Tiger Woods made the single biggest impact on sports-any sport-anyone has made for a long time. Not only does he have the physical talent (which has been honed by years of practice), his “above the shoulders” game, at just 24 years old, is at a level many people never reach in a lifetime. Here's an example from his first year on Tour that we all can learn from.

Tiger won the first tournament held during the 1997 PGA season, in early January. Afterward, a reporter asked him what he's thinking and what his goals are before he enters a tournament. Woods started to answer, stopped, and then in an “Aw shucks” tone said, “Na, I don't want to say that.” Keep in mind that his confidence is often mistaken for cockiness, and plenty of jealousy is present among people who feel he's getting undue attention. Then he straightened up and said something very profound,

“Yeah, I'll say it. I go out there expecting to win every tournament. Why would I play otherwise?” He continued explaining that some guys are satisfied to just be in the top 60 after the first couple of days (the rest don't get to play the final two days and don't have a chance at earning prize money).

What Do You Expect?

So what are your expectations, both short and long-term? Some sales reps are content just barely getting by. Others consistently top the sales charts. Ask them and they'll likely tell you they expect nothing less.

Some sales reps approach each call “just to see if there might be any interest there.” High achievers expect to take the call as far as they possibly can. And they do. They begin calls with a specific, ambitious objective, whether it be the sale or appointment.

How Do Reps Differ?

What's the difference between high and low performing sales reps. Self-confidence, belief in themselves, and their expectations.

But what about skill? Sure it's important, but I've seen plenty of reps who had the tools to succeed, but not the desire or expectation. I've seen many more who never would be called “naturals” when first starting, but expected to do well and found ways to make it happen. Napoleon Hill, in his “Law of Success,” said, “If you demand success of yourself and back up this demand with intelligent action you are sure to win. There is a difference though, between demanding success and merely wishing for it.”

In “The Psychology of Winning,” Dr. Denis Waitley says, “Every individual tends to receive what he or she expects. You may or may not get what's coming to you . . . but you will always get what you expect.”

Losers typically expect little and get it. Worse, losers expect bad things to happen, and they do! You've seen these people before . . . they can darken a room by entering it. They're the ones consistently complaining about everything from the softness of their chairs to the crumminess of their territory. All the while, the action-oriented expectant rep is doing what the other says can't be done.

What to Do
Here are a couple of ideas for you to implement right now.

1. Raise long-term expectations. Set a yearly or quarterly goal 25%, 50%, maybe 100% higher than what you've ever achieved. Don't think of how hard it would be to achieve. Instead ask, “What do I need to do to get there?”

2. Approach every call with the expectation of achieving the highest conceivable end result. You won't get there every call, but know what? Your results over time will be much higher than with low, or no expectations.