When I first started my business I ran into a problem whilst trying to run a Facebook Offer for a client. I read and re-read all the rules surrounding Offers but nothing stood out. So I started contacting other businesses that were in the industry. Businesses that I followed on Facebook and that I looked up to for knowledge. A couple got back to me and offered some advice. Another business couldn’t help but wished me luck, and the last one was just plain rude. She told me outright that I was a competitor and she couldn’t understand why I would be contacting her. My thoughts on the matter were that we could all help each other. If I could make good contacts with other Social Media Marketers, then I could refer people on in times when I got too busy and vice versa. But this lady clearly did not share this view and I learnt very quickly that she is not the only one to feel this way.
That experience was my first taste of scarcity mindset in my business. In Stephen Covey’s book The 7 Habits Of Highly Effective People, he describes the scarcity mindset below:
Most people are deeply scripted in what I call the Scarcity Mentality. They see life as having only so much, as though there were only one pie out there. And if someone were to get a big piece of the pie, it would mean less for everybody else.
The Scarcity Mentality is the zero-sum paradigm of life. People with a Scarcity Mentality have a very difficult time sharing recognition and credit, power or profit – even with those who help in the production. They also have a a very hard time being genuinely happy for the success of other people.
Where this lady obviously had a Scarcity Mindset, I clearly had an Abundance Mindset that Covey describes below:
The Abundance Mentality, on the other hand, flows out of a deep inner sense of personal worth and security. It is the paradigm that there is plenty out there and enough to spare for everybody. It results in sharing of prestige, of recognition, of profits, of decision making. It opens possibilities, options, alternatives, and creativity.
I see this all the time in friends, family and clients. Pay attention and see how many of these you can notice in your everyday life. I personally think there’s plenty to go around. What about you?
Hardcastle Social Media is an independent social media consultancy based in Inner Brisbane. We provide strategic social media marketing to organisations of all sizes. Specialising in Facebook business page management we provide services from setting up your Facebook business page through to total management of your current page. Contact us today on 0401 505 423 or info@hardcastlesocialmedia.com.au. We offer expert social media advice and look forward to discussing your business needs.