If there is no tension in the sales process, you’re not selling. You’re taking orders or you’re the customers bitch.

Truly selling means you are offering some type of fundamental change and tension is inherent to change.

Your buyer isn’t going to always agree with your view point, recommendation or suggestions and that’s OK. That’s healthy tension.

There are going to be detractors to your solution. The competition is going to add to the tension, spreading fear, uncertainty and doubt (fud). That’s brutal tension.

Your product won’t meet all their needs, that for sure creates tension.

New requirements will come out of the blue, the product team will miss a delivery timeline, budgets will be cut, prices will be too high and they all create tension.

Tension is natural. It’s part of the sales cycle. As a sales person, your job is not to reduce tension or avoid it but rather know how to manage it.

Tension gives you visibility into what your clients are doing. It’s provides insight into your buyers mind, their challenges, issues and concerns. Tension is the natural connection between your buyers fears and your solution. Embracing tension is how you get to the close and deliver.

Sales is not meant to be tension free, we’re creating change and change makes people nervous.

Embrace the tension, it means you’re heading in the right direction.