The Routine

I love to read and I read a lot. Sometimes I think why should I read about sales and technology, I have been doing it for most of my career. Don't I know most of these ideas anyway, deep down. I could be playing my PSP or PS2 of WII (ok the last two are my kids, but the first is mine). I could be watching TV or just vegging out. Why read so much (I read about one book a month and about 6 magazines). I realized last night it is because I am always trying to get better. I am always trying to push myself. I get burnt out every so often and need to take a break, but I know I take a couple of days to refresh and get back at it. Like the old saying you are either green and growing or red and rotting. I had a discussion last week from my friend Mike in of Syand. He was feeling guilty for needing a little break. I think it is good for a person. We (or at least I am) are creatures of habit and I love my routine, but sometimes I need to let my hair down and just have fun. But after I do that for a day or two it is back to the old grind, and to tell you the truth I enjoy it. I love my life and what I do. Can you say that? If not, why are you where you are at right now?

Mall of America

Back at work after a few days off and ready to get at it. I love what I do, but sometimes you need to take a little time to recharge the batteries. I took the family up to the Mall of America in Minneapolis for the first time (being only 3 hours away I feel guilty that this was the first time to take the family). I had been there one time before for about 2 hours where I helped a friend pick a Lego toy out for his children, buy a new pair of sunglasses and then enjoy an excellant meal of Hooter's wings (they really do have good wings). This time we designated 2 days for the event, and probably walked into only 3 stores the whole time. My kids LOVED the amusement park. There was something there that all of them could enjoy (11 years, 22 months and 7 months). Most of the time I just marveled at the environment (it is so much more than just a mall). There is something for any age and whatever a person would want to do. It is truely a marketing marvel. It makes me think - what are we missing with our clients. Do they come to us because they want to, or because it is less painful than changing? I hope it is because of the relationships we have built, but for some I am not sure.
On a side note - with the way that the mall was busy, I certainly didn't feel any economic pressures. People seemed to be spending A LOT of money and seemed pretty happy about it.

Planning

I have been finding it difficult to take the time to blog lately. It seems like it is the first thing off my agenda when items get backed up, and I am trying to change that. I have been out of the office a lot lately on long trips and it plays heck with getting work done. I can get the normal day to day work done, but it is all the paperwork that backs up on me. I read a blog by a friend of mine this morning (Steve Riat - you can find a link to his blog on the side of this entry) in regards to salespeople in the office. I am torn with the idea. I think time out of the office is necessary, but so is time in the office. He made a great point of spending 1 hour a day on new clients - I just need to sit down and figure out how to get it all done. I am taking another great idea from a friend (Stuart Crawford - he also has a link on the side of this entry) and taking a planning day in a couple of weeks. This planning day will entail looking at sales numbers to date and where I want to be and how I am going to get there. It will entail reviewing my plan of how I work with my clients and what changes need to be made with that also. Without goals and a plan how are you going to get anywhere in life?

Friends

Well finally feel like I am getting caught up from last week. Off this morning to a planing session with a client. I love to meet with clients and help them! It always gives me quite a rush.
Had a great discussion with my good friend Mike from Syand Corp in Minneapolis yesterday. It is a necessity to have someone who you can call and talk about anything and everything with. We met through HTG3 and at first I was not sure if I was going to like Mike. We come at things from different angles and I had the feeling that we wouldn't see things eye to eye. But since that first meeting I have found his input to be invaluabel. His perspective is an exceellant source to cause me to think out of the box. I have finally gotten to th point in my life where I am secure enough that I want those different perspectives to gauge my ideas off of. That is how we get ahead. My question is how many of your friends are just like you and how many are cut from a diifferent model? Variety is the true spice fo life!

Priorities

Wow time has flown since my last entry and sad to say I don't know where it went. I got back from WWPC on Friday afternoon and had to jump in a car and drove to the east side of Iowa for my grandmother's funeral. It was not a surprise, but still a hard event. The whole family got together and remembered the good times growing up and how things have changed - made me feel like an old person. It is times like this that you realize where your priorities need to be. I may not remember what I discussed with a client six months ago, but I do remember the first smile that my children had or playing football in the backyard with my oldest Noah - the important things. Not to say that a job isn't important, but we shouldn't make it the center of your life, something that I battle with every day.

WWPC - Day 3

What can I say but I am full and tired. I love learning new things and meeting new people, but I am ready to be home. It has been a great time and have learned a lot but am ready to get back to the regular day to day. I miss my family and selling - the things I love.

Thanks!
Joddey Hicks
HTS

Sent via Windows Mobile 6.0

WWPC

My first Microsoft World Wide Partner Conference has started. We are about 3 hours into the conference and I am already full of information. I know that everything needs to be taken with a grain of salt, but there is excitement. One of the best things is being able to hang out with me HTG3 peers. They are great business owners, but more important they are great people. I know that I can do anything when I have so many great people in my life.

Written Goals

It has been a long time since I last blogged and feel out of sorts. The week / month / quarter / year seem to be flying by. Without written goals I am not sure how I could be as focused as I am. Goals are very important to keep me focused (which I need a lot of help with) and to gauge how I am doing. Do you have goals? More importantly do you have them written down and review them? What good are they if you don't document. I will take it one step further, do you have people that hold you accountable to your goals? I didn't for the longest time and found that reviewing my goals was something I did, but mainly it was a job to do. Now with a group of people that hold me accountable (I email the status of my goals monthly out to them) and I need to understand and explain why things are the way they are. Are we being honest with ourselves and what we are doing daily? It is a lot of work, but like I said, keeps me focused and aware of where I am in regards to my goals. Try it - I think it will be well worth the work.