Agree More?

Yesterday was a great day. We won a new client, which is awesome, but something else happened that was almost more meaningful. A client said they appreciated the way we challenged their thinking, how we politely pushed back and debated the issues with them. This happened to be the same person who was a prospect a mere two days ago and now is our newest client. What I most appreciated about their compliment was that we chose to debate during turbulent economic times...when it might have been safer to simply agree and tell them how right they were. There were times during the sales process when I questioned the wisdom of those conversations, but we were doing what was right. We have evidence to prove our approach to RM works, and we stuck to our guns. Something to keep in mind the next time a colleague or supervisor questions your suggestion. It might be safer to agree more and debate less, but in the long-term it’s not the best thing for you or them.