The Sales Process Change That Changed Me

What an Angry Employee Taught Me About Leading Change

A red-faced employee cornered me against my desk. Here's what stopped me from losing it

I'd just taken over as a new sales leader. The organization had thrown a lot of initiatives at the wall, some stuck, and they had the numbers to prove it. But I saw gaps: our sales process was too simple for the complex, solution-based sale we were actually running. Not enough early meetings. Not enough access to stakeholders in the bigger accounts and opportunities.

So I surveyed the team, found the gaps, and we gained alignment with nearly everyone. I thought. The consensus was to start making changes.

One person didn't see it that way.

Arrogance has a bad odor

They walked into my office on a Friday afternoon, furious about everything they'd just built in the old process. Watching it all change was just too much.

Instead of listening to allow them to be heard, I asked questions. Good questions. My tone probably wasn’t the best: great questions, wrong tone, at exactly the wrong time.

The more I smiled (arrogance has a bad odor) and followed up, the more inflamed they got, until they were inches from me, and I was literally pinned against the wall, sitting on my own file cabinet.

Every instinct said fight back. Growing up, when words failed, fists flew to settle the debate. The Marines reinforced it: same rank, foul words, fists flew. But in the corporate world, the wrong words get you fired, and fists get you arrested. I didn't want either.

So I sat there and took it.

That night, still furious, I pulled over and wrote a long, detailed email to this individual about how unprofessional the whole thing was.

I never sent it.

People usually have good intentions

I thought of President Lincoln. How he'd write angry letters to his generals after a lost battle, then lock them in a desk drawer for a few days before deciding whether to send them. Usually, he didn't.

Almost three years later, I found that email again, unaddressed. I laughed. That moment taught me much more about new levels of restraint and patience than almost anything else in my career to that point.

I asked my mentor, Mike Braun, how he stayed so calm and clear-headed in tense moments. He said: "I've seen a lot of stuff and been through a lot of changes. People work hard with the best intentions at the time. They do their best to make things that work for them and their organizations. Just because you’re a consultant doesn’t mean you're right, and most importantly, their perspectives matter."

"People's frustration usually comes from caring. And when someone cares enough to push back hard, they're usually worth listening to.”

That was a pivotal moment for me.

What's yours?

A plan only works when your team can put it into action.

Join Pivotal Advisors for Plan for Growth: Build Your 2027 Sales Strategy on September 10 in Bloomington, MN. This in-person Masterclass is designed to help business and sales leaders make the strategic choices that drive focused, executable growth and get your team on board.

You’ll examine the clients you should pursue, how your sales strategy supports your growth goals, and what leaders must do to create alignment and move the plan into action.