Here's how you can navigate conflicts stemming from diverse sales strategies within a team.

As an ad tech sales expert who's closed deals with the top 100 Indian brands, I've faced my share of team conflicts. Here's how I navigated diverse sales strategies within our 4 person team: Acknowledgment: I recognized each team member's unique expertise - from deep BFSI knowledge to quick commerce insights Segmentation: We aligned tasks with individual strengths. Our BFSI expert-led financial client pitches, while our e-commerce guru handled Flipkart-like accounts Rotate lead roles: To prevent siloes, we rotated project leads, ensuring everyone gained exposure to different sectors Feedback: I instituted a culture of constructive criticism, helping us continuously improve our collective approach Moving ahead with the differences :)

Imagine a cena: você está em uma reunião de vendas e parece que todo mundo resolveu dar sua opinião ao mesmo tempo. Cada um tem uma ideia diferente e a discussão vira uma verdadeira batalha de estratégias. Calma! Vamos transformar esse caos em algo produtivo. Primeiro, respire fundo e incentive uma comunicação aberta. Crie um ambiente onde todos se sintam à vontade para compartilhar suas ideias, sem medo de críticas. Em seguida, busque um terreno comum. Combine elementos das diversas estratégias para criar uma abordagem integrada e eficaz. Defina metas claras que todos possam se comprometer a alcançar. Transforme a competição interna em cooperação, incentivando todos a trabalharem juntos.

The best discovery question in my opinion is, to first ask someone what they are focused on (usually no resistance). Then instead of asking "what's keeping you up at night" or "how can this improve" which often tend to "lock up prospects", simply say "So, what's going on right now?". Often the prospect then talks start talking about initiatives, and often within 2 minutes you have a very clear view of the problems they are facing. You can then just repeat those back and verify you understood correctly.

Start by understanding the needs and motivations of each team member. Recognize that different sales strategies may stem from varying experiences, strengths, and market insights. Conduct one-on-one discussions to uncover each member's perspective and goals. By understanding their unique needs, you can identify common ground and tailor your approach to address underlying concerns, fostering a more cohesive team environment.

Understanding each team member's underlying goals and motives is crucial to managing conflicts resulting from different sales techniques. Active listening and empathy are the first steps in this process because they enable you to recognise the unique benefits that each technique provides. Team members will feel heard and appreciated in an inclusive workplace that you foster by acknowledging and appreciating their uniqueness. Additionally, you may encourage cooperation towards a cohesive sales plan that capitalises on the talents and variety of your team by establishing shared objectives and uniting around them. This method improves performance overall and strengthens team bonding in addition to resolving problems.

I think role-playing w/ multiple people is usually a great way, letting multiple people respond to a common prospect question, etc. What's important is that everyone is clear that when you do that "mistakes will happen". I.e. someone gets a fact wrong, stumbles, or freezes. That's ok. No shaming. No judging. But it makes the team hear a variety of ways to engage and everyone tends to get more succinct and precise.

Facilitate open dialogue among team members to discuss their sales strategies. Create a safe space where everyone feels comfortable sharing their viewpoints and ideas without fear of judgment. Encourage active listening and empathy to ensure that all voices are heard and respected. Open dialogue helps to clarify misunderstandings, build mutual respect, and pave the way for collaborative problem-solving.

Besides sales performance objectives (hitting quota) it's also important to work on skills development. Key then is to identify last quarter's most urgent area of short-coming for each rep. Can be stuff like -Too little activity -Too little prospecting -Ineffective discovery -Poor understanding of the industry -Poor understanding of the product -Poor pricing/negotiation skills -Inability to engage the right stakeholders -Inability to get past procurement steps (e.g. vendor questionnaires) -Poor CRM hygiene Each rep is unique and tracking the progress of the "weakest area" (which tends to be the easiest to fix) and their impact on overall results is critical. Today there are tools that help w/ this...

Align the team by setting clear, shared objectives. Establish common goals that everyone can work towards, such as revenue targets, market expansion, or customer satisfaction. Ensure that these objectives are communicated clearly and understood by all team members. By focusing on shared outcomes, you can unify diverse sales strategies and direct efforts towards achieving collective success.

Setting clear, shared objectives is crucial for aligning diverse sales strategies toward a common goal. Establishing what the team collectively aims to achieve creates a framework that accommodates different methods while maintaining focus on the end result. This approach minimizes conflict and encourages collaboration, as team members work together to meet these objectives. By uniting around clear goals, the team can enhance productivity and drive success more effectively.

Every territory is different. If the sales person is competent, he should be able to articulate a strategy that fits his territory objectives. If that deviates slightly from the team objectives, evaluate the pros and cons for allowing flexibility. Coach the person based on that evaluation. Refrain from enforcing a top down approach, it will likely backfire and cause demotivation.

If your sales team has no rules you will quickly have chaos. If your sales team has a million rules and approval processes for every minor deviation you will cut your potential sales in half. Make the discounting rules super clear - make special rules for special periods (e.g. end of FY) Make incentives aligned w/ the overall objectives so your org is not all stick, but also some carrot.

Success in navigating a variety of sales methods requires accepting flexibility. It's critical to recognise that a strict, one-size-fits-all strategy might not work in all circumstances or with all clients. Maintaining an open mind allows you to modify your plans in response to changing conditions and specific customer requirements. This flexibility encourages creativity and lets you investigate novel solutions that might not have been obvious using a set strategy. Adopting flexibility also encourages agility in your team, enabling them to change course when needed and seize new chances.

Promote a culture of flexibility and adaptability within the team. Encourage team members to be open to different approaches and to learn from one another. Highlight the value of integrating diverse strategies to create a more robust sales process. By fostering an environment where flexibility is valued, you can reduce resistance to change and enhance the team's ability to adapt to evolving market conditions.

Cage match -JK Mistakes will happen. That's ok. Sr. leadership needs to step in and help reps resolve. Then ensure the same mistake cannot happen again.

Implement structured conflict resolution processes to address disagreements constructively. Train team members in conflict resolution techniques and provide resources for mediation if necessary. Encourage addressing conflicts early and directly, focusing on finding solutions rather than assigning blame. Effective conflict resolution ensures that disputes are resolved amicably, preserving team harmony and productivity.