A sale is initiated and then deepened. That doesn’t make it linear but cyclical. It’s two sides of the same coin (sale?). So quit blaming your colleague. Mind your side of the sale, instead. You are both serving the customer. Sales people initiate the customer relationship. Only they can. Customer service and technical staff deepen that relationship. Only they can.
The sales person is a hunter. Once he acquires the customer he goes in search of other customers. Customer service and technical staff are farmers. They till the soil, plant the seeds, and nurture the land to ensure it continues to bear fruit.
What is the role of sales and service? Initiating and deepening customer relationships
Each role is distinct, yet interconnected. Like this travel consultant, who after being asked for a ticket, responds: “In addition to the air ticket to Rabat for your CEO, we can also get you hotel accommodation and airport transfers there. You don’t need to shop elsewhere. Would you like that?” The salesperson, immersed in hunting new prospects, simply cannot provide that level of nurturing.
In fact, he is nowhere present when the request (sale) comes knocking. But when you, the farmer — the customer service agent — steps in, you deepen the trust and loyalty of the relationship. Not doing so, under the excuse of, “Sales is not in my job,” is a disservice to the customer. Worse, it inconveniences them. Can you truly say, “I am in customer service,” when you fail to serve? It is a limiting career move.
The relationship between sales and service
Yet this interdependence works both ways. When challenges arise that require a face-to-face meeting, the farmer calls on the hunter. If the salesperson cannot explain what phytosanitary, or coriolis meter mean, and it must be addressed, he tags along the technical colleague who can. The technical fellow is happy to go with the salesperson as the sales person will shield him from the angry customer’s barbs.
This is because the hunter is more adept at it, understands the customer better, and the tag team demonstrates the gravity with which the company takes the customer’s grievance. That is the reason for the sales person being present. And not because, “Si ni customer wako. Wewe ndio ulimleta.” (He is your customer; you brought him.).
Read: Front office staff can boost sales and grow their careers
An example of sales as a service
This collaboration underscores a vital principle: sales and service aren’t isolated. Like with the matatu crew, they are mutually reinforcing. Independence and interdependence lead to not just a sale, but to more sales — a virtuous cycle of initiation and deepening. All because you mind your side of the sale.
This truth is even sharper in B2B sales with heavy, sometimes capital, investments— for example, when a bank upgrades its IT systems or when a factory acquires new machinery. Here, the buyer isn’t just buying a product — they are buying assurance that you’re in for the long haul. By minding your side of the sale, you demonstrate reliability, reduce their sense of risk, and unlock the full value of the customer relationship over time (customer lifetime value).
And as in the case of the travel agency (or hotel), Sales may get the contract signed but the actual sale is in usage – when the ticket is booked or the conference held. Until then all you have is paperwork.
Mind your side of the sale. Mistakes are opportunities to serve
As for the sales person, lamenting that, “You guys in back office keep messing us,” can smack of self-righteousness. ‘Messes’ (mistakes) can and do happen. It’s inevitable in any business. That’s what customer complaints are. But let’s not pretend that missteps are exclusive to customer service or technical staff. Salespeople who misinform, or even, outright lie to customers, create far bigger problems, often planting the seeds for long-term grievances. These “historical injustices” can fester, damaging trust and loyalty.
Neither of you is simply selling or serving. You are both doing both. And the higher the quality of service you deliver, the higher the chances it will convert into a sale and sustainably so. Because at its core, selling is providing a service, and providing a service is selling.
Ultimately, minding your side of the sale is leadership of self. It’s the hardest kind, because it demands accountability even when no one is watching. Yet it’s also the most powerful — it signals commercial (business sense) awareness, sets you apart, builds trust with clients, and propels your career forward.
Mind your side of the sale. One Goal, One Team, One Mission
Sales, Service or Technical you are all customer facing. Your shared goal is the customer. Alone you may deliver a service, but together you create a relationship — one that grows deeper and serves the customer best.
In the end, minding your side of the sale is more than good service — it’s how you secure lasting trust. And in a world where customers have choices, trust is the one advantage no competitor can take away.
Read: 4 practical ways to resolve Sales vs Operations fights
If you would like to have your sales team sell more, we can help. In order for us to do so we propose a free consultation meeting or a call. If in agreement, please complete the form below and we will get in touch after receiving your details, none of which will be public. Thank you.
Views – 334