I was reading through some content I created on NewtoSales.org and this paragraph inspired me to write this post.

"Eventually while reading one day, the light bulb went off for me. My problem wasn’t that I couldn’t achieve my goals. My problem was that I was achieving my goals, and my goals were too small. I was living to my reality, not my potential. I was having success, at very average standards. Because of this, I would often lose interest in my goals getting side tracked easily, having to regain momentum over and over again. Thus, getting stuck at certain levels of my life far too long."

Related: Some Easy Steps You Can Take To Reach Big Goals

I mean c'mon, who doesn't make this mistake from time to time. Some of you may be like I was and you're doing this right now in your sales career, maybe your life as a whole. Small and average thinking is an epidemic with millions of people in today's world. We have more information and resources available to us today than ever before, yet as a society we suffer from average thinking, with people constantly selling themselves short. 

Many people fear failure. Even worse are those that fear success. That's right, you read that correctly. I believe that often times people fail to hit targets because they fear what will happen if they succeed. They fear the attention, personal responsibility, they fear not being able to live up to the hype. So instead of reaching their goals and realizing success for themselves, they become their own obstacle in life. 

As human beings we are the only creatures on planet earth that can in one instance create a thought that motivates us to take positive action, and then in the next instance create a thought that paralyzes us with fear. We fear rejection, judgement, and being seen as a failure. This is why so many people never try to do great things in life.

Are You Letting The Small Thinking Of Others Limit Your Success?

In my dealership for instance selling 20 cars in a month is a great accomplishment. I have been fortunate to do this many times, and even sell 30 or more in a single month. But I can tell you this right now about those months when I hit those high sales figures. My personal goals were not hit, and my personal targets were much higher than the final results.

I don't care if someone in my dealership thinks I am crazy because I set a goal to sell 40 cars in a month. I know my personal potential, how committed I am, and how hard I am willing to work for what I want. If I fail trying to sell 40 cars, I'm still going to sell more cars than someone trying to sell 15. The amount of energy and effort needed to sell 40 cars in a month will produce results greater than if I was trying to sell less. Besides, where your energy and focus go, results will show!

See I believe you need to set goals based on your potential, not what your sales manager needs for the month or thinks of your ability. Clearly as a sales rep for your dealership you need to adhere to your employers standards. However, what I am suggesting is that your personal standards be so great, that the standards your employer sets are easily accomplished each month.

Only you can truly know your potential! 

I don't care who you are, where you are, or what kind of training you have. If you decide to commit to your sales career, look for ways to get better every day, and begin working towards goals that are set based on your potential, you will be more successful! But it all starts with you.

The light bulb went off for me, I hope that it has for you as well. Don't set goals based on what someone else wants from you. Don't set goals based on your current reality. Set goals based on what you want to achieve in your sales career, and life. Set your goals based on your potential. I know for me since I started doing this I have sold more cars, made more money, I have happier customers, I've received more recognition, and I have much more career fulfillment. When I hit a target now, the reward is worth the effort.

To Our Success,

Scott