Winston Churchill once said,
“Attitude is a little thing that
makes a big difference”.

When it comes to being in sales, there is one attitude above every other that can really mess you up, or set you up for success.  Can you guess what it is?

It’s an abundance mentality versus a scarcity mentality.

Abundance Mentality: Seeing “Plenty” of customers, opportunities, and ways to succeed.

Scarcity Mentality: Seeing very few customers, very few opportunities, and very few ways to succeed. (Don’t confuse this with the idea of using scarcity as a sales tactic. That’s a great idea, but a whole different thing).

See, when you talk to really successful sales people, they are almost without exception nice, generous, helpful people. And they are frequently massively successful. And you think, wow, they make this look so easy and fun. It’s a paradox, the busiest people are the ones who will take the time to be helpful and generous. The least successful people are usually the ones that will say, “sorry I can’t help you”.

When you really get into the mindset of these folks, and try to figure out what makes them tick, you discover the successful ones are not afraid of competition. In fact, they don’t even worry about competition at all. They don’t believe that there are very few customers, or very few ways to succeed. They focus on being the best they can be, and staying focused on serving the customer with grace and style. They aren’t focused on the competition. Heck, sometimes these nice people even help competitors without regard for their own benefit. It’s almost like they think they are bullet-proof.

And guess what?

They pretty much are!

On the other end of the spectrum you’ll find people who are always obsessing over the competition, and over the ‘drama’ of who is doing what, and how it’s going to damage them and their work. They believe that every time a competitor makes a sale – the competitor is robbing them of a sale. In essence, these people are stumbling forward, while they look over their shoulder to see who is following them. They hoard, and act greedy.

Have you ever tried to partner with someone who is totally mistrusting of you and overly competitive? It’s a drag!

This mindset makes them very awkward to work with.

Scarcity thinkers generally don’t partner with other people for mutual benefit because they always think the other person is out to get them. That’s a huge mistake on their part.

If you have an abundance mentality – cool – nurture it. If you have a scarcity mentality to overcome – here are a few exercises you might try:

  1. When you cannot do a job, or fulfill a customer’s needs, recommend someone else’s work. Be a champion for another seamstress, (and no, it doesn’t need to be Liberty Jane Clothing).
  2. Be a fan of other people’s work and compliment it publically. When you say to someone, “I’m a real fan of your work”, it’s really powerful.
  3. Tell someone you’re rooting for them to succeed. I know, you’re rooting for yourself to succeed more than anything else, but telling someone else these caring words is a way to express an abundance mentality.

Tell us what you think about this issue…

Jason & Cinnamon

Ps. And hey, we are rooting for you!

10 Comments on You Stole My Customer…Really?!

  1. I have always admired other people’s work. I never understood the “Seamstress jealousy” that I encountered when I worked for a Custom Dress Business. There is so much that needs to be passed down to the next generation so the art of sewing does not die. I am always more than willing to share the tricks of the trade that I have learned. Everyone should be giving when it comes to this part of life.

  3. Two days after I became a partner, my full-time employer required me to start working overtime, which is normally rare in my job. Then family obligations took more of my free time. And that was 6 months ago! So, I have not yet started an on-line business. However, I have continued to look around to keep up on what goes on in the community of people who sell doll items.
    What I have seen is, many great artisans who are making doll clothes and accessories with great pride in what they do. I realize each person has their own definition of success; however, everyone seems to be pretty much successful to me. I would definitely like to sell as much as I am capable of making and listing on-line. After all, don’t we all make a great product? And wouldn’t we love to see our doll clothes cherished and passed down to the next generation?
    For years I’ve had people tell me I should sell the things I make instead of just making them as gifts. When I started thinking about an on-line business, I wondered if anyone would purchase my items, and I admit to wondering if there would there be enough customers to make it worth spending my limited-amount of time sewing to sell. It seems there is plenty of time to do whatever is needed to SELL; it’s MAKING enough items to sell that takes a long time.
    I’ve always known I probably won’t do custom work, because of the time it would take. I always hoped I could refer any custom requests to other Liberty Jane partners but didn’t know if I could, until I read this article. That would allow me to use my own creative ideas to make whatever appeals to me at the time. Then I would hope someone out there would like what I’ve created and purchase it. And if it doesn’t sell, oh well, after it runs the time limit on Etsy or wherever, I can always give it to a family member or keep it for myself. Or, maybe it can be donated it to a non-profit agency for a raffle or some place that restores used dolls and gives them away. (Does anyone know of any?)
    Thanks to Cinnamon and Jason for all the encouragement you give. Earlier this month I thought about stopping my premium partnership because I didn’t think I’d ever have the time to move forward. But recently reading through the new Success Start-Up Guide, I decided to keep going and keep alive my wish to have an on-line business some day.
    So, I wish you all great luck in your endeavors to sell your doll items. Whenever I start selling on-line, I hope I will sell some too, right along with you.

  4. I love al of the inspiration that I get from other seamstresses. I think that there are more customers than there are seamstresses. The more quality items there are the more the demand will be.

    If you think about it what is a mall? Don’t we want all the designers in one place so that more customers will know where to find quality items- Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills- and there are many other designer areas-is that competition?

  5. We totally agree. As they say, a rising tide lifts all boats.

  6. I’ve made some great friends on Etsy sharing tips and and admiring each other’s work. I look forward to hearing from other Etsy sellers! I’ve even gotten my husband involved in my little enterprise.

    • That’s fantastic. I hope you have fun together!

      • Now I know why so many people have been so helpful to me on Etsy! Go!

  7. I’ve just started in the doll clothing area..I’ve always done regular clothing, I restyle clothes and make them in my own design. But I needed something that would help use up all of my scraps and extra fabric. Plus, I used to love making doll clothes when I was young–that was how I learned to sew. I know the clothes I used to buy for my daughters AG doll were not the quality that I really wanted and would have loved to make the clothing for it then, just didn’t have the time. Now, I want to be able to give the customer a choice of great quality clothes for their doll as well as for themselves or child!!!

    • I was in the same situation and am in the same situation now. We seem to have a lot in common. Good luck!

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