It’s a statement I’ve heard many times woven into the presentations of sales trainers. “In any given year,” they say, “there’s only so much market share available—if you want a greater share of the business, you’ve got to take it from someone else!” Their message is, of course, that you’ve got to be better, faster, stronger, etc. than the competition to increase your sales success. It’s a valid message, and few of us would argue its inherent truth.
From another perspective, however, this message can be seen as founded on a “scarcity mentality.” Unfortunately, those who base their thinking on the idea that there’s only so much business to go around may be missing another powerful viewpoint. In contrast, an “abundance mentality” would suggest that there’s a lot more business out there if we only knew what to do to capture it.
I once heard the story of an office manager who decided it was time to have a little “come to Jesus” conversation with an agent who had been “working” for two years, but had not yet sold a square inch of real estate. “Shirley,” she asked, smiling calmly across the desk from her, “Don’t you like real estate?”
“Are you kidding? I love real estate!” she gushed. “I’ve made the most wonderful friends here. I really enjoy the seminars we attend and the office meetings are fun too. I look forward to caravan day every week and the best part of all are the wonderful parties we have during the holidays. Getting involved in real estate has changed my life!”
