Discover the hidden power of emotional intelligence in sales
Whether you’ve just got started or you’re ready to scale an existing venture, those sales figures will make for vital reading. The survival of any business depends on its sales, and no matter what products or services you’re touting, your salespeople are the key to securing so much more in your target market.
Every salesperson you recruit should have the skills and qualities to succeed, helping your brand forge those all-important relationships with customers and generate revenue on your business’ behalf. When searching for the perfect sales staff to take your company to the very next level, emotional intelligence (EQ) should be a quality that’s high on your tick list.
Emotional intelligence is a potent tool that’s often overlooked when recruiting and developing salespeople. Yet it remains the key to not only closing deals, but understanding people, connecting with them on a deeper level, and fostering the trust and loyalty that keeps them coming back.
In this blog post, we explore the pivotal role emotional intelligence plays in the sales process, why it’s the secret ingredient to sales success, and how salespeople can nurture their EQ to elevate their performance and open up a whole world of possibilities for your business.
Get to grips with the true meaning of EQ
A term coined by psychologists Peter Salovey and John Mayer, and popularised by many ever since, emotional intelligence is an individual’s ability to recognise, understand and manage both their own emotions and those of others. It can generally be broken down into four key components – self-awareness, self-regulation, social awareness and relationship management – each of which is as important as the last.
EQ plays a crucial role in both our professional and personal lives, as well as serving as a compass for people in many professions, including sales. It guides sales professionals through the intricacies of human interaction, giving them the intelligence to empathise, overcome obstacles, and reduce conflicts and concerns.
Understand the other ‘E’ of emotional intelligence
Embracing empathy is another essential for salespeople looking to use emotional intelligence to their advantage.
By putting yourself in the customer’s shoes to comprehend their challenges, desires and motivations, you can gain a true understand of their position and help them find a solution that counts. Empathy helps sales professionals to build trust and rapport, and foster stronger relationships than ever before with would-be and existing customers. Sales professionals can improve their social awareness by practising empathy, actively listening to client concerns, and observing body language cues during interactions.
With an improved understanding of the customer’s needs, emotions and perspective, you’ll have all you need to tailor your approach, and address customer pain points and aspirations. Ultimately, empathy not only enhances the customer experience but increases the likelihood of closing a sale. It’s also the key to forming the long-term partnerships that lead to referrals. Customers after all appreciate being understood and valued.
Now it’s time to manage your own emotions
If you’re looking to cultivate your emotional intelligence for better sales performance, the best place to begin is with self-awareness and regulation.
By recognising your own emotions and triggers, you can better control reactions and remain composed, even in high pressure situations. Mindfulness, meditation and journaling are just a few techniques that will allow you to tune in and develop a greater sense of self-awareness, and it’ll all help to strengthen that sales pitch and open up a dialogue that facilitates opportunity.
Cognitive reframing or seeking feedback from mentors has also been found to be effective for gaining perspective on emotional responses.
Work on cementing and nurturing relationships
The Holy Grail of sales is long lasting customer relationships. By keeping customers coming back for more, your job is made simpler and more satisfying, and the wider brand will benefit too.
Building and maintaining rapport with clients however isn’t easy, especially in today’s fast-paced markets. Nurturing relationships that are built to last requires trust, transparency, effective communication and plenty of EQ. Salespeople with strong relationship management skills excel at conflict resolution, negotiation and building long-term partnerships, and use these attributes to prioritise client needs over short-term gains to foster loyalty and repeat business.
Emotional intelligence isn’t just a soft skill. It gives salespeople like you a distinct strategic advantage. Research has shown that salespeople with high emotional intelligence outperform their peers, consistently exceeding targets and building long-term client relationships. Why? Because they understand that sales isn’t just about pitching a product, it’s about addressing underlying needs and emotions.
