{"id":7639,"date":"2020-10-26T13:57:40","date_gmt":"2020-10-26T17:57:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/stevengaffney.com\/?p=7639"},"modified":"2023-03-22T10:00:26","modified_gmt":"2023-03-22T15:00:26","slug":"making-conflict-advantageous-in-sales","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/stevengaffney.com\/making-conflict-advantageous-in-sales\/","title":{"rendered":"Making Conflict Advantageous In Sales"},"content":{"rendered":"

Every sales leader wants a team that adapts quickly to change<\/a>, with dynamic collaboration and consistent top performance. But most sales teams are held back by one surprisingly simple factor: they avoid conflict instead of using it to their advantage.<\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

If sales teams can make conflict advantageous \u2014 both inwardly with each other, and outwardly with prospects \u2014 they can innovate, collaborate, and grow. The key is to embrace conflict as a healthy part of selling.<\/p>\n

Traditionally, we\u2019re taught to fear conflict in sales \u2014 to do whatever it takes to avoid bumps in the road. But in reality, only unresolved conflict is bad. Conflict itself is good, and essential to sales.<\/p>\n

In over 20 years of working with top sales executives, I\u2019ve never once had someone tell me, \u201cI wish I\u2019d avoided that conflict for a little while longer.\u201d Instead, I frequently hear, \u201cI wish I hadn\u2019t waited so long.\u201d<\/p>\n

It\u2019s time to change your view of conflict \u2014 and help your salespeople do the same. Here are the top three keys to making conflict advantageous in sales:<\/h2>\n

1. Create positive debate and borderless ideas through emotional safety.<\/strong><\/p>\n

While salespeople may appear outspoken, many of them aren\u2019t saying what\u2019s really on their minds. They think nothing will change even if they share their true feelings \u2014 so what\u2019s the point? There\u2019s also a pervasive fear that speaking up will just lead to more work for them.<\/p>\n

As the sales leader, it\u2019s your job to create emotional safety so people feel comfortable speaking up. Many leaders tout, \u201cTell us the truth, even if it hurts.\u201d But as soon as someone says something confrontational or different, it\u2019s easy to become defensive.<\/p>\n

Your reaction to conflict trickles down to every member of the team. One way to prime the pump for emotional safety is to share about your own vulnerabilities and mistakes you\u2019ve made, and how you dealt with them. Ask questions to encourage new ideas and honest feedback, too.<\/p>\n

In turn, emotional safety will foster positive debate and the exchange of spontaneous, borderless ideas on your team. Both are essential to innovation in sales. Neither can exist unless people feel comfortable confronting others and challenging the status quo without fear of reprisal.<\/p>\n

Positive debate is where people contribute different perspectives to the group instead of simply disagreeing with each other. This is the difference between saying \u201cI disagree with that\u201d and saying \u201cI disagree with that, but what if we looked at it this way instead\u2026\u201d A sales team without positive debate is complacent, rigid, and struggles to act as a cohesive unit.<\/p>\n

Spontaneous, borderless ideas are equally important. It\u2019s natural for people to have ideas, but the key is that they\u2019re spontaneous \u2014 meaning they can come at any time without fear of being rejected \u2014 and borderless \u2014 meaning they can cross the border into other people\u2019s \u201cterritory\u201d to shed led on blind spots.<\/p>\n

We all have blind spots. I laugh when people say, \u201cI know my blind spots,\u201d because if we knew them, then they wouldn\u2019t be blind spots. Borderless ideas shed light on blind spots precisely because they are coming from the outside.<\/p>\n

2. Remind people that you can\u2019t solve a problem you don\u2019t know about.<\/strong><\/p>\n

As a sales leader, it\u2019s your job to remind people that you can\u2019t solve a problem you don\u2019t know about. Avoiding conflict only covers up problems and makes them worse. Sometimes the truth hurts, but it\u2019s always better to understand the actual problem so you can try to fix it.<\/p>\n

I was recently brought into an organization where the sales team was complaining about their marketing material. The sales leader told me, \u201cThe biggest problem my team has right now is that they\u2019re not getting what they need from marketing. That\u2019s what\u2019s holding them back.\u201d<\/p>\n

After doing some digging, however, it became clear that the sales team had much bigger issues. While the marketing material might not have been perfect, it wasn\u2019t that bad. As is so often the case, the sales team was just making an excuse to cover up the real problem. In truth, they were upset about their new compensation structure.<\/p>\n

By taking his team\u2019s complaints at face value, the sales leader couldn\u2019t see the real issue. Before I came along and dug deeper, he was content thinking the problem wasn\u2019t his fault and that his team was otherwise happy. And, while this made him feel good at the time, it would have ended up costing him in efficiency, productivity, time \u2014 and ultimately his top performers.<\/p>\n

As for the salespeople, they were happy to tell a little white lie to avoid an unpleasant confrontation<\/a> with the boss. I hear this all the time: \u201cA little white lie isn\u2019t unethical, and it\u2019s not going to hurt the organization.\u201d But in reality, these tiny cover ups build up over time to create a dishonest culture where nobody tells the truth and no problems get fixed.<\/p>\n

The same holds true for prospects. If a prospect makes a comment that doesn\u2019t fully make sense, salespeople need to dig deeper. That means creating intentional conflict instead of simply nodding along to whatever the prospect says \u2014 and that can be intimidating. But your sales team will build stronger relationships if they can solve their prospects\u2019 real problems. And they can\u2019t solve those problems unless they know about them.<\/p>\n

3. Tell prospects what they don\u2019t know they need.<\/strong><\/p>\n

I understand why this makes sales leaders uncomfortable. Usually, good prospects are handled with kid gloves. Salespeople are taught to tiptoe around their best prospects. Rocking the boat is frowned upon.<\/p>\n

But prospects need to be told what they don\u2019t know they need. This can sometimes create conflict \u2014 but it\u2019s good conflict. For example, if a prospect asks for a solution that won\u2019t address their needs, your salespeople should feel comfortable suggesting a different approach that will be better<\/p>\n

Your salespeople must also be willing to firmly debunk myths, tell prospects when they\u2019ve been misinformed, and push back when prospects act like they have all the answers. The best sales teams are bringing up ideas and solutions that their prospects aren\u2019t even thinking about.<\/p>\n

This can sometimes create conflict<\/a> \u2014 but it\u2019s good conflict. Telling prospects what they don\u2019t know they need helps salespeople come across as trusted advisors who understand their prospects\u2019 needs in a way that stands out from the competition.<\/p>\n

Cultivate and use conflict to your advantage, and watch as your team performance, sales, and profits surpass the competition.<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Every sales leader wants a team that adapts quickly to change, with dynamic collaboration and consistent top performance. 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