So, what is the Law of Limited Sales Performance? (I’ve added “Sales” to this law but it applies to any organization.) 
It is a law that permeates it’s way through most Sales Organizations. If allowed, it will guarantee mediocrity in your Sales Team.
The Law of Limited Sales Performance says that Sales People will figure out the level of performance their Manager will settle for and soon get to that level.
Managers then assume that this is all the Sales Person is capable of achieving and quit challenging the Sales Person to get better.
Now, both the Manager and Sales Person begin to reinforce what the other believes.
I have to admit that I have been guilty of settling and not always challenging our Sales Team to do better than I thought they were capable of. I suspect that (at times) years ago as a young salesman I may have only performed to the level that was expected of me.
Maybe we all have been there sometime in each of our lives.
But I was fortunate to have a manager that had very high expectations of me and our Sales Team. We were encouraged and expected to be the best we could be. He was always raising the bar of expectations and demanded an increasing level of Sales Performance.
I have tried to follow his example and encouraged our Sales Managers and Sales Team to do the same.
It is time for all of us to step up the effort to defeat the Law of Limited Sales Performance in our organizations.
1. Begin setting frequent incremental goals that begin to exceed the current expectations.
2. Publicize the success the team is achieving.
3. Start doing hands-on-coaching with your Sales Team.
4. Hold yourself and your Sales Team accountable to achieve higher and higher Sales Performance.
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe said many many years ago:
“Treat people as if they were what they ought to be and you help them become what they are capable of being.”
Sales People
Fortunately, as Sales People we have the ability not to let others limit us to what we are capable of achieving. Our performance will only be limited by the limits we place on ourselves.
Also, when pushed to improve our performance (if done correctly) we have the ability to do more than we ever dreamed possible.
Sales Managers
As Sales Managers we must remember that our beliefs and expectations will greatly influence our Sales People’s self-beliefs and expectations.
The Law of Limited Performance has been around forever. You can see it nearly everywhere you look. When you see it, think about the impact it is having on that organization.
Just by being aware of this Law and making the needed changes, we will begin to overcome the natural tendency of mediocrity!
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Thank you for taking the time to read this article.
Now let’s get out there and over-deliver!
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