportunity to uphold the lower court rulings and find the Health Care bill ("Obamacare") unconstitutional.

The mandate provision and saying that the "commerce" clause give Congress the ability to do this are both erroneous. The only reason the Court will fail us is if they think the bill is good and ignore the Constitution in favor of advancing social justice. This would be a travesty.

In my podcast message today "Supreme Court On Deck" I encourage us to follow where the Court is going on this. This is our last best chance to scuttle this bill.

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. © 2011, Steve Hoffacker. All Rights Reserved.

Another Milestone Reached

This episode represents my 400th one of "Steve Hoffacker's Happenings." As I celebrate this milestone, I extend my gratitude and thanks all of my listeners for the success of the podcast program.

Hosted at "stevehoffacker.podcastpeople.com" the program began as a message every 3 days and then switched to every 2 days.

Business, politics, sales, and current events are presented - all in ways to help us manage and succeed in our sales businesses.

Whether you've been listening to these messages from the very beginning in March of 2009, are just now joining, or have jumped on-board along the way, thank you for your support.

In my podcast message today "Another Milestone Reached" I discuss where we've been and where we are going.

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. © 2011, Steve Hoffacker. All Rights Reserved.

Put It In Gear

We want to be productive and effective rather than just spinning our wheels or watching the action pass us by. However, just planning, getting ready, and thinking about what we want to do - as important and necessary as that is - won't get it done. The best intentions won't start our car or drive it, and they won't make the connection with a sales lead or client. That requires action and engagement from us.

Nothing happens until we do something. Without intentionally and willfully making that phone call, keeping the appointment, or completing the intended action, nothing will happen that is helpful to us or our clients. We have to put our engine in gear in order to get any results from our efforts.

In my podcast message today "Put It In Gear" I talk about putting our sales engine in gear to work toward our desired results.

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. © 2011, Steve Hoffacker. All Rights Reserved.

So Long, Summer

Today we say a formal farewell to summer. It officially ends tomorrow morning. Of course, Labor Day signaled the unofficial end, but now it's official. So now we enter fall with its many fun activities - the harvest, football, fall colors, and a change in temperatures.

Gone are the hot days, the outdoor days, the long daylight hours, and the outdoor activities that characterize the summer. Replacing them are the crisp cool mornings, the colorful leaves, the desire to get back to work - and football!. The fall is a great time of year. Let's welcome it.

In my podcast message today "So Long, Summer" I talk about enjoying fall and all that it offers.

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. © 2011, Steve Hoffacker. All Rights Reserved.

Something Needs To Give

We like to volunteer and help out - either because we enjoy contributing or we like meeting other people. Regardless of our reasons, we can easily agree to too many activities that crowds our calendar and gives us undue stress.

While we have a general tendency to want to help out, to comply with requests on our time to serve, the result often is filling our calendars so full of activities that we become spread too thin. This in turn produces stress and lack of productivity.

There are only so many activities that we can squeeze into out schedule and still accomplish the necessary work activities and family life. When we add another, we need to eliminate an equal amount. To add more, we must delete others.

In my podcast message today "Something Needs To Give" I talk about maintaining balance in the use of our time by only agreeing to activities after we have cleaned our calendar from something else.

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. © 2011, Steve Hoffacker. All Rights Reserved.

Happy Constitution Day

Today marks the 224th anniversary of the drafting of the US Constitution by our Founding Fathers. On September 17, 1787, the Constitution, minus the Amendments, was completed.

On this day 224 years ago, the 39 framers of our Constitution completed their work on the document and sent it to the states for ratification. This date is not mentioned much anymore, and schools generally don't teach it. We should remember it as an important day in our country's history.

Our Constitution is the basis for the freedoms and liberties we enjoy, and we do well to celebrate this day.

In my podcast message today "Happy Constitution Day" I commemorate this important date.

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. © 2011, Steve Hoffacker. All Rights Reserved.

We Don't Pay Enough In Taxes

Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky of Illinois' 9th District said today in an interview that Americans don’t deserve to keep all of their money because we need taxes to support our society.

She has a very inclusive, big government outlook, and maintains that government has a role in providing public services as well as in finding a cure for cancer.

She adds that "one reason the 2009 stimulus bill did not succeed was because it was not large enough."

Wow, and I thought it was just because it was ill-conceived , wasteful, and unnecessary.

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. © 2011, Steve Hoffacker. All Rights Reserved.

Keep Free Enterprise Free

The GOP House acted well today for free enterprise by passing a bill to censure the NLRB for meddling in the affairs of Boeing by trying to keep them from relocating jobs and manufacturing to the right-to-work state of South Carolina.

At stake are union jobs in Washington if the expansion occurs there, and our government feels compelled to protect union jobs. Without Senate action, it will not become a law. Still, the House needed to act to send a message.

In my podcast message today "Keep Free Enterprise Free" I talk about such actions by the House and our speaking-up for trying to protect our capitalist system.

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. © 2011, Steve Hoffacker. All Rights Reserved.

Second And Long

We have a tendency - in business, life, and sports - to make up for lost ground or substantial odds by going for the big play. Why not, if it works? The issue is that it often doesn't, so we are better off to be strategic rather than hopeful or lucky.

Taking a page from football, I talk about how we deal with long odds. Rather than trying to go for broke and make up all the distance between where we are and where we want or need to be to keep the ball or maintain control, smaller, more strategic steps might be more prudent and more successful.

In my podcast message today "Second And Long" I talk about getting the job done without resulting to the big play which so often doesn't work.

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. © 2011, Steve Hoffacker. All Rights Reserved.

Chicago Bears' Tribute to 9/11

Yesterday, the NFL paid tribute to the 10th Anniversary of the 9/11 attack at each stadium before the game began.

At Soldier Field in Chicago, there was a very moving tribute with a field-sizes American Flag and a gigantic rendition of the National Anthem by Jim Cornelison.

Here it is again.

Very stirring.

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. © 2011, Steve Hoffacker. All Rights Reserved.

Remembrance

All of us pause today as we remember and commemorate the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. We all were impacted in some way by these attacks, and everytime we walk through an airport we have a visual reminder of what happened. We need to stand strong and remain vigilant as Americans and help each other.

In my podcast message today "Remembrance" I reflect on what today means.

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. © 2011, Steve Hoffacker. All Rights Reserved.

We Need New Ideas Now

Old things being are being used for new audiences even though they were good before but now may be trite or ineffective. Ads, contents, and messages need to connect in new ways. We see many retro style ads and movies.

Just dusting off ads and ideas that we've used before won't get it done today. We need fresh approaches to connecting and resonating with people.

New ideas on meeting the needs and interest level of what people are seeking and speaking to that.

Hollywood often uses the same picture title and script of a movie that was good once before instead of creating something fresh. I am amazed at the seemingly lack of creativity in Hollywood to come up with new TV and movie scripts. There are so many reinventions of older works.

In my podcast message today "We Need New Ideas" I talk about being fesh and not just cleaning up or reusing something that worked before.

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. © 2011, Steve Hoffacker. All Rights Reserved.

Fabulous Football

I am celebrating the start of football season and the many benefits we derive from watching and studying football. There are so many parallels between football and business.

So much of what we see on the field - and what goes on behind the scenes - parallels our business environment or gives us inspiration for it. The drive, preparation, persistence, dedication, perseverance, momentum, attitude, outlook, and so many other factors that are important in football also propel us in business and life.

In my podcast message today "Fabulous Football" I talk about having a strategic approach to business that we can use football for our inspiration.

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. © 2011, Steve Hoffacker. All Rights Reserved.

Summer Is Fun

Today marks the unofficial close to summer. Tradition says that summer lasts from Memorial Day to Labor Day - today. While it won't suddenly turn chilly tomorrow, summer as an activity time and as a frame of mind is winding down.

Summer is a carefree period of time where we have abundant freedom to carryout many activities and enjoy the weather. The fall is coming - also a fun time, but in a different way. Nothing beats the summer for what it offers.

In my podcast message today "Summer Is Fun" I bid a long, but fond, farewell to summer as we transition into fall.

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. © 2011, Steve Hoffacker. All Rights Reserved.

One Bite At A Time

Ever notice how sports teams (football and basketball especially) tend to go for the big play and make up all the lost ground or deficit all at once rather than being strategic and chipping away at it?

The same holds true for business. More often than not, trying to go for the big play to make up the entire deficit rather than just making a little progress consistently until the goal is accomplished just doesn't work.

Going for broke can have disastrous consequences. You either run out of time or fail to control your destiny by giving in to the outside pressures of making a big score.

In my podcast message today "One Bite At A Time" I talk about having a strategic approach for making up lost ground rather than one big play with everything on the line.

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. © 2011, Steve Hoffacker. All Rights Reserved.

Welcome To The 'Ber's

Welcomes the beginning of September and the coming of the fun time of the year with 3 other "ber" months to follow - October, November, and December. We have plenty of business still to get done, but we can have lots of fun, too.

With the beginning of September, all 4 the months remaining this year end in "ber." College and high school football are starting, The NFL starts next week. Soon the days will begin to cool or and add that crispness to the morning air. Then the leaves will turn and we'll experience that wonderful fall color. Plus all of the holidays. This is an exciting way to end the year.

In my podcast message today "Welcome To The 'Ber's" I talk about the exciting part of 2011 that lies before 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. © 2011, Steve Hoffacker. All Rights Reserved.