Recently, a client asked us for our thoughts on a puzzling business issue — assets in their mutual funds are falling — but at a much slower rate then their competitors and the industry leaders. While good news, on the face of it, our client rightfully wondered if there was more to this.

For those of us with a background in sales and a career devotion to it, it’s always painful to hear our clients talking about “sales” with negative connotations. Often times a firm will tell us that they want to create a “sales culture” but they don’t want their employees to be “salesy”. It’s as if instituting a sales culture means that they will turn into sales vultures!

What does it take to be competitive, really competitive, in this current market? Is it a good product or service that is reliable and meets a need? Is it a good “story” about what you offer and how you can differentiate yourself?

The answer is, “Yes” to both, but good products and services and a good story are the minimum requirements to stay in business in this increasingly competitive landscape.

We are in the business of revenue generating activities – helping our clients grow their sales. Why then do we even discuss a topic like conflict management?

In numerous engagements and client interactions we’ve continued to have employees come to us requesting help in dealing with difficult co-worker situations. We talk about behavioral style and the implicit communication issues frequently. This is at the root of many troubling relationships; however, there is another area that we haven’t addressed but which we recognize as a real source of concern in most organizations.