Gordon Gekko, in the movie Wall Street, taught us that, “greed, for lack of a better word is good.” Being a glass half-full kind of gal, I like to think that he meant that going after something, and working hard in order to reap the rewards is a good thing. It is pretty hard to argue with that. However, going after something, at all costs, with a consequences be damned approach or a “casualties are all part of war” attitude, now that is a whole other situation.
We have all met those folks, who don’t play by the same rules as everyone else. The ones who see life and business as a zero sum game. These are the “Scarcity Mentality” people. Scarcity Mentality is described as the belief that everything is limited, that there is only one pie, and since one pie isn’t enough for everyone, those with Scarcity Mentality believe they better get the whole pie for themselves, as Dr. Steven Covey tell us in his book, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. In other words, if I am succeeding, that must mean that you or someone else if failing. These folks truly believe that in order for them to WIN, someone else must LOSE.
Examples of Management with a Scarcity Mentality are those who only want people on their team who think and act exactly like them. They want folks who will lose out to individual growth, or family growth, and who won’t challenge them on a position or belief. Managers who have Scarcity Mentality don’t trust or empower others to do the job at hand and they most certainly won’t allow others to lead without them intervening, micromanaging or criticizing because it isn’t exactly how they would have done it. Needless to say, this type of manager has a high turnover, and a very low success rate from their team.
Examples of Sales People with Scarcity Mentality are those who don’t volunteer to help train, or support their peers. The folks have trouble understanding that whenever a home is sold in a community, even if it isn’t their sale that it is a good thing for the community as a whole and creates more demand. Scarcity Mentality sales people don’t take the time to truly understand their buyer’s wants, needs, and financial parameters so that they can help them find the right home (substitute any product or service), not just the home they want to sell.
On the other hand, it is refreshing to meet the rare individual who has “Abundance Mentality.” These are the folks who believe that there is more than one pie out there. In fact, there are an infinite amount of pies out there and when we run out of those, we will make more pies. These are the folks who are always looking for the WIN/WIN scenario in every situation. They will work tirelessly to create the WIN by constantly reassessing and trying to understand where others are coming from and what is needed to create a successful outcome—not just for themselves, but for everyone involved.
Managers who have Abundance Mentality are true LEADERS. They will lead and people will gladly follow because they work to create the ultimate foundation for leadership. They create TRUST. Leaders with Abundance Mentality empower others, give them the tools for success and trust those around them to get it done! And the really cool thing is that those folks on the receiving end of the empowerment will almost always work tirelessly to make sure they don’t let down the expectations of their leader. They want to succeed. Now, they may need additional support to be able to ultimately reach those expectations, but they will work diligently toward the goal of making it happen. Abundance Mentality Leaders, hold their teams accountable, they don’t accept half-hearted efforts. The difference is that from the very beginning of the relationship, they WANT to see the success of others, and because of that will ensure that those who follow have the necessary tools, skills and training to arrive at that success. Abundance Mentality Leaders are magnets and attract the right kind of talent and attitudes to be around them. They will even recruit those who are more successful and more skillful than themselves because they know that in order to replace themselves and assure their own growth that they must surround themselves with high quality, skilled people who create a complimentary (not just similar) team.
Sales people who have an Abundance Mentality are also true LEADERS. These folks understand that by giving prospects the respect to fully understand their wants, needs, and financial parameters FIRST, then and only then can they help them to find the home of their dreams and overcome any challenges that might deter that process. Abundance Mentality sales people serve as volunteers in their community as coaches, committee members, and as community or church leaders. They get involved with organizations like their local Home Builders Association and Sales and Marketing Council and local REALTOR® Associations and groups, etc. They ask to take on leadership roles within their company and communities. They help their team mates and cheer for them with their successes. In turn, because they put themselves out there, they find the opportunities that others will miss. They build referrals in an extraordinary way. They have a strong REALTOR® following (or if you are a general real estate agent, you have a strong On-site sales following and network).
To me, winning is a good thing, but if done at the expense of someone else, it tends to be an almost isolated occurrence. Whereas, creating the WIN/WIN is where sustained SUCCESS happens and that is a much better field on which to play. If you are struggling to see the WIN/WIN in your scenarios, don’t despair, but do get help from an Abundance Mentality Leader or Peer. You see, by their very nature they will want to help you to become as successful as they are. Once you have achieved your own Abundance Mentality, you will want to pay it forward by helping others as well.
Kimberly Mackey, REALTOR®, is the founder of New Homes Solutions, and has been called a rising star in the Homebuilder World for her reputation as someone with real world SOLUTIONS in a competitive and rapidly changing sales environment–SOLUTIONS like “50 Sales per Year before Any Walk-in Traffic”. She is a keynote speaker and published author of many Sales and Leadership articles with over a decade and a half of experience as an executive in the residential home building and real estate industry. She has a proven track record working with Builders and Developers of all sizes –from the local/regional companies to the publicly traded nationals. She also works with Brokers from across the country and is the architect and director of the highly successful Preferred Builder Partnership program with Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Florida Properties Group, where she has increased new home builder sales by over 200%.
For more information, or to book Kimberly for your next event, visit www.NewHomesSolutions.com, or visit Mackey at LinkedIn,www.linkedin.com/in/kimberlymackey; Twitter,www.twitter.com/KimberlyDMackey; and Facebook,www.facebook.com/NewHomesSolutions.
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