What are the most common sources of conflict in sales development?

??Here are the answer?? ??Unclear Responsibilities: When team members are unsure about their specific duties & responsibilities. ??Lack of Communication: Insufficient communication regarding goals, targets, or changes in strategy can result in misunderstandings & conflicting priorities among team members. ??Role Overlaps: When there's ambiguity about who is responsible for specific tasks or accounts, it can lead to conflicts as team members may inadvertently step on each other's toes. ??Performance Metrics Discrepancies: Conflicts may arise if there's a lack of alignment on key performance indicators (KPIs) or if expectations regarding individual & team performance are not clearly defined.

Common sources of conflict in sales development include misaligned goals between different departments, unclear role definitions leading to overlapping responsibilities, and communication breakdowns. Competition for resources and differing priorities can also cause friction. Differences in personality and work styles among team members, as well as varying levels of experience and expertise, often contribute to misunderstandings and disagreements. Pressure to meet targets and the high-stress nature of sales environments can exacerbate these conflicts. Addressing these issues proactively with clear communication, defined roles, and collaborative goal-setting is crucial for minimizing conflict.

??Managerial Overreliance on CRM CRM’s have considerably diminished Sales coaching, and ultimately careers. Sales Management overly complicates them thinking technology will, in due course, do their job. ?? Requiring Insignificant Data: CRM’s should gather meaningful & actionable data. Requiring Salespeople to input low-value activities is today’s worst form of micromanagement. ?? Understanding Data: Align CRM’s to fundamental Sales practices... keep it simple. CRM’s should be used to find ‘coaching’ or ‘go-to-market strategy’ areas to increase sales. ?? Practice Differentiation: Stop requiring ‘blanketed’ CRM reviews. Those hitting goals = short check-ins & only vital data input. Those that don’t = more focus & more rudimentary data.

Unclear expectations around the handoff from SDR to AE. The qualification criteria (what the SDR is uncovering before scheduling the meeting) and the conversion criteria (what the AE needs to validate to convert to opp) needs to be well documented, trained, and retrained. This criteria needs to be supported operationally so that management has checks and balances in place to ensure reps are aligning to defined processes. While it changes based on each company, I often like qualification criteria: right persona (influencer or decision maker who aligns to our target titles), pain our solution can solve, willing to take a sales call. Conversion criteria: confirm all qual criteria, establish mutually agreed upon next step within 30 days.

A common cause of conflict with BDRs/SDRs often stems from the lack of a clearly defined lead/prospect qualification model. Conflict can arise when essential qualification questions are not integrated into the process. Establishing what constitutes a "lead" and what doesn't can significantly diminish friction between SDRs and AEs/Reps. By addressing this aspect, teams can enhance collaboration, streamline the handover process, and reduce conflict. PS Conflict can be good if it is properly managed and leads to solving problems. An org that has no conflict is not going deep enough to find and fix challenges and issues.

While some degree of sales pressure can motivate and drive performance, excessive pressure may lead to negative consequences. Managed carefully, sales pressure can enhance urgency, encouraging sales teams to meet targets and achieve goals. However, an overly stressful environment can lead to burnout, reduced job satisfaction, and potentially unethical sales practices. Striking the right balance is key, ensuring that sales pressure serves as a constructive force rather than a detriment to the well-being and ethical standards of the sales team.

I think the performance pressures also point back to conflict #1 - role clarity between SDRs and AEs. I ran into a situation recently where the sales team (AEs) were receiving pressure to improve win rates. While the intention was to push AEs to more effectively manage the opps in their pipeline and win more deals, what actually happened was they just let less deals in. The SDRs started seeing meetings that aligned to all qualification and conversion criteria not being converted because the AEs didn't see a fully scoped and budgeted project with a decision being made in 3-6 months. That sales leadership pressure to improve win rates trickled down to the SDRs and all of a sudden they were being asked to step outside of their defined role.

Different industries/firms/teams have different KPI, some are strict and set in stone, while some are softer and adjustable between team members or even from the back-end by supervisor. These might foster a sense unfairness for the out-performers. The out-performers should also be fully incentivised, so the team could continue the growth momentum, you don’t want your key producers to disappoint and lose motivation, leading to exit, and you will be left with the rest. A highly competitive and meritocracy team culture is not for everyone, so it is all the more important to know who you want to work with and hire, what stage your company is in now, and what’s the growth targets it wants to achieve going forward.

Eventually it is sales. So your results will always be measured - every month, every week, every day. As earlier as you accept this as a fact as easier it becomes Next you start calculating your KPIs How many dials lead to a connect? How many connects do you need to do a proper pitch? How many pitches to you need for a new opp/closed won? Break it down to weekly (not daily!) kpis and take this as your metrics. Anyhow you shouldn't try to hit everything end of the month. This leads to a slow start next month and you will be in a struggling situation every month

Performance pressure can be good or bad. In my experience there should be some type of metrics that measures performance. However, the company should look at these metrics to see if it is something they would want to be measured by themselves. Way too often upper-level management sets goal and expectations that even they themselves would not even want to be judged by. Yes, it is crucial to have a system to track productivity, but its more effective to have a system in place that doesn't stress SDRs out and have them underperforming causing the company to spend more money hiring and training new reps.

Rejection hurts most when SDRs are prioritizing selling themselves or their product over helping their prospects. The solution is becoming more Prospect Centric! - When you remove your pride and explain why you are reaching out to a prospect - When you inquire about pain points and priorities - When you humbly request time to explore further - When you do not oversell your products, features, or previous success The "No's" stop becoming discouraging. When outreach is less about you and more about the prospect, negative signals stop becoming personal.

Too many inexperienced salespeople set themselves up for failure. Instead of “selling an appointment” on the phone they sell the product. The prospect has no reason to meet with them once they start selling the product and the sales rep gets nowhere fast. That’s only one way efforts become self-defeating. By scheduling an appointment a prospect doesn’t get as defensive. I used to ask for 15 minutes of their time to see if there was any reason to continue our dialogue. Prospects appreciated being shown respect for their time and not being pressured for anything more than a brief meeting. While there are sales rep can uncover needs they might not otherwise uncover without being in the prospect’s office.

1. Create real value 2. Relationship building to close the value gap 3. Wait for the right timing If your cannot think of what your customers need, stop to observe and think. Put yourself in their shoes. If you feel like you are hitting a wall, take a break. Explore new customers, hone your skills and knowledge, come back and revisit your difficult prospects when you are ready. Always be optimistic and don’t give up.

In sales, facing customer resistance is an opportunity, not just a hurdle. A customer-centric approach treats each interaction as a chance for meaningful connection. Research and segmentation set the stage for relevant messages, and objection handling.

You never know what your prospect went through in their life. Your voice, your accent, your style might remember the prospect of their high school bully. They won't know why - you won't know why... but there is resistance. In case you are sure it is not about you, but about your product start with the why. What makes your prospect say this? Most of the times you can simply ask the product. Let's say: "it is too complicated. We can't make use of it" You say: "What do you mean by too complicated? Can you explain?" You are either on your way to a good objection handling or about to discover the real root of the problem

Team dynamics play a crucial role in sales development by influencing collaboration, communication, and overall performance. A cohesive team fosters a positive work environment, where members support each other, share insights, and collectively strive towards common goals. Effective team dynamics enhance problem-solving, creativity, and adaptability, enabling the team to navigate challenges in the dynamic field of sales. Furthermore, a well-functioning team can lead to improved morale, job satisfaction, and ultimately better results in sales development efforts.

A team’s members may see each other as enemies when there are lack of resources, such as pay, promotion, benefits, praise, exposure…etc. A most direct way to avoid it is for the team to keep growing and everyone direct their energy outside, to conquer external markets so the team could share the spoils. Eventually the market may get more difficult to grow, then it is the leader’s role to pivot and bring the team to the next level. If thr leader if not capable of navigating the team in the more dangerous water, perhaps a new leader is needed, and the original leader could be kept but hold the role of maintaining team morale, but have to release power to more suitable person. Corporations hold higher standard on people managers.

The question often comes down to sales commission sharing. Who closes a deal? Who initiates a deal? How is the commission recorded and shared?

in my expirience as an sdr and leader in that space, you have to be cautious of how you want the culture and balance to be for each individual and how thats goign to align with the team. each person has to be heard but also be collaborated with everyone else. there are strenghts and weaknesses in each and as a team, using that and molding it together and individually with each can create a very powerful group of people. It is hard to accomplish because everyone has goals, but a little bit of it can go a long way

BDRs run a marathon each month to try and make their goal and the OTE they were promised during the interview process. To the best of your ability, make sure assignments and territories are balanced or comp is adjusted so that every BDR has the same opportunity to earn their monthly variable income. Too often your timing or seniority rank get you the cushy territories with more lay-up meetings. Make sure each territory has growth potential and make sure your comp plan rewards those that truly go above and beyond. Your morale and culture will thank you for it!

One thing that helped my BDR teams dramatically was to be very clear from the start what the promotion path and the demotion/PIP/termination path on my team looked like. The paths should include the timeline of each path and the expected steps along the way, and the actions they can expect from the manager to assist them throughout. Laying out performance expectations for both paths (not just promotions) gives BDRs the stability of knowing what lies ahead of them based on their decisions, and helps remove any feelings of manager bias when it's time to hold conversations about both promotions and PIPs.

Other aspects to consider include: Technology Integration: Leveraging technology tools for customer relationship management (CRM), analytics, and communication can significantly enhance sales development efforts. Customer-Centric Approach: Prioritizing customer needs and providing personalized solutions builds trust and fosters long-term relationships, contributing to sustained success. Metrics and Analytics: Establishing key performance indicators (KPIs) and leveraging analytics helps assess the effectiveness of sales strategies, allowing for data-driven improvements. The ability to adapt to changing market conditions and customer preferences is crucial for sustained success in sales development.

There is often a disconnect between what will work for me as an SDR now, vs. what is best for the long term success of Sales Development at my company. A junior SDR could see a faster path to short term success by blasting out 500 automated emails per day and leveraging AI tools to message through LinkedIn extremely quickly. They are often right! This can and does often lead to more meetings. But for how long? 2 months? 4 months? Then the company brand and email deliverability take a massive hit that is felt by the SDRs that come after them when they are long gone and living in AE land. The conflict I see comes from SDR Management explaining the benefits of aligning to best practices when a clear shortcut exists.

The most common source of conflict in SDR comes from within: external vs internal locus of control. Do I focus on my external locus of control, and believe everything is out of my control? Or do I focus on my internal locus of control, and believe I have the power to control my outcomes? SDRs with an internal locus of control are 10x more likely to find success than those without.