One company, one staff, one mission

Recently, our shop’s outside sales guys returned from a visit with an old customer that had sent us its first inquiry in 2 years. When they were back in the office, we wanted to hear about the prospective job and why the customer had disappeared from the backlog for so long. What they reported was valuable information that several key employees needed to hear, mostly so we could ensure we didn’t lose the business again. However, bruised egos and an unwillingness to accept a frank assessment resulted.

What was the bombshell? The customer had discovered that our quotes weren’t consistent from person to person for similar parts. When we initiated a company meeting to discuss our inconsistent pricing, we realized a nonsalesperson had provided pricing prior to the establishment of the current sales team.

This was not an insurmountable situation, but the discussion deteriorated from an objective critique to frustration and anger. Why? The hard-working production employees somehow perceived that the sales department was questioning their past actions. They weren’t, but the defensive mindset moved the meeting from what should’ve been a constructive discussion to one of mistrust.

So, this begs the question: How do you handle disputes between departments like sales and production and keep them working together? After all, they’re part of the same team—”the company.”

The solution requires good management techniques to help minimize these problems—but, in my experience, they’re impossible to eliminate. Managers have to be objective and motivate workers from the front office to the back of the shop. They also must encourage everyone to support their co-workers, even when they have a different perspective.