--- title: Your Choices Regarding Friction | The Sales Blog description: To succeed in business and in sales, you have to understand and accept that a certain amount of friction comes with the territory... image: https://www.thesalesblog.com/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/shutterstock_84753853.jpg --- ### [Now booking SKO meetings for 2026/27! 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The difference between what was said and what was heard can cause friction. Your client believes they heard something that hasn’t come true. You believe you communicated clearly. Friction. - **Competing needs are source of friction.** The fact that you need your dream client to invest more in the outcome they want is in stark contrast to what your prospect wants to spend to achieve that outcome. There is no way for both of you to get exactly what you want. This is another form of conflict or friction. - **When things go wrong, it is easy for emotions to run hot.** The stress of struggling or failing to generate results can cause people to say things that are hurtful to others, even if they don’t mean to, and even if they later regret it. Stress is a source of friction. To succeed in business and in sales, you have to understand and accept that a certain amount of friction comes with the territory. The more comfortable you are with the [conflict](http://thesalesblog.com/2013/03/16/on-conflict-and-collaboration/) that occurs in the normal course of business, the more successful you will be. The more uncomfortable you are with friction, the more you may struggle. The fact that friction exists, that there is an element of conflict in business and in sales, does not mean that you have to be the source of the friction or accept that there is nothing you can to do to reduce the friction. Not only can you successfully navigate and reduce friction by exercising emotional intelligence, practicing patience, using the power of persuasion, and winning hearts and minds by indefatigably pursuing a third way (not your way, not my way, our way). Friction is inevitable. Your response to friction is within your control. You can increase the friction by responding from a place of fear and the belief that others have [bad intentions](https://www.thesalesblog.com/blog/assuming-intentions-good-bad). Or you can respond from a centered place of empowerment, believing that you are resourceful enough to find a third way—and to sell it to others.   ###### Tags: [Sales](https://www.thesalesblog.com/blog/tag/sales) [2016](https://www.thesalesblog.com/blog/tag/2016) Post by [Anthony Iannarino](https://www.thesalesblog.com/blog/author/anthony-iannarino) on June 17, 2016 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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