Steve Hoffacker's Sales Quips: January 2010

In his first year in office, President Obama gave 411 speeches - on health care, cap and trade, global warming, employment, the stimulus, cash for clunkers, and other such issues and programs. When did he have time to govern?

As a public speaker and teacher, I know that preparation, travel, delivering the material, and winding down from an event can consume several hours. That said, at a pace of over one speech a day, how was there much time left for anything else? No wonder he delayed his important Afgan troop decision for months - he was simply too busy campaigning and running around the country to focus on security.

Now, he wants to investigate the BCS in college football. As much as I dislike the BCS and have laid out plans for a playoff system, the President, the Congress, and the Justice Department definitely are out-of-bounds on this one. Fifteen yards for unsportsmanlike conduct.

In the first place, they have no standing.

In the second place, they have no standing but are trying to say it may viloate antitrust laws. Funny since the athletic directors and the coaches at major schools affected support the BCS.

In the third place, there is a contract in place between the schools, the BCS, and the networks through 2015. Normally, this would be enough, but we know how the President feels about breaking contracts - just ask the GM and Chrysler bond holders and franchisees.

The President's number one priority is keeping us safe. He is willing to do everything but this, including making up things to do that he has no business being concerned about as President.

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For more information on my coaching and educational programs and services, visit my website stevehoffacker.com or go to my other blog homesalesinsights.com for additional sales tips, insights, and commentary. You can also listen to my free podcast messages at Steve Hoffacker's Happenings.

© Steve Hoffacker, 2010. All Rights Reserved.

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For more information on my coaching and educational programs and services, visit my website stevehoffacker.com or go to my other blog homesalesinsights.com for additional sales tips, insights, and commentary. You can also listen to my free podcast messages at Steve Hoffacker's Happenings.

© Steve Hoffacker, 2010. 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 President doesn't understand small business. He's never been in business. He doesn't get it. Therefore, his attempts to help small business are not that sound. This is after he has attacked small business repeatedly with threats of new taxes.

It's only now, that he needs to focus on job creation, that small businesses seem to matter.

How does his plan create jobs?

The President has proposed a $5,000 tax credit per employee for all people hired by an existing business. Presumably these are new hires and not recalled workers.

If small businesses (including brokerages), in general, are having a tough time of just staying afloat, how do they create the additional demand and find the additional capital to hire and train more workers? Remember this is only a credit - it offsets money after it is already spent. Can't spend the money? No credit. Oh, that's where we started.

And if you want to start a business - which seems like a viable option for some people laid off by other businesses - and you want to hire people to help - again with limited financial resources - you only get half that of an exisitng company, or $2,500 per person as a credit.

Are start-up jobs really only worth half of an additional position at an existing company? Seems like new, start-up jobs would be even more valuable - not less.

This looks like more of a gesture than anything of actual substance. Now, if the government wanted to become a customer and begin placing some orders with small businesses around the country, that might work.

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For more information on my coaching and educational programs and services, visit my website stevehoffacker.com or go to my other blog homesalesinsights.com for additional sales tips, insights, and commentary. You can also listen to my free podcast messages at Steve Hoffacker's Happenings.

© Steve Hoffacker, 2010. All Rights Reserved.

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For more information on my coaching and educational programs and services, visit my website stevehoffacker.com or go to my other blog homesalesinsights.com for additional sales tips, insights, and commentary. You can also listen to my free podcast messages at Steve Hoffacker's Happenings.

© Steve Hoffacker, 2010. 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.

Obstacles and opportunities - closed doors and open doors - it's how we use them.

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For more information on my coaching and educational programs and services, visit my website stevehoffacker.com or go to my other blog homesalesinsights.com for additional sales tips, insights, and commentary. You can also listen to my free podcast messages at Steve Hoffacker's Happenings.

© Steve Hoffacker, 2010. 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 President just announced a spending freeze - and likely will talk more about it tonight. It is a trick. Do not be fooled into thinking that this is anything good - far from it.

The budgets were run up last year - double digits over the already high 2008 numbers. Then many (but not all) were frozen. Careful. This does not mean that there is no increase. It means that they remain at the the 22 or 35 or whatever percent they increased in 2009 over 2008 levels. Freeze. Not hardly. More like stonewalled - especially since the "frozen" budgets cannot be restricted, and spending can't be cut for three years.

The President has found a way to make an end run around the Congress and the Constitution.

More manipulation with our money - and no seat at the table.

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For more information on my coaching and educational programs and services, visit my website stevehoffacker.com or go to my other blog homesalesinsights.com for additional sales tips, insights, and commentary. You can also listen to my free podcast messages at Steve Hoffacker's Happenings.

© Steve Hoffacker, 2010. All Rights Reserved.

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For more information on my coaching and educational programs and services, visit my website stevehoffacker.com or go to my other blog homesalesinsights.com for additional sales tips, insights, and commentary. You can also listen to my free podcast messages at Steve Hoffacker's Happenings.

© Steve Hoffacker, 2010. 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.

Recently, the American taxpayer got stiffed for a huge junket by Members of Congress and the Administration for their unrequired and unnecessary attendance at the climate change confab. It produced nothing. There is no crisis, there is no manmade climate change that can be substantiated, and the entire premise of the meeting was faulty.

Nevertheless, Nancy Pelosi, several other Members of Congress (from both parties), their staffs, the President, the Secretary of State, some 60 Administration staffers, and employees from the State Department and EPA - some 165 in all - attended this grand affair and apparently were charged the 6-night minimum at the 5-star Marriott hotel regardless of their length of stay. Airfare totaled over $1.1 million.

Hasn't anyone in the government heard of expedia, priceline or cheaptickets.com? A 5-star hotel? Really?

First, no one from this country should have even attended the event for three very simple reasons: (1) global warming climate change at the hand of man is not a fact so staging a UN conference to discuss something that doesn't exist is just silly, (2) no one expected any enforceable treaty would emerge from this event anyway - again making it unnecessary, and (3) we couldn't afford to send anyone - the real biggie.

Second, since these three simple concepts were ignored, anyone on the public payroll, who did not receive prior approval from us, the taxpayers, to attend should be required to repay every dime and not be allowed to take any international trips for at least 12 months.

Third, a citizens' council (we'll figure out the details of how it works later) should be formed to evaluate written travel requests by members of Congress and the Administration - and accept or deny them - based on the following criteria: (1) it must be in the budget of that department, (2) it must have a compelling economic or security benefit to the United States as explained in writing, (3) the lowest airfare and hotel rate will be determined for that city and this is all that will be allowed, (4) only the standard IRS per diem for meals will be allowed, (5) excepting the President acting as the Head of State, the reason for more than one person going as an official representative of our government must be explained and documented in writing, and (6) all spouses, assistants, and staffers will travel at their own expense unless paid for personally by their spouse or immediate supervisor.

As I recall, it was "Join the Navy and see the world" and not "get elected or work in Washington and see the world at our expense."

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For more information on my coaching and educational programs and services, visit my website stevehoffacker.com or go to my other blog homesalesinsights.com for additional sales tips, insights, and commentary. You can also listen to my free podcast messages at Steve Hoffacker's Happenings.

© Steve Hoffacker, 2010. All Rights Reserved.

The countdown continues - now with a little more interest and momentum since last week's victory by Scott Brown.

Add to this, the win we are anticipating by Ed Lynch next Tuesday in the 19th District of Florida.

We now have just 40 weeks until Tuesday, November 2 - election day.

Make sure to mark it on your calendar. There will continue to be weekly reminders.

All 435 seats in the House plus 36 seats in the Senate are up for grabs.

Keep the pressure up on replacing everyone who has voted for the health care bill, cap and trade, stimulus, omnibus, TARP, cash for clunkers, earmarks, and pork.

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For more information on my coaching and educational programs and services, visit my website stevehoffacker.com or go to my other blog homesalesinsights.com for additional sales tips, insights, and commentary. You can also listen to my free podcast messages at Steve Hoffacker's Happenings.

© Steve Hoffacker, 2010. All Rights Reserved.