Then, in 1954, an underdog named Roger Bannister achieved the "impossible" when he logged 3 minutes 59.4 seconds. And suddenly, the world of professional running changed forever.  The perception of the unreachable 4-minute mark had vanished. By the end of 1957, 16 runners had surpassed the 4-minute mile. So what can we learn from this?

Having trained tens of thousands of salespeople over the years, I've found that most of us set up artificial limitations to our own ability which then impede us from reaching our full potential.  In fact, many of us operate at less than 50% of our peak performance. We do just enough to achieve a certain quota.  Just enough to keep up with the others in the office. Just enough to survive.

If we are to break out of mediocrity and achieve our best possible results, two things must happen:

1. We need to rethink the idea of a quota

Most salespeople think of a quota as their "ultimate goal". In reality, it is the bare minimum they should be achieving. There is another problem with quotas: once we hit them, we tend to get lazy. Even worse, our managers usually let us become lazy--as long as we're bringing in the revenue, they leave us alone. This is a mistake.

I've coached countless "superstars" who are at 200-300% of quota. Their managers were content with their results and ignored the possibility that this top performer is capable of doing more.  After coaching many of these salespeople, I've seen as high as a 900% increase in revenue, proving that even top performers are operating at less than 50% of their potential.

No matter how well you're doing, why not look for ways to do better? Ask your manager for a coaching session one-on-one. Look for your weakest link and decide how to improve it.

2. We need to ignore what everyone is currently doing (including ourselves)

I'm not saying that we shouldn't learn from the others in our office.  However, most of us pay too much attention to what others are doing.  We sabotage our goals by keeping them at a level that is consistent with our peers.  "If the others are running a 10-minute mile, then that's what I'll strive for, too."  "If the others are making 20 calls a day, then that's what I'll do, too."  Worst of all, we base our goals on our past performance instead of our future potential.

Instead, ignore everything you and your peers are currently doing and set your goals at a level that initially frightens you. Don't make them unrealistic, but make them big enough so that it's a stretch to achieve it. Here's a rule of thumb: add 25% to your current goal. If your current plan is to make 60 calls a day, increase it to 75. Then ask yourself, "What changes or improvements would I need to make to achieve this?" Make a list of actionable steps that will help you achieve a better result. Once you hit the goal, increase it again by 25%. Repeat... and then repeat again. Every time, you'll get closer to peak performance.

What are you really capable of?

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