It’s IBS Time! How many of your are going to the International Builder Show? If you are be sure to join myself, Mike Lyon and Scott Stroud for our session. It will be the best spend of your time at the showYou will be sure to take away a bunch of great ideas to maximize your traffic.

Date: Wednesday, February 8
Time: 10:00 – 11:30 am
Location: West 311 G-H
Orlando Convention Center

Description: Nearly everything about our market has changed – including the selling environment, the buyer, our products and how we follow up on leads. One old-fashioned rule still applies, however: the unmatched potential in a prospect who has actually walked in the door. In this session, you’ll learn new ways to market, network and follow up to maximize your chances of closing the sale. This course will cover 100 new ideas a builder’s sales team can implement to maximize sales from the traffic they are getting.

Learning Outcomes:
Appreciate the real value of walk-in prospects, and learn new ways to follow up and close the deal.
Get insights that will help you achieve measurably better results – whether you’re a CEO, COO, builder, lender or sales or marketing manager.
Acquire great new ideas your sales team can use immediately to maximize sales from the walk-in traffic you’re already generating.
Speakers: Mike Lyon, Scott Stroud, Shirleen Von Hoffmann

By Shirleen Von Hoffmann Sales Coach and President of Home Builders Edge® and Vortex Sales Solutions ® ©2012

“Staying motivated in a down market can be challenging.”

Let’s start with the down market thing.
Always remember the saying, “There is money to be made in every market” and I will add to that, it’s just a matter if YOU are the one making the money. Top producers don’t really have down markets and they don’t acknowledge there is a down market. They stay busy doing what they do and miraculously they continue to thrive. They don’t like to admit to down markets because that is like admitting to defeat. They acknowledge the market may be slower than usual but it doesn’t really seem to interrupt their continued progress. So let’s just say, they never AGREE to a “DOWN MARKET” and therefore in their mindset, it’s business as usual.

Staying Motivated
Okay now that we have the down market thing out of the way, let’s talk about staying motivated. Sales People are self-motivated, self-driven, self-taught and self-employed. When you are down, YOU are the one to pick yourself right back up and get back to business. There are many ways to stay motivated but here are just a few that will help…

1. Never buy into down market sagas from others…move forward while they whine.
2. Continuously motivate yourself toward your goals.
3. Pump yourself up with positive self-talk.
4. Have a plan of attack, prepared, everyday, to fill your day.
5. Your plan should include prospecting, learning new skills, follow up.
6. Try to practice and perfect one piece of your sales routine each day.
7. Change yourself up quite often. Don’t get stuck in routines, their boring and make you boring.
8. After every prospect encounter ask, “Did I do the best I could with that prospect?”
9. After every prospect encounter ask, “How could I have done that better?”
10. After every prospect encounter ask, “Did I move the sale forward?”
11. After every prospect encounter ask, “Did I find reasons to follow up?”
12. After every prospect encounter ask, “Did I close?”

And don’t forget to pat yourself on the back and recognize your achievements in these areas. Sometimes your boss won’t know all of the things you are doing to be great in the background, but they will see it from your sales progress!

Happy Sales!

If you are attending the International Builder show in Orlando Florida, make sure to attend Shirleen’s session with Mike Lyon and Scott Stroud, “100 ways to maximize the traffic you do have”.

You will take away alot of great ideas so be ready to have some fun!




I read this somewhere recently, and I have my opinion on this topic…but I would like to know yours.

Do you think Sales is a profession?  If so, why?  If not, why?

People with dreams and goals succeed primarily because of these four things:

They know where they’re going

They have a plan to get there

They practice, learn, take in new knowledge and sharpen their skills, all of the time!

They have the confidence to get what they want

In life, you must determine what winning means to you — you must define your success and you also have to determine what it will take to get there.

Think about:

A triathlon participant has to know where the finish line is and the path to get there to win the race. They must develop a winning strategy that includes proper training including running, biking and swimming, nutrition, hydration, pace setting and overcoming race-day obstacles.  They see themselves winning!

Golfers must know where they need to score on each hole to finish in first place.  They see the ball going where they want it to go.  They play hundreds of rounds with many different coaches, to perfect their skillsets, before being able to play in a Professional Golf Tournament.

Students who want to become doctors have to know the goal, before they can enroll, navigate around their classes, course materials, grants, student loans, housing, tuition, anticipating their future life as an intern before they can become a Doctor.  They all set a goal, map out the details of that goal, learn, practice and see themselves accomplishing that goal with confidence.

The same is true for you. You must know where you want to go and have a plan or strategy and confidence to get what you set out for. Otherwise, you could end up almost anywhere or nowhere.

The challenge for each of us is defining our goals.  The New Year is a perfect time to redefine your goals and your life.  No one else can do it for you…not your Manager, your spouse or co-workers, you are unique and have your own set of goals to achieve this year.  So have you done yours yet?

Knowing your destination makes the rest of the journey possible!

Happy Sales!

This week marks the start of a new year; what an opportunity for a fresh start.  You should be on your way for a great year in 2012.  2011 is gone, gone, gone, never to be again!  Thank Goodness!  We can now take dead aim on 2012.  No more sitting in the trenches waiting for this market to take off.  In 2012 you will be reaching out and making the market yours!

Successful people achieve mastery through the details. Meaning they focus in on one thing first and then move on.  They show up…everyday…with a plan…and knock off one thing…then another…then another…Have you made you plan yet? 

Here is the key question to focus in on this week.  It is the question that will absolutely make or break the year 2012 and beyond.

What are the things that I can do, that would make the biggest impact in my business?

Success is not built on being lucky.  Success is built on mastery. You have a craft, it’s called Sales.  You need to practice to master your craft just as a doctor, lawyer, or sportsman of any kind.  Once mastery has occurred our careers and lives move to new levels of opportunity.  We can’t create mastery by working on ten things at once.  We have to work methodically with focus on the one thing that has the highest priority and then delegate the lower priority items to others.

We need to start the year off with renewed focus on our time and where we invest it.  Are we spending enough time on the high payoff activities of our business?  The control of our most precious resource, our time, will lead us to the purpose and vision we have set for our business.

Your ability to generate the income and lifestyle you desire is within YOUand no one else.  Creating momentum out of the chute is critical.  Make sure that you are applying the daily disciplines everyday.  And for those of you who are stuck, let me know where I can help!

Wishing you a Happy and Successful New Year!

Can’t wait to see what 2012 holds for all of us in Sales…  I believe we are going to see our markets slowly start recovery.  I believe it and see it happening in the field.  It’s not going to be a fast recovery but I think we will start going in the right direction.

What are you going to do different in 2012 to increase your sales?

Think about the things you can do today that will make your market better, write them down and execute it!

Start working on your plan right now and into the new year.  If you need help, email me and I can help you to lay out your goals for the New Year…

Happy New Year 2012 and Happy Sales!

Thank you for being part of the Queen of Sales blog, which shares insights on the subject of New Home Sales.   The Queen works overtime so you receive relevant sales and training information that you can utilize in your day to day skills.   May you use it to further your knowledge and insure your success in the real estate industry.

Here’s to your success in 2012,
Shirleen

I wanted to take the time to send you Holiday Greetings and wish you a prosperous New Year to come. I am so blessed with your fellowship and business.

Even though it has been a challenging year in the New Home Building industry, it appears to be picking up and in 2012 I think we will start to see the turnaround we have been waiting for. Slowly but surely this economy is going in the right direction. I know from a training and shopping aspect, business has been definitely picking up and Builders are really making sure their Sales Teams are the very best. I know this from not only my business but my colleagues are saying the same.

In the new year I hope you will be joining me at the IBS International Builders Show in February in Orlando. I will be speaking on 100 ways to maximize your traffic. Should be a great show. I truly love what I do and feel blessed to do it, please let me know if I can help your company in Sales Training, Coaching or Secret Shopping in the New Year.

I hope you and your family are happy, in good health, prosperous and truly enjoy the Holidays. I know how important good health is and I wish it upon you and everyone you love. I also pray for peace, prosperity and a wonderful 2012 for you.

At your Holiday table please give thanks for the final return of our soldiers yesterday and that we are finally pulled out of War. Boy is that a Christmas present or what! I pray each one of them returns safely and is able to adjust to a normal life after what they have been through to serve our country.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Shirleen shirleen@homebuildersedge.com

By Shirleen Von Hoffmann President and Sales Coach for HomeBuilders Edge and the Queen of Sales ™

Does that sound familiar?
Are you ready for this regular objection you get every year at this time?
What’s your response to this?

My response would be, “Great, let’s plan a date good for you in January, and I’d be happy to give you a call then. In the meantime I will keep you informed on any great deals I may get throughout the holidays, because this is the time when we have incredible sales!”

As the Holidays approach many of your clients lose their focus on house buying and dive into the Holiday Rat Race. But don’t let that make you lose your focus. Many may think the Holidays are not a good time for Sales or prospecting but the opposite is true. Many Top Producers will tell you the Holidays are their busiest months. Why?

• Because they “focus in” when everyone else is “focused out”.
• Because they realize that prospects walking in their doors are really serious or they certainly wouldn’t be there.
• Because they realize it’s a great time to prospect when the traffic is lower.
• Because in December it can be a slow month in many industries, some people are on vacation and in most offices tend to slow down. What this means is that prospects may have more time to speak with you and or to meet with you.
• Because things are slower, prospects are frequently less harried and stressed out. Always good news!
• Because it’s a great time to show Realtors that you appreciated their business.
• Because it’s also a great time to map out your New Year and where you want to take your career goals.
Really work those coming in the door everyday knowing they are precious and serious. Continue making your follow up attempts and you will be surprised at the results you achieve. When you stay engaged in your prospects in December you will be able to hit the ground running in January with new Sales, a pipeline of qualified prospects and solid appointments.

Which means you will leave your competition singing the Holiday Blues!

Happy Holidays and Happy Sales!