Anna Gibbs's Blog

10 Common Time Management Mistakes

Anna Gibbs (Keller Williams Realty Hudson Valley United) — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 22:58:57 -0800

10 Common Time Management Mistakes

Avoiding Common Pitfalls

How well do you manage your time? If you're like many people, your answer may not be completely positive! Perhaps you feel overloaded, and you often have to work late to hit your deadlines. Or maybe your days seem to go from one crisis to another, and this is stressful and demoralizing.

Many of us know that we could be managing our time more effectively; but it can be difficult to identify the mistakes that we're making, and to know how we could improve.

When we do manage our time well, however, we're exceptionally productive at work, and our stress levels drop. We can devote time to the interesting, high-reward projects that can make a real difference to a career. In short, we're happier!

Mistake #1. Failing to Keep a To-Do List

Do you ever have that nagging feeling that you've forgotten to do an important piece of work? If so, you probably don't use a To-Do List to keep on top of things. (Or, if you do, you might not be using it effectively!)

The trick with usingto-do lists effectively lies in prioritizing the tasks on your list. Many people use an A - F coding system (A for high priority items, F for very low priorities). Alternatively, you can simplify this by using A through D, or by using numbers.

If you have large projects on your list, then, unless you're careful, the entries for these can be vague and ineffective. For instance, you may have written down "Start on budget proposal." But what does this entail? The lack of specifics here might cause you to procrastinate, or miss key steps. So make sure that you break large tasks or projects down into specific, actionable steps - then you won't overlook something important.

Mistake #2. Not Setting Personal Goals

Do you know where you'd like to be in six months? What about this time next year, or even 10 years from now? If not, it's time to set some personal goals!

Personal goal setting is essential to managing your time well, because goals give you a destination and vision to work toward. When you know where you want to go, you can manage your priorities, time, and resources to get there. Goals also help you decide what's worth spending your time on, and what's just a distraction.

Mistake #3. Not Prioritizing

Your assistant has just walked in with a crisis that she needs you to deal with right now, but you're in the middle of brainstorming ideas for a new client. You're sure that you've almost come up with a brilliant idea for their marketing campaign, but now you risk losing the thread of your thinking because of this "emergency."

Sometimes, it's hard to know how to prioritize, especially when you're facing a flood of seemingly-urgent tasks. However, it's essential to learn how to prioritize tasks effectively if you want to manage your time better.

Mistake #4. Failing to Manage Distractions

Do you know that some of us can lose as much as two hours a day to distractions? Think how much you could get done if you had that time back!

Whether they come from emails, IM chats, colleagues in a crisis, or phone calls from clients, distractions prevent us from achieving flow, which is the satisfying and seemingly effortless work that we do when we're 100 percent engaged in a task.

If you want to gain control of your day and do your best work, it's vital to know how to minimize distractions and manage interruptions effectively. For instance, turn off your IM chat when you need to focus, and let people know if they're distracting you too often. You should also learn how to improve your concentration, even when you're faced with distractions.

Mistake #5. Procrastination

Procrastination occurs when you put off tasks that you should be focusing on right now. When you procrastinate, you feel guilty that you haven't started; you come to dread doing the task; and, eventually, everything catches up with you when you fail to complete the work on time.

For instance, one useful strategy is to tell yourself that you're only going to start on a project for ten minutes. Often, procrastinators feel that they have to complete a task from start to finish, and this high expectation makes them feel overwhelmed and anxious. Instead, focus on devoting a small amount of time to starting. That's all!

You might also find it helpful to use Action Plans. These help you break large projects down into manageable steps, so that it's easy to see everything that you need to get done, and so that you can complete small chunks at a time; doing this can stop you from feeling overwhelmed at the start of a new project.

Mistake #6. Taking on too Much

Are you a person who has a hard time saying "no" to people? If so, you probably have far too many projects and commitments on your plate. This can lead to poor performance, stress, and low morale.

Or, you might be a micromanager: someone who insists on controlling or doing all of the work themselves, because they can't trust anyone else to do it correctly. (This can be a problem for everyone - not just managers!) Either way, taking on too much is a poor use of your time, and it can get you a reputation for producing rushed, sloppy work.

To stop this, learn the subtle art of saying "yes" to the person, but "no" to the task. This skill helps you assert yourself, while still maintaining good feelings within the group. If the other person starts leaning on you to say "yes" to their request, learn how to think on your feet, and stay cool under pressure.

Mistake #7. Thriving on "Busy"

Some people get a rush from being busy. The narrowly-met deadlines, the endless emails, the piles of files needing attention on the desk, the frantic race to the meeting... What an adrenaline buzz!

The problem is that an "addiction to busyness" rarely means that you're effective, and it can lead to stress.

Instead, try to slow down, and learn to manage your time better.

Mistake #8. Multitasking

To get on top of her workload, Linda regularly writes emails while she chats on the phone to her clients. However, while Linda thinks that this is a good use of her time, the truth is that it can take 20-40 percent more time to finish a list of jobs when you multitask, compared with completing the same list of tasks in sequence. The result is also that she does both tasks poorly - her emails are full of errors, and her clients are frustrated by her lack of concentration.

So, the best thing is to forget about multitasking, and, instead, focus on one task at a time. That way, you'll produce higher quality work.

Mistake #9. Not Taking Breaks

It's nice to think that you can work for 8-10 hours straight, especially when you're working to a deadline. But it's impossible for anyone to focus and produce really high-quality work without giving their brains some time to rest and recharge.

So, don't dismiss breaks as "wasting time." They provide valuable down-time, which will enable you to think creatively and work effectively.

If it's hard for you to stop working, then schedule breaks for yourself, or set an alarm as a reminder. Go for a quick walk, grab a cup of coffee, or just sit and meditate at your desk. Try to take a five minute break every hour or two. And make sure that you give yourself ample time for lunch - you won't produce top quality work if you're hungry!

Mistake #10. Ineffectively Scheduling Tasks

Are you a morning person? Or do you find your energy picking up once the sun begins to set in the evening? All of us have different rhythms, that is, different times of day when we feel most productive and energetic. You can make best use of your time by scheduling high-value work during your peak time, and low-energy work (like returning phone calls and checking email), during your "down" time.

Twelve Tips for Making 2012 Your Best Year Yet

Anna Gibbs (Keller Williams Realty Hudson Valley United) — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 07:26:55 -0800

Twelve Tips for Making 2012 Your Best Year Yet

1. Stay Positive. It's more important than you think or others want you to believe, You can listen to the cynics and doubters and believe that success is impossible and that having a positive attitude doesn't matter or you can trust that with faith and an optimistic attitude all things are possible.

2. Develop Laser Focus. Each day when you wake up in the morning ask yourself: "What are the three most important things I need to do to move me closer to my goals?"

3. Get Real Instead of being disappointed about where you are, think optimistically about where you are going.

4. Get more sleep. You can't replace sleep with a double latte.

5. Filter - Surround yourself with the right people. Don't waste your precious energy on gossip, energy vampires, issues of the past, negative thoughts or things you cannot control.

6. Take 100% Responsibility for who you are and what you do. If you are looking to give something up in 2012; try giving up all blaming, complaining and excuse making. You can not make excuses and progress at the same time.

7. Develop Faith - Believe that everything happens for a reason and expect good things to come out of challenging experiences.

8. Stop Wasting Your Time - Reevaluate how you spend your time and stop doing the time-wasters. The Pareto Principle, the 80/20 rule says that 20 percent of your activity produces 80 percent of your income. Simply put, this means you should spend 80 percent of your time on the 20 percent of your activities responsible for driving your income. Figure out what your 80 percent activities are, and stop doing those so you can focus more time on the 20 percent activities that make the real difference in your results and income.

9. Commit to Learning - Read more books than you did in 2011. Divide your reading list into books to enhance your career as well as books for pleasure. Attend classes or trainings and divide those up as well between work and personal or spiritual development.

10. Celebrate your successes on a daily basis, the small victories as well as the big accomplishments. Review your day every night before you go to bed and acknowledge what you are most thankful for and what you did well.

11. Smile and laugh more. They are natural anti-depressants. And it can actually help you attract more opportunities and business because people will be drawn to you.

12. Be accountable. To your goals and to others. Creating goals is important. Achieving them is better! So develop an action plan to help you get there and realize that an accountability partner can help you stay on track.

Anna Gibbs is a Certified Business Coach and a Certified Life Coach for more information about Anna and her coaching services please visit www.annagibbs.net or www.facebook.com/coachannagibbs

Happy New Year! 6 Ways to Make Your Resolutions a Reality

Anna Gibbs (Keller Williams Realty Hudson Valley United) — Sun, 01 Jan 2012 15:42:37 -0800

If you are like most people than you probably started out this new year with a list of new goals for yourself. You know a new you for the new year kind of thing. I know how you feel; a resolution created because it's a new year can be exciting and inspiring. However, the problems start when your resolve stops. And again like most people that usually happens sometime before Valentine's Day. And by Memorial Day you don't even remember what your resolutions were; and then before you know it, it's New Year's Eve again! Now suddenly you remember last year's resolution and start berating yourself saying, How did I waste another whole year?

This year CAN be different! Turn your resolutions into a reality by focusing on the reality of things. In other words; creating goals for ourselves is important to our achievement however, not when our goals are unrealistic or too out of reach because we don't take the time to figure out HOW to achieve the goals. Goals should be clear, simple to understand, measurable and do-able. The other thing to keep in mind this time of year is to just focus on one or two important resolutions or goals that will have a profound and positive impact on your life rather than coming up with a dozen things you are going to do differently in the new year.

Take a look at the list below for some strategies to implement to help make whatever your resolution(s) might be into a reality finally. Won't it be great to celebrate rather than scold yourself next New Year's Eve!

Write it down! You have heard it before (especially from me) but the truth is there is power in your pen! Writing down your goals forces you to get clear about what you want. Taking pen to paper will allow you to create a contract with yourself. Taking the time to put your thoughts on paper also brings those thoughts "outside" of you. Now your words can speak back to you from the paper.
Find a replacement. If one of your resolutions is to stop doing something or to break a bad habit; what will you replace it with? What can you choose to add to your life that will fill a possible void left by eliminating even a bad habit? This will allow you to focus on adding positive things to your life rather than just removing negative.
Tell someone else. Talking about your goal(s) -regardless of what it is - with someone else will give you support and encouragement as well as a sense of accountability. And that can accelerate your progress.
Take baby steps every day. Even small steps taken toward a goal consistently will move you in the right direction. Focus on progress rather than perfection. Consistent effort over time is how we accomplish our goals so don't give up!
Decide and act. The one thing that gets in the way of accomplishing our goals is often ourselves! The first step in getting out of your own way is to make a decision about what you really, really, really want. Then the next step is to take action! A decisive plan and a positive outlook are great but that alone does not get the hob done! You must take action! So once you make the resolution, how will you get there? What's the plan?
Celebrate your successes. Anytime you reach a milestone in your progress, stop for a moment and celebrate! Acknowledge your accomplishments in a positive way. For example, if your New Year's resolution is to loose 30 pounds, acknowledge the first 10. If you drop a size in clothing, buy a new outfit. Celebrating your success is rewarding yourself for the progress you have made and that will inspire you to stick to your action plan.

10 Quick Tips to Be Successful with Facebook for Business

Anna Gibbs (Keller Williams Realty Hudson Valley United) — Mon, 11 Jul 2011 13:35:10 -0700

1. Create a business page to promote your business. Profiles are meant for individuals, pages are meant for businesses. These pages have different features to them that make them incredibly more valuable for a business. A business page is public, no one needs to ask to be your "friend" the page can be "liked" by anyone allowing more exposure for you. The things you post on your business page can be shared by your "fans". Also, business pages come with analytics on engagement so you can understand your reach and marketing effectiveness on Facebook. A business page allows easy access, participation and visibility.

2. Be Social - Social media, especially Facebook is a natural match for sales people who want to reach more people to do business with. Businesses can thrive on word of mouth advertising, relationship building and active participation. Facebook allows you an opportunity to share your excitement about your business.

3. Be Engaged - Be there and be there often. Participate in conversations because Facebook allows you to network, prospect, build relationships and market your services to new customer opportunities as well. Engagement is regular interaction with the people you are connected to on Facebook. The biggest draw to Facebook is the fact that it is interactive and information is constantly changing through the news feed; so be a part of it. Don't just focus on what you can say through your status updates but spend some time to "work the room"; peruse the news feed and see who you can interact with.

4. Provide good content - Once you create your business page; go beyond the social aspects and provide good, valuable content. Share articles on topics that relate and support what you do for a living. The articles can be blogs you have written or you can share articles from others.

5. Use video - Video is a hot way to add a new dimension to the content you share on your Facebook page. You can create powerful, relevant content with video such as a short 3 or 4 minute video blog (people love to watch what you have to say rather than read it sometimes) you can also record video testimonials or "how to" videos to highlight your product or service.

6. Update often- They say 98% of all interaction on Facebook happens in the news feed. Which means most people are not going to visit your page directly unless you catch their attention by posting often so they see your update in the news feed.

7. Make it interesting - Share a variety of information so that your audience is looking forward to your next post. If you update your business page with interesting content, your users are more likely to engage with your page, and remember their interactions can be seen by their networks, which allows you more exposure!

8. Don't turn off your wall - Facebook is SOCIAL media marketing! It should allow for interaction and you want that if you are looking to cast a bigger net and gain more clients. Turning off wall posts or comments on your page is like saying to your customers, I don't want to hear what you have to say. Should someone say something negative on your wall you can choose to respond or even delete the comment.

9. Don't Sell on Your Page - I know I sound like I am contradicting myself right now, but what I mean is use the power of Facebook to engage and make connections to build relationships that will lead to sales opportunities. But to sound like a commercial everyday; "buy what I sell" or "use my service" will lead to eye rolling and avoidance. Instead show me who you are and why you are someone I might like to do business with.

10. Stay Focused - Facebook can be a powerful tool in your marketing plan but it can also be a time stealer if you let it! Time block 15 minutes in the morning, 15 minutes in the afternoon to network and post on your page. Save nights and weekends to chat with friends and look at the pictures of your niece's dance recital.

How to get more done!

Anna Gibbs (Keller Williams Realty Hudson Valley United) — Fri, 24 Jun 2011 14:38:56 -0700

So much to do, so little time? Feeling unorganized? Missed a deadline or two? Not getting enough of the things that matter done in a day? Does this sound like you?

We work hard to create a life worth living. A life that enables us to do the things we love, like work and volunteer, enjoy time with family and friends. This full life does not always mean that time is on our side. Sometimes the multitude of things we try to do in a day can often make us feel unorganized and overwhelmed and that can make us put off the things we know we need to do. Often, the very flexibility we work so hard to instill in our schedule is actually the very thing adding to our level of stress.

With simple tools and a plan to allow for structure and flexibility to co-exist you can overcome procrastination and feel more organized to truly find the freedom to love your life and get more done in a day.

Discover the truth. To uncover the real roadblocks, start by being honest with yourself. Explore the real reason why something is not getting done when it should. It is not usually for the reason(s) you think like just being busy. Procrastination shows up for many reasons. Are you procrastinating because the project or task is too big and you really need to chunk it down first? Or is it because you need help in the form of more information or support? Is the project something within your skill set? Do you understand what truly needs to be done? Or is it a matter of not feeling inspired? Whatever the reason, you must identify first in order to combat it. It is often the “mental clutter” that gets in our way.

Set and manage your goals. Create a clear plan of obtainable goals. Sometimes we overestimate what we can get done in a day. I coach my clients to work from a daily to-do list. I encourage them to create a list of only 5 or 6 things that they can commit to completing on that day. Be specific about what you can accomplish. Don’t tell yourself that you are going to do “as much as I possibly can” today. This is to vague of a plan and you will never feel like you got enough done. Choose your goals based on a realistic plan that is manageable and takes into account your schedule, energy and commitment to getting it done.

Establish priorities. Of all the things on your to-do list; what is the most important thing item on the list that will have the greatest impact on your goals? This is the item to tackle first. Don’t focus on the easy stuff first! The easy stuff is not what usually has the most impact on your business or your goals.

From to-do list to calendar - Once you have created that daily to-do list (preferably the night before) now it is time to get out your calendar and block the appropriate amount of time needed to get the job(s) done. Once the time is blocked, you must commit to it and only focus on the project within the time block. Don’t allow outside intrusions like phone calls, emails, tweets and updates to distract you and become disastrous interruptions. Instead, schedule 30 minute breaks between your time blocks to check those emails and voice mails. Knowing that you have that time to “plug back in” will allow you to have greater focus on your to-do’s.

Manage your time. Most of my clients are small business owners and Independent Contractors and they will all tell you that one of the first things I encourage them to do is get clear on your time and set business hours. In order to be truly productive we need structure. The more structure you create in your professional life the more freedom and flexibility you will have in your personal life. It’s true! Learning to separate time for work and play is crucial to living a healthy and balanced life that feels more harmonious than frustrating. Establishing business hours (and communicating those hours to the public) will allow you to do more and be more effective when you are working. It’s important to schedule family time, fun time, vacation time and even daily down time too. For most of us, it’s true that if it is not on our calendar it does not happen. So to make sure those things happen, schedule it!

Avoid distractions. Learn to say no sometimes! It is that simple. If someone inn your office, home or neighborhood engages in a conversation with you that is taking you away from the important things that need to get done, tell them you can’t talk right now and you need to go back to work. You don’t have to say yes every time a friend invites you to coffee or lunch either. Now, I am not saying you can’t enjoy yourself and have fun too but lets be clear about where your focus should be at that moment. Last minute invites should not take precedence over what you already have time blocked. Make plans to catch up at another time that will not interfere with your business goals. A good rule of thumb … Business needs to be done during business hours; socializing is before and after those hours!

Manage your volunteer work, don’t let it manage you! if you are like me, you probably belong to a few organizations and associations both professional and personal. I enjoy the roles I have in these numerous organizations. I enjoy volunteering my time and contributing to something that is bigger than myself. I have met some wonderful people and learned a lot about myself and the world we live in because of it. I have also added to my professional network and often experience the opportunity to create business opportunities too. However, I would not feel fulfilled if the time I put into these organizations left me feeling mentally and physically exhausted and depleted. So many of the ideas I have shared in this article will help you to do more and enjoy more through your volunteerism too.

Road Trip to Success

Anna Gibbs (Keller Williams Realty Hudson Valley United) — Mon, 13 Jun 2011 12:19:18 -0700

This is the time of year where many of us plan time away with our family. Summer is a great time to plan a road trip. Road trips can be fun and often lead to the discovery of new places allowing for new experiences and personal growth; but a poorly planned trip is no fun and can often be disastrous. Your business is on a road trip too, the results or outcome of the trip, just as your personal vacation will greatly depend on the planning you do before you get behind the wheel.

What type of trip is your business on? Have you taken the time to plan accordingly? Do you have a clear path ahead of you? Are you prepared should you hit a road block or an unexpected turn? Are you stocked with the right tools and provisions to make your trip easier and more enjoyable? Do you have an alternate route set up to help you to get to your final destination or goals?

A road trip to success needs to be paved with basic principles that will help you to remain focused and productive along the way. Some of those principles are:

Vision – Your vision will allow you to focus on the road ahead. Your vision needs to be clear and simple, yet should also be bold and compelling allowing you have new experiences and see new sights in your business plan or road trip. Your vision must remain in front of you at all times so that you don’t take a wrong turn. One way to keep your vision is to come up with one word that embodies it and focus on that word numerous times a day.

Purpose – Once you are clear on the vision of your business and its goals allow yourself to develop and understand your purpose. Your purpose is the answer to “Why am I doing all this? What is it all for?” Use your gifts, talents and strengths to bring purpose to everything you do. Burn out doesn’t come from what you do it often comes from forgetting why you’re doing it.

Optimism – This is the fuel for your road trip to success! Optimism is having hopefulness and confidence about the future. It means you expect the best outcome from any situation. Having optimism means you can respond more positively to events in your life and in your business.

Positivity - Being positive is without a doubt a major part of your success plan. Replace negativity with optimism and positive thoughts. This will lead to a deeper belief in your vision and your goals. It will keep your passion alive. Your optimism and positive outlook matter. When your mindset is focused on problems and negative outcomes all you will ever see are obstacles and challenges. Negativity can cost a business dearly. Positive people see solutions and work towards them.

Focus – What you focus on is what you will get. So ask yourself every day “What three things can I do today to bring me closer to my goals?” Tune out distractions because they often lead to destruction.

The New Age of Marketing

Anna Gibbs (Keller Williams Realty Hudson Valley United) — Wed, 08 Jun 2011 12:12:08 -0700

To remain competitive and most importantly relevant today a business must look at marketing and their strategy in a whole new light. Some traditional marketing strategies just don't pack the same punch they used to. People are not responding like they used to, prospects are not in the same places as before, the results are not the same.

So this is not bad news! As long as you are willing to rethink your marketing strategy.

You must have you noticed that everything is changing, right? Your industry advances, ideas expand, products and services develop. The world is moving and changing at a rapid rate. I get dizzy when I think about the technological advances we have seen in just the last 10 years. When so much of our world changes it is inevitable that our behavior will change. Especially consumer behavior. So when the market is shifting we need to shift with it or risk being left behind.

The way we do business might change however their is one thing that will remain constant. That is the fact that people are still an important part of the transaction. People are still important. Those people are members of your team, your customers, your prospects and your partners.

If you want to connect with customers and attract raving fans, the solution is very simple: Focus on people.

You can meet the needs of people by helping them solve their problems at no cost. When you help people with their smaller problems, many will look to you for their bigger issues.

When you offer great content—such as detailed how to articles, case studies, videos, expert interviews - that shows your audience you are focused on helping them, offering solutions to their needs. It clearly shows them that it is not about you, your service or your company. It is truly a gift to your audience.

If you can multiply that by hundreds, thousands or millions of people, you can rapidly grow your business through the online opportunities we have everyday through that crazy little thing called social media. It allows you to show up as yourself without selling. Instead you, demonstrate your level of expertise by the content you produce or share, you showcase your talent through the ideas you share, your personality comes through via the stories you tell. And that my friends will attract people to you.

Social media is a great and powerful tool for business owners and marketers to connect on a personal level with their customers. And let's face it, promoting a brand through social media is no longer unique or novel — it’s simply the norm. From Starbucks to Sephora, the use of social tools like Facebook and Twitter to spread awareness about a business to customers is widespread because that’s where brands find prospective customers and engage with existing patrons. The same holds true for your business and how you can connect your product or service to the customers you want to do business with.

However, to be a smart social media marketer you need to look at a few things.

1. Think long-term. There is no such thing as an over night success. The key here is to use social media to build relationships and relationships take time. Use social media to make connections, build relationships and cast yourself and your product or service in a positive light.

2. Leverage your "fans", your loyal customers and lift them to the status of evangelist. They will do a great job to promote you and help you build more of a loyal customer base.

3. Once you have created the community, listen to it, stay in touch. Be interactive.

4. Another key to social media success is consistency and commitment.

5. Provide or share good content. Information that is purposeful and helpful to your audience. Something they will find value in.

6. Network. Make connections or "friends". Comment on each other's pages. Create curiosity that will lead to interest that will lead to offline conversations that will lead to business opportunities.

Gen-X, Gen-Y ... how they impact your business & its growth.

Anna Gibbs (Keller Williams Realty Hudson Valley United) — Wed, 11 May 2011 08:06:31 -0700

We are in a new era. The world is changing faster than ever before and a driving force behind this change is a group of individuals known as Generation-Y. Born in the mid-1980's and later, Generation Y professionals are in their 20s and are just entering the workforce. With numbers estimated as high as 70 million, Generation Y (also known as the Millennials) is the fastest growing segment of today’s workforce. This group of individuals are also consumers and if you want to be relevant to them and gain them as a customer you need to be just as tech savvy and on the cutting edge as they are.

Today, everyone has a new attitude and a new way of doing things. Technology and social media has blurred the lines between work and personal life. Through proper leverage of this technology, we are able to get more done in less time wherever and whenever we can.

The younger generation has mastered technology and has made a new "normal" for the way we communicate, share, shop, sell and do business. The younger generation, roughly between the ages of 20-40, known as Gen-Y & Gen-X respectively operate in a very different mode. Texting, tweeting and updating a status over a Grande Carmel Macchiatto can all be done before 7am. This group has no need for a watch, because their cell phones have always told them what time it is.

How does this impact your business? Well for one thing, this younger generation has incredible buying power. Market research has shown us that the average consumer is getting younger and savvier all the time. If you want to gain the confidence & ultimately the business of this powerful segment of the population, you need to be attractive and more importantly relevant to them. One way to formulate that strategy is to first understand how the target audience thinks and lives. However, defining the younger generation can be challenging because they are moving at the speed of light.

For this generation, technology is a way of life. They don't need to "wrap their heads around it", they grew up with it. They communicate in 140 characters or less. They keep in touch with family & friends through "shared: photos and status updates, you tube videos and tweets. Social media, technology & even reality tv has made transparency the new norm. These younger consumers expect genuine, real communication and they want to know that anyone they work for, deal with or do business with "gets it".

As a sales professional it's important to attract people from across the spectrum and most importantly from these younger generations to truly build your business so that it can sustain in this decade and beyond.

Now, I want to be sure that I also state the importance of face to face communication as well. I am in no way implying that technology or the internet will replace the value you offer your customer as a trained and experienced professional. You will still need to engage in person to person networking and most deals will be struck sitting across the table from each other.

However, social media and the technology you implement in your business on a daily business will allow you to attract more clients and retain a different group of consumers than ever before. Social media for example allows you to start a conversation with a new prospect as well as continue to communicate with your existing clients all at the same time.

So isn't it time to position yourself to connect with more clients in less time? If you are not embracing technology, implementing social media in your everyday marketing is your business growing? Consumers are looking for us in new and different ways. Technology is a fundamental aspect of everyday life for the younger generations and beyond - for communication, education, entertainment and naturally business. How will you step up, reach out and connect?

Be a Super Star Seller

Anna Gibbs (Keller Williams Realty Hudson Valley United) — Mon, 02 May 2011 08:11:34 -0700

Focus your time and energy in the right areas and you will see huge results. I believe there are 4 probabilities that will lead to greater success in sales:

Knowledge Skills Attitude Activities

Knowledge – Personal development is so important to your success. Your formal education might help you make a living, but your personal education could help you make a fortune. Invest in yourself! Attend meetings, talk to other successful salespeople, read books & magazines geared toward sales & entrepreneurship. Take advantage of the training & support provided by your company. Seek outside coaching and training as well. All of these resources are great ways to grow from the inside out. Knowledge leads to confidence. Confidence leads to more successful transactions.

Skills – The sales skills you have can increase your focus & motivation. You can learn through your own experiences to gain skill, however it might take a long time! Learn as much as you can from others who do what you do. Seek out the top performers and the consistent sales people to learn from. You will find them more than willing to share. But practice makes perfect! You need to “work” at those sales skills too. Utilize scripts to develop a better language of sales, overcome objections and close more effectively.

Attitude - Your thoughts become things. Your current thoughts are creating your future life. Your beliefs become your thoughts & your thoughts control your actions. A belief – “The nightly news nor the economy dictates my success”. A thought from that belief – “My business will thrive this year because I want to be more successful.” What will the actions or activities be that result from that thought?

After attitude & belief, success in sales is all about your ability to be consistent. Being consistent in your effort, use of resources & your level of commitment to your goals is what will change your odds.

Activities - A business requires many activities to make it work. But here are some things to consider when it comes to activity. First of all, I believe that multi-tasking is a MYTH! Studies have shown that your mind can only do one thing well at a time! And some of the activities we find ourselves juggling in the name of multi-tasking are non-essential to the overall growth of our business. Structure your work days by blocking time to complete specific activities that will move you closer to your goals, Be aware of getting involved in activities that are just time fillers.

Perhaps you want to take a personal inventory of how you spend your time. For two or three days, keep a diary of your day. Just write down how you spent your day and how long it took to complete those activities. You will see in black and white how you spend your time. Ask yourself to honestly answer the question, “How much time is devoted to activities that will grow my business each day?”

Focus your time on activities that will make generate new leads for your business and ultimately will make you money!

Prospecting for new clients must be your #1 priority everyday. It’s how you support your business & it’s growth. Without a constant flow of leads where will your new business come from?

Prospecting is part of sales! It leads to referrals and it can be a lot of fun! Look for new ways to prospect. Where can you advertise & network for your business other than waiting for referrals?

“I want to become great at creating customers!”

You will always have a thriving business if you are committed to creating a big customer base. Create opportunities to meet new people. Stay in touch with past clients. Don’t be afraid to ask for business! Then ask for a referral too! This is the most important way to grow any business. It’s also the fastest way to get to your next commission check. People won’t know about your business until you tell them!

Here are a few things to keep in mind as you work on shining a little brighter:

Setting goals increases the balance in your checkbook!

Momentum is how a business stays alive.

Don’t fool yourself into thinking you have enough business or enough leads – ever!

Be passionate about what you do.

Treat others with respect and honesty. Allow your integrity, personality and professionalism to come through in everything you do.

Be clear and specific about what you want.

Set goals that will allow you to reach a little.

Believe in yourself as much as others do!

Make the Choice!

Anna Gibbs (Keller Williams Realty Hudson Valley United) — Fri, 29 Apr 2011 11:48:44 -0700

I am often told that I am a pretty positive person; often happy, smiling and energetic. I am so grateful every time I hear that because I know that it is exactly the kind of person I intend to be every day!

Research has shown that people with a more positive disposition are usually more optimistic, tend to be healthier (perhaps even live longer), are more energetic and often achieve more because of their mindset. With all of that to offer who wouldn't want to work at being more positive day in and day out!

Being positive is a choice and I have come up with a list of ways you too can be more positive!

TIPS FOR A POSITIVE OUTLOOK

1. Stay Positive. You can listen to the cynics and doubters and believe that success is impossible or you can know that with faith and an optimistic attitude all things are possible.

2. When you wake up in the morning complete the following statement: Today will be a great day because _______________________.

3. Instead of being disappointed about where you are think optimistically about where you are going.

4. Focus on learning, loving, growing and serving.

5. Believe that everything happens for a reason and expect good things to come out of challenging experiences.

6. Don't waste your time or energy on gossip, energy vampires, dwelling in the past, negative thoughts or things you cannot control. Instead invest your energy in the positive present moment.

7. Mentor someone and be mentored by someone.

8. Be enthusiastic! It's contagious!

9. Be focused on your personal and professional growth. Ask yourself each day, “What are the three most important things I need to do today that will help me create the success I desire?” Then tune out all the distractions and focus on these actions.

10. Stop Complaining!

11. Read more books.

12. Get more sleep.

13. Each night before you go to bed, express your thanks for all your blessings, big and small.

14. Smile and laugh more. They are natural anti-depressants.

15. Enjoy the ride. You only have one ride through life so make the most of it and enjoy it.

Turning Passion into Profit

Anna Gibbs (Keller Williams Realty Hudson Valley United) — Thu, 21 Apr 2011 08:46:34 -0700

"When you love what you do, you never have to work a day in your life."

We have all heard that saying before and I am here to tell you it is absolutely true! I have found a way to turn my passions into a meaningful and profitable career.

I too often have conversations with clients who struggle to build their business and usually it is because they have a negative association with "selling" their services.

When we are doing what we love the activities are effortless, we are energized, we get more done with less effort, we are in the flow and become very attractive (not attractive as in a great hair cut, but attractive in that potential clients are naturally drawn to us). Most importantly our business is an expression of our greatest gifts, our authentic self and we are compelled to making a bigger difference.

What if you chose marketing activities that were aligned with your passions?

According to Lynda-Ross Vega, who's been studying personality success potential for over 25 years, every person on the planet comes with a certain set of natural abilities. And unless you recognize and use yours, chances of you succeeding are going to be limited. Everyone has a natural ability, but most people just never take the time to discover what their attractive abilities are.

You may already have an idea what your attractive abilities are, or you might still be questioning what they are. Focusing on your attractive abilities is not an instantaneous process, but you will experience rewards from the minute you commit yourself to discovering what they are and translate them over to your marketing activities.

Begin by asking yourself:

1. What activities are you doing in your business that energize you - before and after?

2. What activities do you do where time seems to fly?

3. Think of a time in your business when you were successful. What activities were you doing?

4. What activities do other people think you are good at (and you love to do) and you were surprised because you thought everyone was good at them?

When we do what we love, aligned with our greatest strengths and share our passion with the world, magic happens.

Overnight Success?

Anna Gibbs (Keller Williams Realty Hudson Valley United) — Mon, 11 Apr 2011 22:44:28 -0700

Is it possible to just be in the right place at the right time and boom …you’re an overnight sensation? … an instant success?

Hmm … probably not. The belief that success can happen over night is a myth. Please don’t buy into the images of success you see in the media when you look at athletes, entertainers and highly successful entrepreneurs. All we see when we look at those individuals is their status, their current level, their income and their fame. Rarely ever do we stop and think or even try to acknowledge the long road they had to travel to get to this moment in time.

Success takes time and it takes patience. It also takes hard work, practice and a vision of what is to be achieved in the long term. When we admire some one’s success, or even our own, we often focus on the end result and not so much on the effort (and time) that it took to get there. We begin to develop unrealistic expectations, and some of us even assume that “they must be lucky!”.

Luck has absolutely nothing to do with it! To make it today, you have to have a “no quit” attitude! Being successful doesn’t mean you have to be a superstar, it just means you have to remain committed to your goals. Be consistent in your efforts, stick to it and over time you will see results. Failure only exists in the minds of people who quit.

Success is built on a foundation of bricks called “little events and achievements”. Sometimes these small achievements can seem to take an eternity and those little events often include a few disappointments along the way. They can challenge everything about you to the core – your stamina, courage, integrity, and even your willingness to keep going.

But if you focus on what’s not working, you will likely become frustrated as your mind wraps around all that is wrong. You may even have negative thoughts like “I’m not good enough,” “It will never work,” or “Something must be wrong with me.”

The key is to focus on what IS working. Celebrate every step along the way. Recognize your growth as future milestones. A simple practice to help you keep your focus and record these smaller accomplishments might be to maintain a journal. It is a great way to steer your attention to the positive and continually renew your vision for yourself. Start each day with reflections on what you are grateful for in your life (list them out!) and end each day with notes on what went right (again, write them down), however small they may seem.

So what happens when you have done all that and you are still not seeing results? I’ll ask you then, are you taking real action? In order to achieve your goals and feel the success you wish to define for yourself you must understand it’s not what you say that will get you there, it’s what you do!

Now, you may be taking the actions you are used to taking. But if you keep doing what you’ve already done, then you’ll keep getting what you’ve always gotten. It’s a matter of practicing some new behaviors. Shake things up a bit and see if you can take new actions or modify existing ones.

Every day do five specific things that will move you closer to your goals. Change up the five actions regularly and be open to feedback so you know when you’re off course.

It’s natural to underestimate how long a certain goal can take, especially a profound one. Patience is a virtue. But keep at it, and in no time, you’ll be only one week, or one day away from your ultimate success.

Be GRATEFUL, reflect on what IS working and continue to take ACTION!

Don't Be Anti-Social

Anna Gibbs (Keller Williams Realty Hudson Valley United) — Mon, 11 Apr 2011 22:37:16 -0700

I originally wrote and posted this blog back in August of 2010 ... however I felt it was still important to re-post today because I am always amazed at how many people I meet who are still not convinced! Social Media is NOT a fad people! And it is not the next big thing ... It IS the next big thing!

Have you joined the Social Media Revolution?

Any business who does not have social media as a part of their marketing plan today is quite possibly committing professional suicide.

I know it is a strong statement. But think about it for a minute. Social media is not the next big thing, it is the here and now. Face it, we live in a social media world. It is not the future, it is today.

Social media provides entrepreneurs and businesses with an opportunity to communicate and engage with existing customers like we have never had before. It also provides us with a way to meet and attract new customers all at the same time.

Statistics don’t lie, according to www.mashable.com online users spend 22.7% of their time on social networking sites. That’s twice as much time as we spend on any other online activity. Consider where people are getting their news today. More and more, it’s not through direct sources like USA Today, The New York Times, or TV broadcasts, but through social networks. True for me, I learned about the BP Oil Spill, the death of Steinbrenner and Michael Jackson all from Facebook first.

Face it, we live in a social media world. So why shouldn’t social media and a strategic plan to use it be a part of everyone’s marketing plan today? Industry is social. In the future, every company, no matter how small or how big, will be influenced and impacted by social media internally or externally.

The Internet represents one of the biggest shifts in how we do business and social media provided an additional movement. An entrepreneur or business should be working to create and develop a personal brand regardless of how you deliver it. It can be done through various ways – online, blogging, tweeting, posting … but one thing to keep in mind is consistency. Show up the same way in all ways.

Another thing to consider when developing your online brand especially on social networking sites like Facebook is to show up as a person first and sell second. If you want to sell wine, teach people how to select it, buy it, and serve it first. Provide value and you will build customer loyalty.

Success in social media is about how you build relationships. Same rules apply online as they do in “real life” . The way you “show up” on Facebook for example should be the same way you would act in the office or at that mixer you go to once a month.

For a business to gain credibility in social media – it requires a degree of sweat equity. You need to put the time in to interact with others online. Build rapport that leads to relationships. Be dedicated to the process. The interesting thing about social media especially Facebook is that it provides a valuable marketing opportunity. It is a tool in your kit to continue conversations on line with the people you meet in the real world who with time can become valued customers. It allows you to be where the people are. In this case, there is something to be said for the statement, “Everybody’s doing it”. Facebook alone has over 540 million registered users, chances are the people you want to do business with are there too, right?

During the workshops I teach regarding social media sites like Facebook, I talk about the importance of using these sites to deepen professional relationships. However, I caution you to maintain a balance of time when networking online. You want to use social media to support your marketing efforts not sabotage your productivity. And it should never replace the importance of face to face marketing and networking. A business can not be developed and grown by never leaving your office.

Unleash the Power of a Dream Board

Anna Gibbs (Keller Williams Realty Hudson Valley United) — Sun, 10 Apr 2011 08:19:09 -0700

What is it? A dream or vision board is a way of creating a visual representation of a goal(s). It gives you something tangible to focus on. This can help you strive towards it.

Why is it important? When working towards a goal, it is really important to have something to visualize. A dream board makes your dreams and goals physically present. Looking at your dream board every day will build more energy towards those goals. You will enforce your desires and arrange your priorities. Whether your dream is of financial freedom, your dream home, dream car, your dream vacation, spiritual growth, or getting to the next level in your business it belongs on the board where you will see it everyday and envision yourself having already achieved it and living out that dream!

How to create a dream board? Purchase a bulletin board, magnetic board or poster board. Personally, my dream board is a bulletin board. It makes it easy to add and remove images as I accomplish them.

1. First, take a moment and reflect on your goals. Think of all aspects of your life such as health, spiritual, family, fitness, travel, career, and financial. 2. Collect an assortment of magazines covering different topics. You could also use personal photos of things that are important to you and the core reason you have dreams. 3. Cut out specific images that appeal to you visually and apply to your dreams and goals. 4. Look for keywords that apply too. Words that describe your wants, thoughts and beliefs. Paste or pin all of these on your dream board.

Make your board appealing visually! Use bright colors and vivid images. Then be sure to hang it somewhere that you can see it daily and often. Look at it for at least 5 minutes twice a day and imagine yourself leading the life you see in those pictures!

This is an awesome project to do with your children! Let them imagine who they want to be. Is it to be a doctor or a star soccer player? Encourage them to use positive words and pictures to boost self-esteem. Then they can hang it in their room and look at it everyday!

Are you a Dreamer?

Anna Gibbs (Keller Williams Realty Hudson Valley United) — Sun, 10 Apr 2011 07:32:55 -0700

If you have ever watched just even 10 minutes of the Olympics, then you understand the power of a dream. Don’t underestimate how dreaming in vivid colors (while you’re awake!) can define the quality of your life.

For many of us, setting goals is a standard practice in our business. But how many of us set out to see our DREAMS become reality? Sadly, too often, we hear phrases that call for us to get our heads out of the clouds and come down to earth and that ask us to stop dreaming dreams because they will never come true.

Sometimes these voices come from others, and sometimes they come from ourselves. For far too long we have underestimated the power and possibility that life is the act of dreaming what can be and that we all have to do the work it takes to make our dreams a reality.

Remember when we were kids? We were told we could be and do anything we wanted. The sky was the limit. We didn’t know how we were going to get there but we knew what we wanted. We heard it over and over again, “If you can dream it, you can achieve it”. Then we became an adult. And somewhere around the age of 21, we started hearing “wake up kid and welcome to the real world.” We were brainwashed to believe that “Dreamers” just had their heads in the clouds! We were told to think negatively about the Dreamers because they were not focused on success.

Well, I can tell you that I have woken up and I know that my dreams ARE the key to my success! That is my real world. I belive that Dreamers design their life and then act to make those dreams come true. They believe that anything is possible. They are inspired by those dreams to be and do their best.

Are you a dreamer? Do you allow yourself to think BIG? What would your life look like if you were living each day to make your dreams a reality? What are your dreams? We all have them, but sometimes we try to talk ourselves right out of the dream. As if we don’t believe it is possible.

How do you recognize your dream? First, take a look at your life as it is today. Where do you find your joy? Everything you do should be aimed at making yourself happy. Your level of happiness should not be measured by what you have but rather by who you are. You have to believe that you have the right to be happy and your dreams often hold the key to that happiness. Focus more on your possibilities and less on your limitations. Share your dreams. Talk about them. You have more support than you can imagine. You might also discover other Dreamers in your midst!

Wake up and start dreaming! As funny as it might sound at first, you certainly know what I mean. Wake up to the power you have to create the life of your dreams – to create your future through everything you think, feel, say and do. Your choices will design your life. Tremendous freedom comes from discovering our true self.

Sales Success

Anna Gibbs (Keller Williams Realty Hudson Valley United) — Sun, 03 Apr 2011 17:33:11 -0700

It is true that Lead Generation is and should always be your #1 priority. To succeed in any sales driven business you must have client leads. It's that simple.

Some salespeople try to deal with a down economy by spending a lot of time prospecting to find new leads for new customers. Prospecting is always critical. But what about the customer base you already have? Are you doing enough to cultivate leads from the people you have done business with in the past? the people you already know?

Six Strategies to Increase Sales Success

Identify a product or service you have that your customers may not know about
Add Value - the most important contribution you can give to existing customers is your knowledge and expertise
Offer new ideas - Give customers ideas on how to improve their business and their lives.
Offer new solutions - Give customers the answers to something they find important
Make your customers feel they have a special relationship with you. Stay in touch.
Communicate all of the above with your customers on a regular basis. Perhaps a monthly newsletter or mailing

Salespeople who are willing to put in the hours preparing and learning about their customers, their needs and wants are the ones who record the highest conversion rates and sales volume. Allow your goals and your natural curiosity and desire to be successful fuel you. Don't be one dimensional; go past the knowledge of your standard challenges in today's market and dig a little deeper. Connect with your customers more directly, on a more personal level.

Another key to being truly successful is to have a committment to learning. Top salespeople are always reading and researching and they are also doers. They act on what they learn, they don't just stuff good information away in a filing cabinet. They are always looking for a place to use it and apply it.

There is also a lot of opportunity by getting plugged into your customer's network. The average person knows hundreds of people in different ways. Most of your customers are active in industry trade associations, networking, community and social involvement. How can you get to know some of the people they know? More importantly how can you be sure that when the need arises your customer is giving your name to their networks?

As you develop your plan to communicate and network more with your existing customers consider the fact that customers are bombarded with information all day long. So be sure to deliver information that has a positive impact on their lives, do things to earn their trust and show them the value in knowing you and doing business with you.

Create Your Own Success Story

Anna Gibbs (Keller Williams Realty Hudson Valley United) — Wed, 30 Mar 2011 23:05:31 -0700

I think there is a great myth held by many of us that we are entitled to a great life – that someone else is responsible for our continued happiness and ultimately our success. But I believe the truth is …

We must take 100% Responsibility for our life, our business, our relationships and our own level of success!

You can’t live the life of your dreams if you make excuses. Taking 100% responsibility means you acknowledge that you create everything that happens to you. Good and bad. Now think about that for a moment? You control the outcomes you experience. Therefore, you can un-create them & re-create them at will.

Everyone wants to know how to be successful. There are not many people who will say, “I am not interested in being successful at anything!” Let’s face it, success is a hot topic! A google search of the word success brought 312,000,000 results! The word is used thousands of times a day. But what is success? What does it mean to you? What does it look like?

How do you create your own success story?

First, you must decide what it is you want, believe you deserve it & then practice successful habits. But, keep in mind – success takes time, effort, perseverance and patience.

Have you ever stopped to wonder why some people in this world achieve unbelievable levels of success while others struggle to even define it?

Success has nothing to do with luck or even hard work alone. There are proven factors I believe that can lead to your success. I also believe that they are well within your control and can be improved upon every day.

Let’s take a look at why some people are always successful:

Successful people make decisions and take action. Right or wrong action, but they take it. They believe it’s always better than making no decision at all.
They do things even when they don’t feel like it.
They do the most productive things first. They identify what’s important. They prioritize. Instead of just doing a bunch of things, they think and plan before they act and try to focus as much as possible on their thoughts and actions.
They do one thing at a time. Success minded people do not multi-task! They actually don’t believe in it! Consider this – If you are “multi-tasking” it’s probably because you failed to make decisions and take action!
They have a positive attitude. Success minded people know that a negative attitude can be damaging & limiting to your life. A positive attitude will always open doors. A positive attitude will leave you open minded to new ideas and opportunities.
They have redefined failure. Successful people see failure as useful feedback. They don’t like to fail but they don’t fear it either. They know if they fail they can always start over again.
They do not let fear hold them back. They look at fear as a dragon to slay. When you don’t let fear hold you back it pulls down the barriers in the mind and creates new roads.
They have found a purpose in life. They are internally driven rather than externally driven. Successful people do not conform to what others think they should do.
They don’t get distracted. They focus on what needs to be done and don’t allow themselves to get caught up in everyday life. They value their time highly and plan it out well.
They have developed good communication skills. So much of what we do in life has to do other people. So it seems quite obvious that to be successful you probably have to have good communication skills.

Successful people also have an open mind and are willing to learn. They invest time in themselves and genuinely enjoy improving their skills. They are open to other’s thoughts and take suggestions to heart. Successful people embrace change because they often look to re-invent themselves and improve their skills.

So you want to be more successful! Now what?

Take things one step at a time. Start with clearly defining what success means to you in each aspect of your life such as Health/Fitness, Family, Relationships, Career and Spirituality.

Then consider which of the 10 factors above are most important for you to focus on first. You may decide that 2 or 3 factors are interconnected and you will work on developing them at the same time. What you focus on first will be different for everyone. We all define success differently therefore our goals and how we work towards them are different too.

It’s been said that success leaves clues. Acknowledge your past successes. Give yourself credit for all the positive achievements you have experienced in life thus far. The more you do so, the more confident you will become in taking on new challenges and successfully accomplishing them.

Discover Your Best Self

Anna Gibbs (Keller Williams Realty Hudson Valley United) — Fri, 25 Mar 2011 08:58:18 -0700

This means something different to all of us. But one thing remains true, in order to understand your life's purpose, you must first come to understand yourself. In order to achieve success in life, career and relationships you need to discover your best self! That allows you to live your best life!

Living your best life means understanding and living out your life's purpose. It means creating harmony within all parts of your life. It involves more celebrating and less worrying. It's joyful not stressful. Your best self thrives when you are living your best life.

It all sounds so easy doesn't it? But how to get there? How do we discover our best self? First, we have to make the decision to look for her. Then we have to make a commitment - a life long commitment to the discovery because your best self is not a destination - it's a journey.

To help guide your journey to Discover Your Best Self, consider the following as part of your road map:

Choose Happiness - Be happy for no reason. Create a state of peace and well being that isn't dependent on external circumstances. When you are happy for no reason you bring happiness to your outer experiences rather than trying to extract happiness from them. Live from happiness, rather than for happiness.

Own Your Happiness - Accept that being happy is up to you and that you have the ability and the power to be happier by changing your habits. Respond to people and events in your life in a way that supports your happiness.

Appreciate Your Trials - The tough times in our life often become the blessings in our life. Those tough times make us grow up, it develops our character. Your most difficult times in life are usually the foundation for everything good in your life.

Have a Thankful Attitude - Be grateful! Appreciate what you have rather than complain about what you don't have. Gratitude is your ability to show thanks. Consider everything you have, everything you get to do as a gift. It will allow you to receive more.

Have a Positive Attitude - Your attitude belongs to you and only you. No one can make you have a bad day. To be your best self - look for the best in others and in every situation. Think in terms of possibilities rather than problems.

Stop Complaining - It won't fix anything. Complaining is a garbage magnet! All you do is call more complaining and negativity into your life. You can not be your best self if you are always focused on negativity.

Make Peace with Yourself - You can only know your best self when you make peace with yourself. We all have things in our past that didn't go so well. Blaming yourself robs you of happiness. Make peace with yourself, free up your energy & accept yourself for who you are.

Celebrate Your Birthday - Celebrate your birthday in a big way every year! The day you were born was an awesome day and should be celebrated! It is not just another day. It is your day. It is a celebration of life and life is a gift. Express gratitude for it. Recognize all the wonderful things that make you uniquely you on the one day a year that is all about you!

Don't Be Ruled by Guilt - We are not built for guilt. Haven't you noticed how yucky you feel when you allow guilt into your life. Our system doesn't handle it so well. How much time do we waste on feeling guilty. Instead of feeling guilty, make good decisions and have confidence in your ability to do so.

Do What You Love and Love What You Do - What makes your heart expand? What makes your soul sing? Don't allow yourself to be so busy going through the motions of the day that you don't pay attention to what truly brings you joy.

Spend Time With Yourself - How can you be your best self if you don't know anything about yourself? Claim 30 minutes a day as your own time to be with your thoughts. Perhaps read a book or meditate.

Practice Forgiveness - To be your best self you can not walk around angry at someone. Practice forgiveness. You can't be truly happy until you forgive. Feeling hatred, anger and resentment toward someone who wronged you is not a way of punishing them. It is punishing you and holding you back.

Respect Your Body - Nourish it properly. You can not solve all your problems by eating happy meals! Energize your body. Get out and move around. Exercise regularly. Love your Body. Stop looking in the mirror and pointing out all of the things you don't like and wish you could change. Come to love yourself for who you are and stop focusing on what you aren't.

Filter Out the Negative - Learn to filter out negativity in all its forms. Negative thoughts, negative words and negative people. Surround yourself with people you admire, with people who believe in you and want you to be your best self.

Being yourself takes time, courage, commitment and faith. It is a process of letting go of many false beliefs that we have picked up along the way. To be your best self means ultimately to love yourself. You are a wonderful creation. You can be, do and have anything you want and I want only the best for you!

Ask and you shall receive.

Anna Gibbs (Keller Williams Realty Hudson Valley United) — Mon, 21 Mar 2011 13:20:49 -0700

“Ask and you shall receive.”

Heard that one a lot? I bet you’ve even said it to someone else. But do you believe it? Do you make a habit of asking for what you need?

“Ask and you shall receive”. Period. Believe in the power of that statement.

It doesn’t say, “Ask and they will think about it.”

Don’t be afraid to ask. If you are not moving closer to your goals and your visions for your business (or your life) you are probably not asking enough!

The universe responds to those who ask. Asking for something you need does not in any way imply weakness, on the contrary, the person who has the confidence to ask for what they need is claiming the power to design their own life.

I am a Business Coach. I work with people every day to help them achieve their professional goals. Most of my clients are sales people and or entrepeneurs. Asking and being clear about what you need always becomes a big part of the Coaching process because it is so crucial to leading a successful business.

If you ask other successful people how they got to the top, I am sure every one of them will tell you they were clear on what they wanted. And they asked questions, they asked for help, they asked for leads, they asked for referrals, they asked for business …. do you see the pattern here?

When you ask questions, you gather information. Information will reveal the next step. Information will build rapport. Information will build your confidence. Information will lead to referrals and information will build your business.

I believe that most salespeople are not good at asking! Crazy as it sounds. I bet that almost 75% of the time salespeople fail to ask for the order. Even after they give a killer presentation, they fall short of the firm close. Asking for the order or the appointment or the contract or the booking … Do you see how not being a consistent “Asker” could put you out of business.

I wonder how many people are afraid to ask? What are you afraid of? Oh right! The answer! Possible rejection? I know we don’t like to hear no. But I have to tell you - Get over it! No’s are possible and it’s ok! I gather information and research all the time – I have not discovered any evidence of death resulting from being told no!

If you are afraid to ask, perhaps you are too attached to the outcome. I realize you might be wondering if you will hear no, and probably really hoping to hear yes but are you also worrying about what the other person is thinking? Thinking of you perhaps? Well don’t. Unless you’re a mind reader, it doesn’t matter because most assumptions are wrong anyway! Have confidence in yourself, your ability, your product or service and that is all that matters.

You can boost your business and put a lift in your life by learning to ask for what you need. So focus on asking for information. When you ask a potential client the right questions and gather information you begin to qualify them. You are learning more about the potential client and that gives you an advantage. It allows you to show the client how you will serve them better.

When you truly appreciate and understand the other person’s needs than you can offer the solution. Makes a lot of sense in business doesn’t it?

Now apply that to your personal relationships. Wow. What would your relationships look like if you were confident to ask not only for what you need but also ask the other person how you could help them! The information you gather from each other by asking could build a more strong and loving and mutally respectful marriage or friendship. You can enrich your life and the lives of others around you.

So be clear when you ask. Because remember, “Ask and you shall receive.” So be precise. Think cleary about your request. Have an open mind when it comes to waiting for the response.

Asking may require practice. That’s ok. The more you ask the better you will be at it. How amazing would your life look if you could become really good at asking for what you need?

Self Promotion - It's Fun!

Anna Gibbs (Keller Williams Realty Hudson Valley United) — Thu, 17 Mar 2011 07:58:58 -0700

You are your business.

Do you have as many clients as you want? Are you “landing” the type of clients that are absolutely fun to work with? Okay, here is one more question… Are you promoting yourself?

The reason most of us started in the business we are in was not necessarily to promote ourselves. However, to be truly successful in business we need to do just that. We need to find a way to become comfortable promoting our best product or service – our personality!

Here’s why:
Unless people know about you they can’t hire you or use your services. We are not talking about bragging here, we are talking about effective marketing! The fact is, if you don’t promote yourself your potential clients may end up hiring those less qualified individuals instead of you. You’ve given them no choice because you haven’t promoted yourself to them as an option.

If you think about it you have an obligation to promote yourself so that the clients that really need to work with you have a way to reach you (and not someone else). The good news is this doesn’t have to be an obnoxious task.

Here’s how:
The professionals that are successful at selling themselves and their services aren’t really selling at all. They are promoting themselves in subtle, yet convincing ways. They are allowing their prospects to get to know them. They are building rapport and trust. In a nutshell, they are just being themselves. This is the first step in effective lead generation.

If you put yourself in situations where you allow people to experience you, you will have your pick of clients. And they’ll be the best clients for you! Feel good about promoting yourself by recognizing that marketing your professional services is nothing more than relationship building.

Mainstream sales and advertising has sometimes given the marketing of professional services a bad rap. When self-promotion is done right, it’s fun and rewarding, PLUS you can feel good about it. Go out and be yourself with as many people as possible. The ones who are attracted to you will work the hardest for themselves. They will also be the most valuable for you to have as clients.

Here are some fun & easy ways to promote yourself and what you do:

1. Wear a name tag or logo ware that represents your company.

2. Host client parties – invite past clients to a bbq, a coffee hour, brunch, wine & cheese – to thank them for their business. They will appreciate the invitation & will most certainly remember you the next time they need you or someone they know could use your services.

3. Become an expert and share your knowledge whether it’s writing an article or a blogs or an advice column. Become a trusted resource. It becomes apparent why someone should do business with you then. It gives you the opportunity to show them your level of expertise and knowledge.

4. Create opportunities to call your past clients like random monthly drawings. Give away gift cards to local coffee shops or movie tickets. The gift should not be more than $20 or $25. What’s really important here is that it gives you the opportunity to get into your database and talk to the people in it.

5. Sponsor local sports teams and attend as many games as you can and bring water or snacks. Great way to meet the community. Don”t forget to wear that name tag when you do!

6. Who are your customers? What do they want to know? Who do they need to hear it from? Why not sponsor a mini workshop or information night in your local community. Bring in guest speakers from industries that are parallel to yours. For example, if you are a Realtor, hold a first time home buyer seminar and partner up with someone from the mortgage industry, a home inspector, a home stager etc. You can each present a 20 minute workshop on your individual business and present the consumer issues that those in attendance want to know more about.

7. Instead of sending a typical marketing message via email why not make it a video message. It can be a fun, short video that will definitely showcase your personality and make you stand out in a crowd!

8. Become a volunteer. Choose to give your time and talent to organizations that are important to you. The people you meet through your volunteer work will see you as your genuine self and as a caring and generous individual. Someone they want to work with!

9. Use social media to build an online profile. Platforms like Facebook give you an exceptional opportunity to utilize low or no cost marketing opportunities. The user base is huge, over 400 million registered users on Facebook alone – which means many of your customers are already there and many new customers are waiting! We talked about blogs and video blogs earlier, there are so many opportunities available to small business owners today via the internet and social media networks.

Social media networks are worth using if you can use them effectively. Profiles on these sites can boost awareness about your business as they can contain pertinent information about your products and services. So they extend your brand and your relationship with customers. Twitter and Facebook offer two-way communication as well doubling or tripling the average number of people you can communicate with in one day. And don’t be afraid to show your personality either.

I could share so many more ideas, they are truly endless. Mostly because so are the opportunities! Leads for your business are truly everywhere! Generating new leads for your business must be a #1 priority for you. It is how you will support your business and its growth. You come in contact with people everyday, don’t be shy about self-promotion and most importantly have fun!

Remember, people do business with people they like. So get out everyday and show people not just what you do but show them who you are!

Droid or iPhone?

Anna Gibbs (Keller Williams Realty Hudson Valley United) — Mon, 14 Mar 2011 08:54:04 -0700

Droid? or iPhone?

I asked this question on Facebook last week. I currently use a Blackberry and based on my own user experience and what I have read and heard from "trusted techies" I know I will not be getting another Blackberry this summer when I am up for a renewal. Nothing personal Blackberry ... I just don't think you can give me what I need anymore, especially when I see what I can get somewhere else.

So I am still not sure what to do. Droid or iPhone? Most of the people who answered me on Facebook said iPhone, saying things like iPhone is the Cadillac of all phones with 3x more apps than the Droid.

Do I need so many apps? I mean I can see the need for many but does it matter if I have the ability to download a dozen apps to help me mix better drinks at my next party? Wouldn't one or two be good?

What do we need in mobile technology today vs what we think we want. Realtor.com shared recently that mobile advertising is on the rise and that Smart phone ownership grew 60% in the US over the last year to 63.2 million owners. So how smart does a smart phone have to be?

So I am bringing my curiosity to the Active Rain community.

Droid or iPhone? Why?

How are you using mobile technology today in your business beyond the norm of your calendar and social media apps. Do you engage in mobile advertising? Do you let your clients and colleagues know that they can text you rather than call you?

Have you created QR codes (I wrote about that recently too) do you have a QR Code Scanner app on your phone?

Where will smart phone technology take us and how is it impacting you and your business? It is all so exciting when you think that not long ago we were all talking on something like this!

Happiness is Success

Anna Gibbs (Keller Williams Realty Hudson Valley United) — Sun, 13 Mar 2011 21:22:00 -0700

Finding the joy and happiness in what you do must be the big lesson I am meant to teach and learn myself lately.

“It” shows up everyday! It seems no matter what I read or hear on TV or even in church over the last 2 weeks has been about finding joy and creating happiness. The Dali Lama even talked about finding true happiness on the Today show last week.

I believe the “Secret to Success” is to find joy in what you do and allow happiness to inspire creativity to fuel your goals. I like to define success as fulfilling or living your unique life’s purpose. We each have a different life purpose therefore our individual definition of success is going to be different for each of us.

The opposite of happiness is worrying. I found a great quote recently, “Worrying is like a rocking chair, it takes a lot of energy and doesn’t get you anywhere.”

Imagine taking the same energy you exhaust by worrying or even complaining about the things you don’t like in your life and applying that energy to solving the problem and using your creativity, intelligence and imagination! Imagine!

When you feel happy and joyful those good feelings create a vibration to pull the things you want into your life. But the feelings of happiness have to be genuine and they have to come first. In other words, you can’t attract or draw things into your life that you think will make you happy. Being happy is what brings it all in.

How do you do it? How do truly become Happy & Joyful? I work on this everyday too. It is a conscious decision to be happy and to look for joy in our lives. It is also something we have the power to create with our thoughts and feelings. Take ownership of your happiness. You have to believe you can be happy. Focus on possibilities instead of being a victim to past or present circumstances.

First with Intention. Be clear about what you want. Then apply Attention. What you put your attention towards will grow stronger and show up in your life. Then let go and relax and allow it to happen.

How amazing would your life look if you were truly happy and 80% of the things you do or were involved in (including your job) made you feel joy?

You can’t experience joy or happiness if you are stuck in the role of a victim. So move past the thoughts that you can’t control the path you are in life. True that we can’t always control the events that happen to us in our lives, but what we can control is our Response to them.

A success formula used by many Coaches including myself is E+R=O.

Events + Responses = Our Outcomes

Your response to any situation – even how you react to having to wait 2 hours in the doctor’s office – or how you respond to challenges at work.

Your responses allow for choices. Choices increase or expand our possibilities. This allows us to create more peace and well-being which will strengthen your ability to make the same positive choices in the future.

That is empowerment.

Time - Friend or Foe?

Anna Gibbs (Keller Williams Realty Hudson Valley United) — Fri, 11 Mar 2011 21:13:12 -0800

Time … the word & the concept of it gets more attention in our daily life than most world news. It seems we can’t stop talking about it, almost obsessing over it. How many “times” a day do you find yourself looking for more time, scheduling time, taking time, managing time, wanting time, blocking time …

Our relationship with time is somewhat tumultuous. We seem to always want to control time and why not? Time itself is a man-made concept dating back to the Mayans. They created the calendar by calculating the length of the Earth’s orbit around the sun. And ever since then society has been measuring time in years, months, weeks, days, hours, and even seconds. We have spent centuries trying to control time in order to save time and have more of it all at once.

What’s your relationship with time? How balanced is it? Do you have enough of it? Do you want more of it? Do you work together in harmony or is time working against you, one minute it’s a friend and the next a foe?

Well all relationships are based on our ability to give and take. There must be mutual respect. Don’t expect to have time on your side if you are always abusing it and using it as a scapegoat. You know what I mean. How many times have you used time as an excuse to get out of something? “Oh, I would love to but I really don’t have time for that right now.”

You can improve your relationship with time and in turn make more room for your dreams to become a reality. Now don’t get nervous, I understand your concern. You’re thinking, “Yes, I have lots of ideas and dreams, but I don’t have the time ….” Wait a minute, didn’t I say that you can improve your relationship with time AND have your dreams be a reality?

The first thing we do is run to our calendar or blackberry and search for the time slot we need to work on our new projects or dreams. We begin blocking and planning and listing. We are diligent in our efforts for as long as our “time” allows. Then other things come up and once again we are cursing and chasing time.

Perhaps there is something else. Maybe something was missing. Perhaps it’s you. Do you have time for you first? I am going to ask you to consider turning your life upside down. I want to show you how to live a little more from your passion and a little less from your calendar. Practice using passion as your barometer.

If you have a passion – an intense, driving desire, feeling or conviction for something you WILL make the time for it. So if you are asked to do something and your first response is “I don’t have time for that.” take a step back and think about whether that is true or not or is it because you just don’t want it bad enough? Isn’t it true, that when you are doing what you love, who really cares about the time?

Passion is an important element of success. It is also a time saver! When you are doing what you love doesn’t it get done faster than doing the things you need or must do?

You can be in control of your time and your life but it does require a few things:

1. Clarity – It is important to have a clear picture of what you want and need and what you are trying to accomplish.

2. Prioritize Each Day – Having a daily to-do list is something important to do first before you start scheduling on your calendar. But the to-do list alone is not enough and sometimes the list can become very long and very overwhelming which may eat away at our passion. So once you have the to-do list, prioritize the top 5 things that must get done today to move you closer to your goals based on your clarity or clear vision of what you want to accomplish.

3. Develop a Sense of Time – In other words know when to get things done. Having a good understanding of this means recognizing both internal and external circumstances. Internal meaning you, for example when are you most productive? Morning? Afternoon? Try to schedule as many of your top priorities during your high energy times. External meaning your environment. Are there people and places you need to work with or within in order to accomplish your goals? Then take time to understand their peak times as well. Part of your effective use of time and creating ease in your life includes deciding when would be the best time to get things done.

4. Just say No – When you don’t have to do something and you don’t want to do something, why are you doing it? Practice saying no with grace and ease. Pain and discomfort come from the resistance to something , not the release of it. Do you resist saying no? Take the pressure off yourself. If it makes you feel better, say “no, thank you”!

5. Using resources – This is a powerful time saver. If you don’t know something or where to find it – ask someone who does. Don’t try to reinvent the wheel.

Time to live! Time IS on your side. Be a friend to it! Use it wisely. The way you spend your time is what really matters because the way you spend your time is how you live your life. In order to feel truly abundant, to feel the richness of your own life you need to be able to do some of the things you want to do when you want to do them. The clock is always ticking so be sure your time is quality time spent. The better you are at this the better your life will be.

Happy New Year!

Anna Gibbs (Keller Williams Realty Hudson Valley United) — Tue, 08 Mar 2011 15:44:02 -0800

Happy New Year!

No, I am not crazy! I know New Year's Day has come and gone, however imagine if you treated everday if it were New Years Day? Remember the excitement you felt about having a clean slate? The thrill of knowing that you had the ability to look forward and create a new beginning. Well, you can have that any morning you choose.

Take control of your future. It’s time to reflect, complete, celebrate and most importantly plan. It is time to envision what you want for yourself right now!

It’s time to plan for success! Create new habits of thought connected to new patterns of action. What is your vision? What do you see for yourself and your business? What is worth working for? Are you ready to live more positively? more focused and energized?

Take a look at some key areas of your life. Before you can write the plan, you must have the vision and set some goals. Goal setting is a power play towards achieving success.

Did you know that effective goals setters usually suffer from less stress and anxiety, concentrate and focus better, show more self-confidence, perform better in all areas of their life and are generally happier and more satisfied with life!

There is such a HUGE payoff to setting goals. It conditions you for success. The process of setting and achieving goals, gives you confidence in your ability to achieve higher and more challenging goals later on.

So as this new year begins its approach, decide what you want to do with your life and what large scale goals you want to achieve. Look at some key areas such as:

Personal Growth- how will you develop on a personal level? How will you fuel your passions?

Career – Are you where you want to be? Are you doing what you want to be doing? How will you bridge the gap between where you are and where you want to be professionally?

Education - What knowledge would you like to acquire or what area of study would you like to pursue? What information and skills do you need to have to achieve your 2011 goals?

Family – How do you want your partner or family members to see you? What impact would you like to make on those relationships?

Financial - What are your short term and long term goals regarding earning, saving and investing? What are this years goals? What are the goals for next 5 and 10 years, in your lifetime?

Physical - Are there athletic goals you want to achieve or do you simply want to be healthy? What steps are you taking to get there?

Pleasure – How do you plan to enjoy life? Yes, plan to enjoy life! Ensure that some of your life and your goals are geared towards making yourself happy for no reason other than being happy.

Service – How can you make the world a better place by your existence? What can you do to give back and help others?

As I write this, I am filled with excitement and anticipation regarding the new year and all it will bring. What I don’t feel is fear. I made a decision a long time ago to no longer allow fear to cut me off from my own destiny. I knew if I was going to live up to my own life purpose then I had to stop letting fear get in my way of my own success.

Fear is the reason why so many of us do not live up to our fullest potential. Fear will stop the abundant and positive flow of energy that is trying to flow to you in your life, your work and your relationships. Don’t let fear interfere with all the goals you are going to be setting. Instead of fear, tell yourself you will trust. You see, trust is the antidote for fear.

Let’s declare 2011 as the year of Fearless Living. Isn’t it time to take that leap of faith and create a life by design rather than by default?

So why not say .... Happy New Day!

The Bucket List

Anna Gibbs (Keller Williams Realty Hudson Valley United) — Tue, 08 Mar 2011 15:23:11 -0800

In 2007, Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman starred in the movie "The Bucket List." It's a story about two terminally ill men who escape from a cancer ward and head off on a road trip with a wish list of to-dos before they die. It was a funny and poignant look at living out your dreams. But why wait like most people, until you retire or face death to write the list? Why not live every day from your bucket list?

If you didn't know, a bucket list, is a list of all the goals you want to achieve, dreams you want to fulfill and life-experiences you desire to experience before you die. Why is a bucket list so important? Because I believe it helps us to want more, experience more and live more with a greater purpose. Without defining the goals we have for our lives we can get too caught up in the everyday mundane tasks of our lives and forget to plan for more fun and excitement. We might neglect reaching past our own limits. Without a bucket list we not learn how to think big. You know you have heard it before, "If you are going to think, might as well think big."

Taking the time to create a bucket list for your life will help you to think bigger and bigger! Thinking big means going big! And I don't think a bucket list should be written as part of your "personal race against time". It's not a morbid task. It is a positive proactive optimistic plan for YOUR life! Your bucket list contains all of your personal triumphs yet to be seen.

I also think we should add new goals to our bucket list all the time. There should never be a time when we stop imagining and planning how we can live out our purpose. Imagine if every High School Senior was asked to start their Bucket List as part of their graduation requirements?

All it takes is a pen and a piece of paper to get started and maybe a quiet spot for 30 minutes. Think about the things you would love to try, the places you would love to see, the experiences you want to have in the course of your lifetime. Who are the people you want to meet, help and inspire? Don't worry about how or when right now, just imagine. Think without limits, without fear.

What will you do with the life that has been given to you?

Will you write a book? Learn to play the piano? Climb a mountain? Speak another language? Run a marathon? Travel to India? Fly a plane? Take cooking lessons? Drive a race car? Come up with as many items as you can. The items should be things you have not done yet.

Don’t stop until you finish listing at least 101 things! If you find yourself stuck, chances are you are mentally limiting or constraining yourself. So release the brakes and remember this is a list of everything you want.

But look past the wants and see the why's. What will you discover about yourself when you take a look at not only what you want to but why you want to do it? And wait until you see who you become in the process of achieving the items on your list!