Do you think all disagreements have a bad ending? They don’t have to. A good ending is especially important if you disagree with your manager or coworker. How you handle disagreements in sales will determine whether you have a good outcome or not. Here’s what you can do to handle disagreements in sales.
When you disagree is important.
Let’s say you’re in a sales meeting discussing a strategy for your sales team. The time to disagree is not while the discussion includes new ideas. The group decision making process in any team includes generating many ideas so that the best one or ones can be selected later. Don’t be the one who shoots down early ideas! You’re going to be labeled uncooperative or worse.
It’s only when there’s discussion to evalutate those ideas that it’s appropriate to consider the downsides of an idea. Consider using Dr. Edward deBono’s Six Thinking Hats technique for group decision making. Each hat focuses each member of the group on a type of thinking. Hats include new ideas, process, the positives of the idea, the negatives of the idea, information and facts, and whether you like or don’t like an idea.
Using the Black Hat is where you disagree as part of the process. You must consider the downside of an idea when the group is using that hat. Six Thinking Hats makes it easier to voice disagreement. Everyone must contribute to Black Hat, or negative thinking. Once all ideas are evaluated both positively and negatively at the end of the decision making process, you have contributed your disagreement at the appropriate time.
How you disagree is important.
It’s preferable if you can disagree with someone privately as opposed to in a public setting. That’s not always possible. When you are working as a member of a team, you can’t talk just to that one person who you disagree with. However, you can state your disagreement with the idea, not the person.
Which do you think you would want to hear? “I find it difficult to support the idea because it costs more than we’re presently spending.” or “I can’t support John’s idea because it costs more than we’re presently spending.” Most people would be uncomfortable hearing the latter example as it personalizes the criticism of their idea. Try to avoid doing that.
Consider the long game when you disagree.
Good team members will avoid direct confrontations with other members of their team. Instead, even if they disagree, they look to reach a consensus. Your goal in any discussion of ideas should be to reach consensus. How do you do that? You realize your reputation is more important than “winning.” Yes, I realize that sometimes someone who you really don’t care for will have a better idea than yours. It’s hard to let go of your own idea.
Think of your character and reputation instead of status, power and a focus on winning. Your teammates have long memories. You might think you win an argument now, but then later you lose a much more important one.
Ruth Bader Ginsburg said, “You can disagree without being disagreeable.” and you must do that if you want a long and successful sales career.