How to overcome tensions between operations and sales
In almost every company, tensions tend to develop between the Sales and the Operations department.
Sales wants speed, flexibility, customization, and closed deals. Operations wants predictability, feasibility, quality, and control.
Both teams work toward the same overarching goals, but from completely different perspectives and with completely different mindsets.
The good news? This tension doesn’t have to be a drag on performance. With the right structure, it becomes a source of strategic advantage.
Why the tension exists
The first thing that is important to understand is why tensions exists in the first place. Although the causes are always case/ company specific, four most common causes that NXTsteps.eu encounters consists of:
1. Conflicting incentives
Where Sales is rewarded for revenue and deal volume, Operations is assessed on quality, efficiency, and flawless delivery. What drives success for one team can simply create chaos for the other.
2. Different time horizons
Sales operates in the moment. The quicker the deal can be closed, the better. Operations works with planning cycles,focussing on what can be realistically delivered in what time, at what costs and with quality.
3. Lack of a shared language
Sales talks about opportunities, pipeline, customer impact. Operations talks about lead times, processes, and capacity. Without the right governance, these become two different worlds entirely.
4. The founder’s dilemma
In many sxcale-ups , the founders become the escalation point between both sides.
Sales goes to the founder for exceptions. Operations goes to the founder when something can’t be delivered. As the company scales, this central role becomes a bottleneck. In this article on the Founder’s dilemma you can learn more on how to overcome this bottleneck common for companies moving from start-up to scale-up.
The impact on the business
Needles to say, that if these tensions are left unaddressed, they can have a negative impact on the company. Examples from our experience are:
- Projects slow down
- Margins fall due to too many exceptions
- Teams get frustrated
- Growth stalls
And ultimately, the customer feels the pain. And when the customers get unsattisfied the downward spiral in revenue and margin is difficult to stop.
However, when these tensions are addressed properly, this same tension can become a powerful engine for sustainable growth versus competition.
How to turn tension into collaboration?
Although, as mentioned before, every company and its dynamics is different, the following key factors definitely support turning these tensions into collaboration:
1. Establish a clear decision framework between Sales and Operations
Define the following things:
- what Sales can decide independently
- where Operations has veto authority
- when escalation is needed
- who is allowed to approve exceptions
Clear delegation removes about 70% of conflict.
2. Create a standardized intake and offer process
Much of the friction arises when Sales sells something Operations can’t deliver. A simple checklist prevents this by ensuring clarity on:
- capacity
- technical feasibility
- required data
- deviations from the standard offering
No more unpleasant surprises after the deal is signed.
3. Set up a weekly Sales–Ops Alignment Meeting
Short, structured, consistent — with a fixed agenda:
- pipeline deals that will impact operations
- delivery bottlenecks
- forecast vs. capacity
- risks and exception requests
This rhythm prevents issues from surfacing only when they have already escalated.
4. Incentivize teams on shared metrics
Examples:
- customer satisfaction
- project throughput time
- margin per deal
- first-time-right rates
Shared success metrics eliminate the “us vs. them” dynamic.
5. Move towards scaleable customer offering
As your offering and value proposition becomes more scaleable and exceptions decrease, disagreements automatically drop. Sales knows what they can sell. Operations knows what they must deliver. Customers know what to expect.
Why governance is the key
Most friction won’t disappear through better communication alone.It simply requires better structures:
- clear roles
- aligned decision rights
- standardized processes
- consistent feedback loops and
- a solid meeting cadence.
Good governance enables teams to collaborate independently and effectively.
Help with scaling up
Through NXTsteps.eu I support leadership teams with their (international) growth strategies and operational excellence incentives. If you need help to resolve tensions between Sales and Operation, I can support and lead this transition by:
- designing clear governance frameworks,
- creating smart and easy to use RACIs and delagation of authority frameworks,
- implementing scaleable value propositions,
- facilitating alignment workshops between teams.
The result is an organization that can deliver predictably and grow quickly without internal noise.
Want to know more? Then let’s talk! Feel free to reach out me NXTsteps.eu. Together we can develop an organization that can grow and deliver in a sustainable way.