There’s an old theory called the Law of Increasing Returns. It says when you give more value to others than you get back in the short term. The universe keeps score and eventually, the scale tips hard in your favor.
But most people never see it happen. They give up before the law activates.
The Early Phase: You’re Paying the Price of Admission
When you start in sales, or any performance game, the first stage feels brutal. You’re doing everything right — showing up early, following up, over-servicing clients — and the money doesn’t match the effort.
That’s the phase where most people lose faith. They start thinking:
“This isn’t working.” “I’m doing all this work for nothing.” “Maybe I’m not cut out for this.”
I have seen so many new salespeople quit or change companies in this phase. But here’s the truth: that gap between effort and reward is where all your future returns are being built.
Every extra call, every follow-up, every piece of unexpected value is compounding below the surface. You’re building trust, reputation, and mastery, even if it’s invisible right now.
The Flip: When Value Starts Paying You Back
Then something changes. Your effort starts to create momentum.
Deals close faster, referrals come in and clients trust you. What used to take ten hours now takes two. You’re still working hard, but now the market is starting to reward you.
That’s the law flipping. You’ve built a lever. You’ve created momentum that compounds. And suddenly, you’re getting paid more in money than you put in with effort.
Why Most People Never Get There
Most salespeople never get to this point because they can’t handle the lag between giving and getting. They expect linear progress in a world that rewards compounding. They wany immediate gratification via results.
They plant the seed and then dig it up every two weeks to see if it’s growing.
The ones who stay the course and play the long game end up winning. Over time, they build reputations that sell for them, relationships that open doors, and systems that multiply their output.
How to Work the Law in Your Favor
- Detach from short-term outcomes. Stop trying to win today. Focus on building skills, trust, and long-term positioning.
- Track inputs, not outcomes. Count calls, proposals, and meaningful touches, not commissions. Be process oriented.
- Over-deliver by design. Make excellence your baseline, not your differentiator.
- Trust the delay. The bigger the lag between effort and reward, the bigger the eventual payoff.
The Punchline
The Law of Increasing Returns is a test of belief. You’re being asked, “Can you keep giving when no one’s clapping?”
If you can, and you push past that invisible wall, everything changes. You stop chasing and start attracting.
That’s when you realize: You don’t get paid for what you do today, you get paid for everything you’ve done to get here.
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