Have you ever wondered why an “epiphany” sometimes happens in a flash of inspiration when you suddenly feel “Yes I get it!”, and then at other times it is like a process or a journey that unfolds a bit at a time?
Well I feel as if I am on a journey toward something different which is unfolding a little bit at a time. In my last blog post I shared some insights that I discovered when listening to a presentation by Julien Smith. At this point I feel I have traveled a little further in my journey but have not yet reached a destination.
As an online marketing and social media consultant I have struggled with my genuine desire to help people learn online strategies that will help them build their business, and at the same time, building my own business. I love helping people, and gladly will do it for free. The conflict is that it is also my business, and the purpose and function of the business is to make money. For me, information is what I have to offer, combined with my experience of what works and doesn’t work when marketing online. I have spent thousands of dollars investing in my learning, and many hours of “doing it” for myself, often learning by trial and error and expensive mistakes.
When meeting with potential new clients, I find myself giving my valuable information away, before I have made a sale or collected a check for my time and advice. The same thing has happened when I have been asked to speak pro bono, with the goal of making new clients for my business.
Social media has affected the way people do business. The concept of keeping certain information a closely guarded secret in order for a business to have an edge on their competitors, is changing. In its place there is a growing sense of working not as a one-person business, but building alliances and working together even with immediate competitors. When people get together and help one another, everyone succeeds. In order to do this I think you have to change your mindset from ‘there is not enough business for everyone to have a share,’ to’ there is more than enough to go around.’ 2009 for me was a year when I really got to understand the importance of mindset and how self sabotaging it can be, and began a process of a 180 degree turn around in my mindset and thinking.
Yesterday I was on a weekly mastermind group call. Everyone on the call had participated in a course on social media in the summer, and had kept in touch with weekly calls to support and help one another. In recent weeks a suggestion of having a contest has been discussed, with points awarded for various levels of participation in helping and supporting one another. Due to our different personalities the thought of a contest spurred and motivated some people into action, however those in the group who are not motivated by competition, were reluctant to be involved in a contest which involved one person being a winner or contributing toward a financial reward.
On the call last night a totally different slant was put on this proposition. If you take away the word “contest” and think rather of it in the light of a way of being kept accountable in achieving goals and taking action, and at the same time helping and supporting other people in their goals, a totally different dynamic comes into play. In this ‘contest’ you can earn points for writing a blog post for your blog, however if you write a blog post about someone else’s blog you get far more points. Points can be earned by commenting and promoting other people’s content and online projects, as well as doing things for other members of the group in terms of helping and supporting them.
This morning I followed a link from Facebook that led to a site called Third Tribe Marketing. The concept of a tribe first came from the book Tribes: We Need You to Lead Us
An epiphany is percolating! I see the power of helping one another and I’m curious to explore the tribe concept further. I decided to become a member of the Third Tribe site because I want to learn more. Interestingly since our mastermind call yesterday I’ve been contacted by two members who need my help. Normally the information that I have shared with them would be something that would generate revenue for my business, but it didn’t matter as something larger is happening within me. It seems that when you give to others inevitably you will receive in some way, but at the same time this should not be a motivation for giving. I’m reminded of the quote by Zig Ziglar
“You can have everything in life you want, if you will just help other people get what they want. ”
So I’m going to read Seth Godin’s book( yes it was published in 2008 and so maybe I’m a bit behind), and follow on this journey that I’ve started, to make real connections with great people and support them in whatever way I can.
If you’ve learned something about the ‘Tribe” concept, please comment on this post and give us all more insight .
February 4th, 2010 - 11:01 pm
Barbara,
This post triggered several things for me. One is that “FREE” is the new price. I think this is the model of the future and I don’t know exactly how it will continue to evolve. But I do know that many service providers are having a hard time figuring out how to get paid for things that people won’t pay for anymore. (remember when virtually all travel agents went out of business?) It is the same struggle with many consultants, speakers, and trainers. Law firms are providing workshops to potential clients for free that trainers used to get paid to deliver. I recently read an online article that stated you should give lots of stuff away for free and charge much more than you are used to for things that are of value.
My late mentor, Jim Rohn, used to insist that we get paid for the value we bring to the marketplace. I still say that’s true, it’s just that many of us are still in the throes of figuring out what’s of value and what’s not anymore!
For speaking, I no longer charge at all. I do pass the basket for a “give what you think that was worth” offering, and sometimes get more than I would have if I had charged. Sometimes not.
I think I took a bit of a rabbit trail there, but I do find myself giving a lot more away for free these days. And I facilitate both paid and free Mastermind Groups. great post, thanks for the honest thoughts, and ideas. I have not read that particular Godin book either, but I expect a report when you’re finished!
February 5th, 2010 - 8:02 am
I was born in Malawi, Africa, a country where tribes are still very much in existence. My uncle, who later became a cardiologist, used to tell me stories about when he was a little boy. He used to go out with the village elders fishing for the whole village. I always thought that was so cool.
It really does take village.
February 5th, 2010 - 9:12 am
About 20-years ago, I had my first epiphany. I was in an impossibly hard exercise class in Hawaii with all other women participants half my age. I tried to keep up, but couldn’t. My goal was to get into a body-hugging, jeweled dress for the Academy Awards. (I was attending for the first time) When I felt my lungs about to explode, I suddenly looked around me for help and I saw that I was surrounded by beauty — the Pacific Ocean on one side and beautiful tropical gardens all around. I took in deep, body cleansing breaths and suddenly had more energy flow into my body than I knew what to do with. The epiphany: Everything you need is all around you and if you connect to the energy you will thrive on abundance. I caught up with the girls, finished the workout, fit into the dress and had a great time at the Awards. However, my live changed. I would always be aware of my environment, my connections and the energy field of my life.
Thank you, Barbara, for the epiphany from our Master Mind. I, too, have been haunted by giving away my hard-earned intellectual property for free. In the movie business, the copyright and ownership is everything, but that, too, is being eroded. For me, the bottom line is to get your gift out there. Make connections everywhere that you can, be conscious of the opportunities all around you and build through team work and community like we have in our own little, mastermind family.
This is a huge topic. Let’s all continue to get it out there and help each other reap the rewards of our talent, knowledge and hard work.
February 5th, 2010 - 10:35 am
[...] I want to share an excellent blog post with you written by the Social Media Boomer, Barbara White. Exploring the conundrum of how you make money through social media when you are encouraged to give so much of your information away for free. The title of her article is, Social Media is about Giving and Supporting Others. thesocialmediaboomer.com/social-media/social-media-is-about-giving-and-supporting-others [...]
February 10th, 2010 - 2:20 pm
You have so clearly and honestly expressed one of the key issues facing everyone who is trying to make a living by helping others through providing information. I think this betokens a positive evolution being brought about by social media. I am encouraged and inspired by the number of people “out there,” as well as in our Master Mind group, who are giving valuable information and service away out of a sincere desire to help others and make the world a better place. I want to acknowledge and thank you for the valuable advice you gave me, as one of those who requested your assistance.
As this paying-it forward ripple extends, I see it resulting in an improvement in human relations as a whole.
Social media began with young people, college students and young professionals, and I think they have brought this new vibe to the scene that is being picked up by those they touch. It’s sort of a viral marketing of niceness. If you’re not nice, people won’t want to know, like and trust you or do business with you. I can see only good coming from that! It seems like the pendulum is swinging from the isolating, cut-throat competition of capitalism to this new model of mutuality, doing-good and community. I like it, and I am very grateful to have our Master Mind group with which to collaborate and work out these issues that would be so daunting all by oneself.
February 17th, 2010 - 4:48 pm
I admire R Buckminster Fuller. He was the first in my awareness to talk about the myth of the finite pie, espousing instead the idea that , thanks to the power of the human mind to offset entropy, the pie is infinite. There is always enough to go around. I also admire the founders of AMWAY, Rich DeVos and Jay VanAndel and the business leaders who joined them over the years who proved that you can develop personal wealth by following the golden rule and the Zig Ziglar idea that you can get anything you want if you help enough people to get what they want. One might say that the various organizations of AMWAY distributors around the world are some of the largest tribes on the planet. Thank you for sharing your epiphany and your journey and inspiring us to see it through your eyes.