By
Simon Hazeldine
For decades, quotas or sales targets have been treated as the sacred cornerstone of sales performance. They are the benchmark, the target, the “line in the sand” that defines success or failure. But here is the uncomfortable truth: quotas do not inspire greatness. They incentivise average.
Quotas are built on a dangerous assumption – that if you set a target high enough, people will stretch to meet it. In reality, quotas often cap ambition rather than unleash it. Once a salesperson hits their number, the drive to go further evaporates. The result? Your best people throttle back just when they are capable of delivering game-changing results.
The Myth of the Quota
On the surface, quotas feel logical. They give leaders a way to forecast revenue, create accountability, and measure performance. But dig deeper and you will see the cracks:
- Quotas drive short-termism. Reps push deals unnaturally forward to “make the number,” sacrificing customer trust and long-term value.
- Quotas cap potential. High performers stop selling once they hit target. Why close more deals this quarter when they can carry them into the next?
- Quotas foster mediocrity. Average performers scrape by and are celebrated for “meeting quota,” when in reality they leave massive potential on the table.
- Quotas distort culture. They create stress, sandbagging, and a transactional mindset, rather than encouraging ambition, creativity, and customer-centricity.
This is not sales leadership. It is sales arithmetic.
The Opportunity Cost of Playing Small
Consider your very best salesperson. Do they truly deliver their full potential, or do they play to the system? Imagine what your revenue could look like if your highest performers did not stop at “quota achieved,” but kept driving relentlessly.
The hidden cost of quotas is opportunity cost. You do not see the deals left untouched, the conversations never pursued, or the accounts left underdeveloped. But they exist. And they could represent millions in lost growth.
What Elite Sales Leaders Do Differently
Forward-thinking sales leaders are breaking away from quota obsession. They know that greatness cannot be boxed into arbitrary percentages. Instead, they focus on:
- Unlimited earning potential. Remove artificial caps. Reward contribution proportionally. If a sales rep delivers three times the quota, they should reap three times the reward.
- Value-based metrics. Measure what matters most: customer lifetime value, strategic account penetration, pipeline velocity. Not just the number of deals closed.
- Cultural ambition. Build a culture where striving for excellence is normal, not optional. Celebrate overachievement, not just “hitting the number.”
- Developmental coaching. Push your team to continuously improve, not simply to cross the finish line. Coaching should stretch capacity, not just support compliance.
- Strategic alignment. Link incentives to long-term growth objectives, not short-term quota compliance.
From Quotas to Greatness
It is time to challenge the status quo. Quotas have had their day. They are a blunt instrument in a world that demands precision, agility, and ambition. The future belongs to sales leaders who have the courage to design systems that reward true value creation, not average performance.
If you want a team that achieves greatness, stop incentivising average. Tear up the quota sheet and start building a performance culture that inspires your people to go beyond. Because your best people are capable of much more than you are currently asking them to deliver.
And the sooner you stop capping their ambition, the sooner your business will see just how great they can truly be.
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About the author
Simon Hazeldine works internationally as a revenue growth and sales performance speaker, consultant, and coach. He empowers his clients to get more sales, more often with more margin.
He has spoken in over thirty countries and his client list includes some of the world’s largest and most successful companies.
Simon has a master’s degree in psychology, is the bestselling author of ten books that have been endorsed by a host of business leaders including multi-billionaire business legend Michael Dell and is co-founder of leading sales podcast “The Sales Chat Show”.
He is the creator of the neuroscience based “Brain Friendly Selling”® methodology.
Simon Hazeldine’s books:
- Neuro-Sell: How Neuroscience Can Power Your Sales Success
- Bare Knuckle Selling
- Bare Knuckle Negotiating
- Bare Knuckle Customer Service
- The Inner Winner
- How To Lead Your Sales Team – Virtually and in Person
- Virtual Selling Success
- How To Manage Your People’s Performance
- How To Create Effective Employee Development Plans
- Virtual Negotiation Success
