--- title: Difficult Conversations Are Growth Opportunities | The Sales Blog description: No one likes difficult conversations, but in Sales they truly are growth opportunities. image: https://www.thesalesblog.com/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/Screen-Shot-2014-10-24-at-9_43_50-PM.png --- ### [Now booking SKO meetings for 2026/27! 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It is hard to deal with situations when emotions are high and people are upset. But these conversations are crucial to your success, and difficult conversations offer you an opportunity to grow personally and professionally. From time to time, no matter how good your company is, you are going to have [problems](http://thesalesblog.com/blog/2010/04/06/what-to-do-when-the-train-comes-off-the-tracks-or-how-to-make-clients-for-life/) executing and delivering for your clients. You aren’t going to have a lot of people fight you to lead the conversations with your clients about your failing and your plan to turn things around. But dealing with these issues is what builds your client’s trust and confidence in you. [Hiding](http://thesalesblog.com/blog/2012/01/25/owning-the-outcome-means-no-hiding/) from issues destroys trust and confidence. You and your dream client are struggling to produce the outcomes you sold. They’re disappointed and angry? Jot down your talking points and action plans, and get face-to-face (the sooner the better). Client has a serious complaint and wants to rip someone’s face off? Make your face the first they see, and let it be known that you were [side-by-side](http://thesalesblog.com/blog/2011/04/03/the-foxhole-test/) with them when they needed you. As a manager or leader, you are going to have to have difficult conversations with the people you lead. Sometimes those conversations will be about their performance, and they will sometimes be unpleasant. As a leader, you have to engage in these uncomfortable conversations. It’s a part of your role that you can’t abdicate. One of the people you are responsible isn’t performing? Have the difficult and very real conversation about their performance issue, even though the conversation isn’t going to be very much fun. Another person has personal issues that are impacting their life? You really don’t want to deal with it because it’s messy. Have the conversation even if it fills you with dread. It’s important that you learn to have effective, difficult conversations. The better results you need are on the other side of those conversations. The more you learn to deal with situations and conversations when emotions are running hot and stakes are high, the more prepared you will be to deal with other difficult conversations. Difficult conversations are [growth](http://thesalesblog.com/blog/2014/07/06/leadership-and-two-types-of-growth/) opportunities. [**Tweet](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Difficult+Conversations+Are+Growth+Opportunities&url=https%3A%2F%2Fthesalesblog.com%2F2014%2F10%2F24%2Fdifficult-conversations-are-growth-opportunities%2F%3Futm_source%3Dtwitter%26utm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_campaign%3DSocialWarfare&via=iannarino) **Pin [**Share60](https://www.linkedin.com/cws/share?url=https%3A%2F%2Fthesalesblog.com%2F2014%2F10%2F24%2Fdifficult-conversations-are-growth-opportunities%2F%3Futm_source%3Dlinkedin%26utm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_campaign%3DSocialWarfare) [**Share54](https://www.facebook.com/share.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fthesalesblog.com%2F2014%2F10%2F24%2Fdifficult-conversations-are-growth-opportunities%2F%3Futm_source%3Dfacebook%26utm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_campaign%3DSocialWarfare) [**Email](mailto:?subject=Difficult%20Conversations%20Are%20Growth%20Opportunities&body=No%20one%20wants%20to%20have%20difficult%20conversations.%20It%20is%20hard%20to%20deal%20with%20situations%20when%20emotions%20are%20high%20and%20people%20are%20upset.%20But%20these%20conversations%20are%20crucial%20to%20your%20success%2C%20and%20difficult%20conversations%20offer%20you%20an%20opportunity%20to%20grow%20personally%20and%20professionally.%20From%20time%20to%20time%2C%20no%20matter%20how%20good%20your%20company%20is%2C%20you%20are%20going%20to%20have%20problems%20executing%20and%20delivering%20for%20your%20clients.%20You%20aren%E2%80%99t%20going%20to%20have%20a%20lot%20of%20people%20fight%20you%20to%20lead%20the%20conversations%20with%20your%20clients%20about%20your%20failing%20and%20your%20plan%20to%20turn%20things%20around.%20But%20dealing%20with%20these%20issues%20is%20what%0D%0A%0D%0ARead%20More%20Here:%20%20https%3A%2F%2Fthesalesblog.com%2F2014%2F10%2F24%2Fdifficult-conversations-are-growth-opportunities%2F%3Futm_source%3Demail%26utm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_campaign%3DSocialWarfare) [**Pocket](https://getpocket.com/save?url=https%3A%2F%2Fthesalesblog.com%2F2014%2F10%2F24%2Fdifficult-conversations-are-growth-opportunities%2F%3Futm_source%3Dpocket%26utm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_campaign%3DSocialWarfare) [**Buffer](https://bufferapp.com/add?url=https%3A%2F%2Fthesalesblog.com%2F2014%2F10%2F24%2Fdifficult-conversations-are-growth-opportunities%2F%3Futm_source%3Dbuffer%26utm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_campaign%3DSocialWarfare&text=Difficult+Conversations+Are+Growth+Opportunities) 114 Shares ###### Tags: [Sales](https://www.thesalesblog.com/blog/tag/sales) [Leadership](https://www.thesalesblog.com/blog/tag/leadership) [2014](https://www.thesalesblog.com/blog/tag/2014) Post by [Anthony Iannarino](https://www.thesalesblog.com/blog/author/anthony-iannarino) on October 24, 2014 Written and edited by human brains and human hands. ![Anthony Iannarino](https://www.thesalesblog.com/hubfs/ai-blog-profile-crop.jpg) Anthony Iannarino is an American writer. He has published daily at [thesalesblog.com](https://www.thesalesblog.com) for more than 14 years, amassing over 5,300 articles and making this platform a destination for salespeople and sales leaders. Anthony is also the author of four best-selling books documenting modern sales methodologies and a fifth book for sales leaders seeking revenue growth. His latest book for an even wider audience is titled, The Negativity Fast: Proven Techniques to Increase Positivity, Reduce Fear, and Boost Success. Anthony speaks to sales organizations worldwide, delivering cutting-edge sales strategies and tactics that work in this ever-evolving B2B landscape. He also provides workshops and seminars. Connect with Anthony on LinkedIn, X or Youtube. 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What we’re doing right now **is working**, even in this challenging economy. **Would you like some help?** [![Solve for Sales](https://no-cache.hubspot.com/cta/default/2922376/d3a4938b-2008-4a27-8b44-7b2223f6d035.png)](https://cta-redirect.hubspot.com/cta/redirect/2922376/d3a4938b-2008-4a27-8b44-7b2223f6d035) ### Join my Weekly Newsletter for Sales Tips Join 100,000+ sales professionals in my weekly newsletter and get my *Guide to Becoming a Sales Hustler* eBook for FREE! --- ```json { "@context" : "http://schema.org/", "@type" : "BlogPosting", "author" : { "@type" : "Person", "name" : "Anthony Iannarino" }, "dateModified" : "2021-09-17T2:02:51 PM", "datePublished" : "2014-10-24 21:58:17", "description" : "No one likes difficult conversations, but in Sales they truly are growth opportunities.", "headline" : "Difficult Conversations Are Growth Opportunities", "image" : { "@type" : "ImageObject", "height" : 16, "url" : "https://f.hubspotusercontent20.net/hubfs/2922376/Image/favicon.ico", "width" : 16 }, "mainEntityOfPage" : { "@id" : "https://www.thesalesblog.com/blog/difficult-conversations-are-growth-opportunities", "@type" : "WebPage" }, "name" : "Difficult Conversations Are Growth Opportunities", "publisher" : { "@type" : "Organization", "logo" : { "@type" : "ImageObject", "height" : 24, "url" : "https://f.hubspotusercontent20.net/hubfs/2922376/TSB/images/TSB%20Logo%20Dark.svg", "width" : 228 }, "name" : "The Sales Blog" } } ```