Tips For Conflict Resolution In Sales

BY Jessica Helinski
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Effective conflict resolution is an important soft skill for sellers to have. There will be moments when they face an upset customer or prospect. Knowing how to navigate conflicts will strengthen relationships and satisfaction. 

What is Conflict Resolution and Why Does it Matter?

According to Indeed, conflict resolution is:

the art of addressing…differences and finding a common ground that enables everyone to work together peacefully.”

Both customer service and satisfaction play an important role in sales. Unfortunately, sellers won’t always make everyone happy all the time. Conflicts are bound to happen. And how reps meet that conflict can impact their success. 

Writing for Janek Performance Group, Justin Zuppulla explains that sellers need to be mindful of their approach. 

Constructive conversations hinge on finding the right words at the right time and avoiding impulsive responses driven by emotion.

Knowing how to respond and forge ahead can boost credibility and position the seller as a trusted advisor and partner. 

Pillars of Conflict Resolution

Zuppulla explains that there is no clear-​cut path toward resolving conflicts. But there are “pillars” that sellers should learn and adopt. 

The first pillar he shares is the use of “I” instead of “you.” Often, when there is conflict, it’s easy to point fingers and use “you” statements. But this actually can put the other person on the defensive. They may feel personally blamed or attacked.

Sharing how you feel, rather than pointing fingers at someone else, helps de-​escalate a situation. And it invites open communication about how the other person feels. You set the stage for an open and honest conversation. 

Arete Coach points out that using “I” statements during times of conflict leads to an open and respectful environment. 

This leads to “collaborative problem-​solving and maintaining strong, professional relationships.”

Sellers can easily adopt these statements by incorporating these three elements:

Feelings: Share your feelings, which will personalize the message and avoid placing blame.

Specific Situation: Specify the situation or behavior that led to your feeling.

Impact or Need: Share how the situation impacts you or what you need to address the situation. 

Don’t Avoid Conflict

Another pillar of effective conflict resolution is how you view conflict. It’s important to embrace it as an opportunity rather than actively avoiding it. According to Zuppulla, smart sellers see conflict as an opportunity. 

Whenever opinions differ, there is an inherent potential for growth and development,” he explains.

Conflict can highlight an unmet need, expose a miscommunication or identify misaligned expectations. It presents an opportunity for the seller to address an underlying issue and open up communication to get it resolved. 

And, by heading off a conflict right away, sellers can prevent things from escalating, Zuppulla adds. 

Investing time in understanding and acknowledging underlying tensions can help prevent unnecessary conflicts from escalating.”

Find Common Ground

In addition to identifying areas of disagreement, it’s important to ultimately uncover where you agree. The key to resolution is finding points of understanding that can serve as a foundation for finding common ground.

Identify common goals, needs and perspectives and brainstorm what steps are necessary to achieve them together.

As Zuppulla reminds sellers, effective conflict resolution doesn’t require everyone to be perfectly happy. It does require everyone to agree to a solution. 

Despite a seller’s best efforts, conflicts will arise. Being prepared and embracing best practices can help with conflict resolution. By facing conflict and taking a mindful approach, you demonstrate your professionalism and dedication to the customer. 

For more tips on handling difficult conversations, take a look at this post. And be sure to listen to this episode of the Manage Smarter podcast for more advice.

Photo by Headway.


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