In sales, frustration does not always come from prospects who say, “No.” Sometimes, it comes from within the organization. Missed special orders, incorrect invoices, delayed bids, or broken promises can undermine months of sales effort and leave sales professionals feeling blindsided.
According to Dave Kahle, founder of Kahle Way Sales Systems, these situations are common and often misunderstood. Kahle explained that internal breakdowns often occur when coworkers fail to execute on commitments made to customers, whether due to lack of competency, lack of care, or simple oversight. For salespeople, the impact feels personal.
“You spent all this time getting the order, getting the bid done, and somebody dropped the ball,” Kahle said. “Every salesperson has that at some time. Sometimes it becomes a regular thing.”
The natural reaction, Kahle said, is for salespeople to step in and try to manage everything themselves. “If you have a problem with an invoice, call me. If you have a back order, call me,” he said. “I’ll take care of everything.” While that approach feels helpful, Kahle warned it sends the wrong message to customers.
“The message is not a good one,” Kahle said. “It tells the customer that my company doesn’t have good systems. I can’t rely on anybody, so I’ll fix everything for you.” In the short term, taking control may smooth over issues. In the long term, it undermines the organization’s confidence and places unnecessary pressure on the salesperson.
Kahle shared a personal example from earlier in his career when his task-driven approach created friction with internal teams.
“I was irritating people,” he said. “I’d blow in on a Friday afternoon, leave all kinds of stuff, and expect everything to begin.” After being confronted by an operations manager, Kahle realized he needed to change how he worked internally. His goal shifted from pushing people to creating goodwill. “I wanted people to be glad to go above and beyond their normal job on my behalf,” Kahle said.
To reset relationships, Kahle apologized to internal teams and asked for a second chance. “It was tough to do,” he said. “But it did what I wanted it to do.”
Kahle emphasized the importance of distinguishing between one-time mistakes and recurring patterns. “If it’s a one-off incident, things happen,” he said. “Apologize, fix it, and move on.”
When problems become a pattern, Kahle said salespeople need to address the issue directly, using the same skills they apply with customers.
“You know how to influence people. You know how to make people comfortable,” he said. “Now take those skills and apply them internally.” That means approaching conversations calmly, avoiding confrontation, asking open-ended questions, and seeking mutual understanding.
He also recommended softening difficult conversations through storytelling, a technique he calls buffering. “When you have to ask a difficult question, tell a little story first,” Kahle said. “It makes it easier to respond to.”
In closing, Kahle described internal relationship-building as a defining skill of top performers. “This is one of the higher-order sales skills,” he said. “The masters of the world of sales create nurturing, helpful relationships with everyone inside the organization.”
For sales professionals, Kahle said, mastering this skill is not optional. It is essential for long-term success.
