Sales Leadership: It's More Than Just Showing Up

Reactivity and a Positive Outlook (part 2)

In my previous blog we outlined the danger REACTIVITY can play when sales people are faced with conflict, difficulty or do not get their way and looked at an example of how one of the three types that take a Positive Outlook responded. Today we’ll look at how a sales manager can begin to work with the second type of sales person that initially responds with a Positive Outlook.

We’ll use an example where the sales rep is being asked to provide better service and follow through with commitments that have previously been neglected or forgotten.

Our previous blog looked at the sales person whose behaviors are closely aligned to the first point listed below. Today we’ll take a closer look at the second type of person who reacts to conflict and difficulty with a Positive Outlook.

1. They may take a “positive outlook” and help other people feel good because they want to feel good themselves by being valued for helping others.  Their focus is external, on other people.

2. They reframe the problem and look for a fun way to deal with it as they have lots of options (today’s post). Their focus is internal, on their own concerns.

3. They may downplay the problem and decide they’ll deal with it later or even deny there’s a problem all the while trying to balance taking care of both their needs and their clients. Their focus is both internal and external.

Randy is an excellent sales rep as he’s extremely bright, quick-witted, fun, exciting and full of excellent ideas (take approach # 2). Randy is often described by his clients and peers as optimistic, up-beat, charming and easy to be around.  His primary style of selling is by making the sales process fun, being assertive and making things happen through endless ideas and possibilities. Clients buy from Randy because they like him. One of Randy’s challenges is managing his commitments as he often finds himself over extended and simply unable to say “no” to new and exciting opportunities. Consequently, when conflict or problems occur, the first thing Randy will see are all the possible options available to him while keeping a Positive Outlook on the problem.

As a sales manager this can present a series of problems as Randy’s Positive Outlook and focus on Ideas can:

A. Overlook the seriousness of the problem, challenge or difficulty by avoiding pain or suffering that may accompany the situation

B. Over emphasize his own needs and overlook what’s best for both the client and the company

C. React too slowly, or not at all, by becoming distracted with other thoughts or the possibility of moving to something that’s fun and exciting

As Randy’s sales manager, you could focus on the following three areas so Randy might begin to develop and recognize these patterns. The goal is to create a greater capacity to manage the “shadow side” of remaining positive during conflict or difficulty.

1. Ask Randy to develop a process for handling problems that includes:

• A full understanding of the problem and what the client is requesting
• Focusing on what the conditions of satisfaction are and the best solution versus several options
• A mutually agreed upon timeframe in which Randy can complete the tasks and resolve the client’s request for better service

2. Ask Randy to spend more time on “listening” and probing what the client is asking for when problems occur. Randy often finds it difficult to slow down his mind, especially when he’s bored or something new and exciting is on his mind. One of the best things you can ask Randy to do is……………NOTHING. The more time Randy can take after a meeting to just sit and reflect on the client’s needs, the better chance he will have of not moving too quickly to something else. Randy does not suffer from effort or the desire to take care of problems; his mind simply moves quickly to new and exciting possibilities or he finds himself overcommitted in his schedule

3. Make sure you understand Randy’s challenges and begin to probe on some of the patterns you see that do not serve him well. By staying Positive, what is Randy possibly avoiding? By focusing on just this one problem, is it possible that Randy feels confined or limited? Does Randy feel like someone (client or manager) is trying to control him? Is Randy avoiding the problem simply because he has already rationalized his behavior?  All of these challenges may come up even though Randy will project a strong outward appearance of a Positive Outlook.

As you have seen, even though Randy remains positive, the patterns of his behavior may not be as positive for you or your company. We’ll conclude our section on REACTIVITY on our next blog and look at how the third and last “type of sales person” handles conflict and difficulty by taking a Positive Outlook.

John Brambert is the President of Trinity Performance Group, a team of seasoned Executive Coaches trained in the leading worldwide coaching programs. Trinity Performance Group’s goal is to provide a wide range of executive coaching, leadership and team development, and related services to our clients.  See More in John>