Beyond The Mask

It's Halloween, and we're supposed to wear masks and costumes, but they aren't appropriate to wear  in normal, everyday life. We don't need to put on facades but just be ourselves.

We many times play roles and mask our behaviors in our daily lives to fit a role that we think is expected of us. Rather than being the same person for all settings and presenting a consistent appearance, we have different ways of acting depending on what we are doing and what we think is called for in that situation.

In my podcast message today, "Beyond The Mask," I suggest that we be the same person rather than adopting different roles.

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.

Practice Victory

We need to prepare for victory as much as we prepare for the journey of getting to the finish line. Then we won't be stunned or shocked when we make it - it will be what we have been anticipating.

We spend hours on the practice field - regardless of our sport or endeavor - rehearsing and refining our performance so we can do well in competition and win. However, are we able to be good winners - to act as if we expected victory and then are confident in attaining it rather than surprised?

So many times people seem surprised that they won, shocked that they hit the home run, amazed that they crossed the goal line, stunned that they caught the winning touchdown pass. We should expect it.

In my podcast message today "Practice Victory" I discuss going for the victory and how we approach 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. © 2011, Steve Hoffacker. All Rights Reserved.

Overcast On The Outside

We should not just feel good on the sunny days but on days when the weather around us suggests that we should want to feel gloomy. We control our own feelings.

Obviously not all days are pretty and sunny. Some are cloudy, gray, or stormy. Nevertheless, the outside doesn't predict or control our inside. The way that we feel and the way that we approach the world should not be colored or described by outside appearances.

We have choices, and we can decide to be happy, cheerful, and enthusiastic.

In my podcast message today "Overcast On The Outside" I encourage us to make our own way and control our own attitudes.

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.

Controlling What We Publish

Many of us blog or participate on social media sites. In doing so, I want us to be careful that we publish content that is consistent with our brand and business message even though there is a tendency to comment on more far ranging topics.

For instance, I don't feel family pictures or ones including children are appropriate to post - and certainly not on a business site.

We must keep ourselves in check and not just post something because we can. We have the ability to comment on most anything that we hear about, see, or read during the day. Not all of that is accurate, and not all of it will help our business message by publishing it or passing it along. That's the point.

In my podcast message today "Controlling What We Publish" I suggest that we have aposting model and stick with 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. © 2011, Steve Hoffacker. All Rights Reserved.

Staying On Top

Getting to the top is only half of the plan. The second part is to remain there. That takes planning, commitment, and a lot of work as well - maybe even more than getting to the top to start with.

The important task is staying the best or staying at the top of our game after exerting all of the effort, training, planning, and execution to get there. Getting to the top or getting to be the best is no small accomplishment - regardless of our endeavor - so we need to work just as hard, if not harder and more diligently, at staying the best once we have achieved that degree of success.

In my podcast message today "Staying On Top" I talk about the efoort needed to remain at the top once we get there.

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.

Buying A Championship?

The college conference realignment merry go 'round continues to spin - with teams from very different parts of the country moving to where they think it will be easier to pursue a championship.

Conferences used to be designed to reflect shared interests and geographic proximity. It was possible for many, if not all, of the teams to drive between the respective schools for contests. Now we are finding teams aligned hundreds of miles apart.

In my podcast message today "Buying A Championship?" I talk about the pervasiveness of the current moves and how it upsets years of tradition.

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.

Mounting A Comeback

I'm fascinated by the way teams and individuals can lose the advantage or lead and then gain it back to win the contest. It takes self-confidence, determination, and belief in one's abilities to do this, but it is inspiring to watch - unless you were rooting for the other team.

Coming from behind to regain the lead and triumph, whether in business, life, or sports is exciting. In order to mount a comeback, we must first have had the advantage or been in the lead. Then we lose it. Then we need to retake it. Often our competition doesn't see it coming or doesn't believe that it's possible. A little overconfidence perhaps. It can and does happen.

In my podcast message today "Mounting A Comeback" I talk about persevering and winning out when faced with a deficit situation.

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.

Need some help with your new home sales business? My books for new home salespeople came in at number one today on Google out of 2/3 of a billion results from the search "New Home Sales Books."

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.

Who's Gonna Show Up?

Sometimes it's difficult to know in advance for a sporting contest which team is going to show up to play the game because they are inconsistent - sometimes they are very good and sometimes not.

Consistency in performance is so important in all endeavors, and in athletics we can't always know which team is going to show up to play the game - the one that knows what it is doing and plays like a champion, or the one that looks like it had trouble getting out of the locker room. We find comparisons there to our own sales effort.

In my podcast message today "Who's Gonna Show Up?" I talk about the concept being consistent - consistently strong and good.

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.

Sometimes It's Harder

We like to be in control of the day and exude a positive, optimistic attitude. Sometimes it just doesn't come as naturally or as easily as it does on other days. Then we need to work at it.

We don't always wake up with a positive attitude, and some days are harder to face or to turn around than others. We might not be feeling 100%, we might have family issues that are preoccupying us, we might have enormous deadlines or pressures at the office, we might have financial concerns, or it might just be an off day. Then we have to work to turn the day around.

In my podcast message today "Sometimes It's Harder" I talk about our attitudes and facing each day.

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.

Desire Only Goes So Far

Many people have a desire to succeed, but desire only gets us so far. It gets us in the game. Then the skill and ability and the execution have to take over.

In many athletic contests - team sports or individual pursuits - the desire to excel, to win, to do better than the last outing, to represent your team well, to outperform your opponent, and to not embarrass yourself are all present. However, it takes more than desire. Desire is an attitude - and an important one - it can make the difference between equally prepared teams but not substitute for ability.

In my podcast message today "Desire Only Goes So Far" I talk about getting past the desire to the actual execution.

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.

A Gift From Steve Jobs

In offering a tribute to Steve Jobs, I elaborate what his wish is for all of us - that we find something to do that we can get behind 100% and devote all of our energies to it.

It's this passion that drove him and that we need to find to be happy in what we do. Steve Jobs talked  about being passionate about what we do and to keep looking until we find that one activity that motivates us this way. Steve Jobs found his life's work, and we can as well.

In my podcast message today "A Gift From Steve Jobs" I talk about this powerful inspirational concept.

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.

Have You Given Today?

We all have something to give, and we should go out of our way each day to give to each other - a smile, a compliment, a kind word. Being generous does not necessarily mean giving our money. We have so much more to give.

While we often equate generosity with giving money, there are many other ways to be generous. When we do someone for someone that they can't do for themselves or can't repay us, these are great examples of generous acts. Paying it forward is this type of concept.
In my podcast message today "Have You Given Today?" I talk about the concept of giving - of ourselves and our talents and abilities - to others without expectation of a like 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. © 2011, Steve Hoffacker. All Rights Reserved.

Thank You For What You Leave Behind

 

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.

Missed Training Opportunity

Managers often miss an opportunity to mentor their charges because it's easier just for them to step in and do things rather than taking the time and enduring the learning curve to teach someone else to do them. There's also a large patience factor for learning to occur.

I have witnessed this several times, but an experience today really illustrated the issue. Even when the manager or experienced person feels compelled to assist the customer because they can provide the answer in the shortest possible time, the trainee or lesser experienced person should be invited to participate or watch what is going on.
In my podcast message today "Missed Training Opportunity" I warn us not to overlook situations where we can mentor people coming behind 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.

Overcoming Tall Odds

Football teams that are seemingly outclassed and trailing by several points in the closing minutes of the game are generally thought to be fighting a lost cause. However, I saw two games over the weekend where teams came back from a large deficit to win the game - teaching us about staying the course and not giving up.


We might have a tendency when facing similar odds just to give in or give up, to withdraw, to wait for another day. We can take a great lesson from these games. They did not let the situation control them. They methodically approached winning the game - and prevailed.


In my podcast message today "Overcoming Tall Odds" I warn us about not playing it through and attempting to win even against long odds.


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.

I Can't Talk Now

Telephone manners need a lot of work. Sometimes we are not intentionally discourteous to each other, but the end result is the same.

Many people pretend to be busy doing something else when we call them so that they don't have to talk with us - when a little courtesy and a recognition of how we can help them is what is needed.

Clients and colleagues who call us on the phone are often greeted by exasperated pleas of being too busy too engage them when this really isn't the case. Sometimes there are real reasons why we can't take a call or devote much time to it, but usually it's just a case of not wanting to talk.

In my podcast message today "I Can't Talk Now" I suggest we be honest with more with people - and ourselves - and make time to talk. Isn't that why we have a phone anyway?

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.