Ask Teresa: My Sales Team Won’t Let Me Talk To Customers. What Now?

Teresa Torres addresses a common obstacle to continuous discovery: sales and marketing teams that resist product managers talking to customers. She explains that this resistance usually stems from fear of the unknown, such as sales reps worrying about putting renewal revenue at risk or marketers protecting their own research. Her remedy is to start very small with one rep or one marketer, observe first, then ask a single story-based question, and iterate. She also suggests lowering perceived risk by choosing the most receptive customer, framing requests as experiments, and closing the loop after each interview. When all else fails, product teams can recruit people who match the target profile from their own networks, since current customers are not always required.

01Key takeaways

• Figure out what the other team is actually afraid of before pushing back, since it is usually fear of the unknown.
• Ask to observe a meeting first, then request one question at the end, to build comfort gradually.
• Let the sales rep choose the customer, starting with whichever relationship feels safest to them.
• Frame requests as 'let's try it once' experiments rather than long-term process changes.
• After each interview, share the insights and resulting product changes with the rep so they become advocates.
• If internal channels stall, recruit participants from your own network who fit the target customer profile.

02Key sections

Understanding the root of resistance

Sales and marketing pushback typically reflects worry about revenue risk or about contradicting existing research. Identifying that fear is the first step.

Starting teeny tiny

Begin with one relationship and a low-stakes request, such as silently observing a meeting, then ask a single question once trust is established.

Working with sales and account managers

Pick the easiest customer to approach, remove the revenue risk, and frame the ask as a one-time experiment rather than a permanent change.

Closing the loop

Share what was learned and what product changes followed with the rep, and let them tell the customer, which motivates more interviews.

Look beyond current customers

If access is blocked, talk to people who match the target profile, including those in your personal or professional network.

03From the post

“The product trio leads discovery. But this doesn’t mean that other teams aren’t involved. Being thoughtful about product discovery means staying on good terms with others throughout your company. You might need to get buy-in or support from leadership, you may need to collaborate with user research”

04Frameworks mentioned

Summary and takeaways written by PM Atlas; quotes are short excerpts. © the original author.