Written by Sean McPheat | 
Emotional Intelligence in Sales is a crucial factor that can significantly enhance performance and results.
By understanding and applying emotional intelligence, sales professionals can build better relationships with clients and improve their overall effectiveness.
As a Sales Training Company we focus on these essential skills, helping sales teams to connect and engage more successfully. In this blog, we will explore how emotional intelligence can transform sales strategies and drive success.
The Cambridge Dictionary defines Emotional Intelligence as “the ability to understand and control your own feelings, and to understand the feelings of others and react to them in a suitable way”
It is contrasted with other forms of fact- or logic-based intelligence, because it focuses on empathy and empathic response. Breaking down the Cambridge definition, we have three parts which could be significant to sales:
Now that we’ve looked at a definition, let’s examine why this concept is meaningful in a sales context.
“The best salesperson is not the one who can sell ice to Eskimos, but the one who can sell warmth to a cold-hearted person.” – anonymous
In other words, emotional intelligence allows you to use your insights into how another person is feeling to change their emotional response.
For instance, if your lead is frustrated with the complexity of a choice, can you talk them through the options and make your selling proposition much simpler? Can you take someone who is anxious about overspending, and make them see that they are really making a canny financial investment?
It’s also about recognising that different personalities require different approaches, and being able to flip strategies, depending on what you encounter.
These skills are vital to sales because people often make decisions based upon their emotions, rather than any cold, logical assessment of value.
A Professor at Harvard once reckoned that 95% of purchasing decisions have their root in the subconscious, anchored to emotions, rather than rational decision-making. They are based upon needs we may not even know we have, but that an emotionally intelligent rep can identify.
Another way to think of emotional intelligence is to see it as comprised of five different skills: self-awareness, self-regulation, motivation, empathy and social skills. Let’s break those down a little.
Just as you might check your outfit in the mirror before going out, a good salesperson needs to make an attitude inspection too.
You need to be aware of your emotional affect: how you present to other people. Do you seem friendly, helpful, knowledgeable, and reasonable. Above all, do you project trustworthiness and a desire to help the client?
Learning to become more self-aware, far from making you anxious and self-conscious, should help you communicate more effectively with potential customers.
Self-Regulation is the flipside of self-awareness. Assuming that you do know how you’re presenting to others, what can you do to ensure you always project your best possible self?
Avoiding negative emotional states like frustration, lack of enthusiasm, confusion, or anxiousness, is vital if you want to convey reliability and trustworthiness.
According to the Brooks Group, “Self-regulated salespeople are able to avoid bringing their negative emotions—such as fear, anxiety, or irritation—to sales conversations.”
This means they give themselves the best chance to close deals and deliver what their clients want and need.
One thing that’s key to a successful sales career is motivation.
Whatever drives you, whether it’s a sense of achievement, getting to the top of the leaderboard, financial reward, or a real love of the product or service you’re selling, you need to be driven to succeed.
Motivation can be contagious too. If you’re genuinely excited about the product you’re selling, your enthusiasm is likely to transmit to your lead.
It’s also about the ability to pick yourself up, dust yourself down, and get on with the job when you suffer a set-back. A well-motivated salesperson knows that they won’t always seal the deal, but in the majority of cases, they will triumph.
“Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time” – Thomas Edison.
Motivation is so important to all human endeavours that motivational quotes, courses, and gurus have become an industry themselves.
The good news is that, for the most part, motivation can be identified and nurtured. Identify what motivates you and hang your enthusiasm upon that.
Perhaps the most important aspect of emotional intelligence is empathy. You absolutely have to see the other person’s point of view in order to identify their pain points, priorities, and obstacles.
The empathic salesperson can understand why the potential lead has qualms about spending money on their product. They appreciate the alternative choices their interlocutor might make.
Knowing this, they can demonstrate why the product or service they are selling will best address those concerns. Empathy also means, however, not selling a product or service to an individual for whom it is not a good match. Sometimes empathy will lead sales reps to abandon a sale, rather than close a deal.
“If there is any one secret of success, it lies in the ability to get the other person’s point of view and see things from his angle as well as your own” – Henry Ford.
As well as the above large-scale skills, there are a host of behavioural interventions you can make to improve your success rate. The good news is these can be taught or improved.
A helpful article on Indeed’s blog includes the following eight skills:
Building these eight skills will stand you in good stead when engaging with potential clients.
As I mentioned, any of them can be taught and, in fact, we provide focused courses on many of these topics.
As well as making sales interactions less stressful and more pleasant, possessing a high degree of emotional intelligence is correlated with improved conversions.
Sales professionals with high emotional intelligence are better equipped to navigate the complexities of client interactions. They are able to foster trust and rapport, communicate effectively, handle objections gracefully, and close deals confidently.
Below, we list ??? ways in which they do so.
Trust is the cornerstone of any successful sales relationship.
Emotionally intelligent salespeople are adept at building trust by demonstrating genuine interest in their clients’ needs and concerns. They use active listening to understand the client’s perspective and respond empathetically, creating a strong foundation of trust and rapport.
This connection makes clients feel valued and understood, leading to more open and productive conversations.
Effective communication is essential for conveying the value of your product or service.
Emotionally intelligent sales professionals excel in both verbal and non-verbal communication. They are clear, concise, and articulate, ensuring their message is understood.
In addition, they are skilled listeners who give their full attention to clients. They pick up on subtle cues and underlying concerns. This dual capability for empathy enhances mutual understanding and shapes stronger relationships.
Objections are a natural part of the sales process. Emotionally intelligent salespeople view objections as opportunities rather than setbacks.
By understanding the emotional basis of objections, they can address concerns more effectively.
They remain calm and composed, empathise with the client’s viewpoint, and provide thoughtful solutions that alleviate fears and doubts. This approach not only resolves objections but also strengthens the client’s trust.
Closing a deal requires confidence and self-assurance.
Sales professionals with high emotional intelligence project confidence in their product or service. They understand the client’s emotional journey and align their closing strategy accordingly.
By reinforcing the value proposition and addressing any last-minute concerns empathetically, they can close deals with ease and assurance, leaving clients satisfied and confident in their decision.
Of course, they also remember to make follow-up calls or send emails to check if the client is happy with their purchase. Empathic aftercare helps encourage repeat business.
To harness the full potential of emotional intelligence, it must be integrated into sales training programs.
This involves designing comprehensive training modules, incorporating practical exercises, and establishing metrics to measure the impact.
Which is exactly what we’ve done at MDT Training!
An effective training program should cover the core components of emotional intelligence: self-awareness, self-regulation, motivation, empathy, and social skills.
Training should include both theoretical knowledge and practical applications, allowing salespeople to practice and refine these skills in real-world scenarios.
Interactive workshops, role-playing exercises, and case studies can be particularly effective in reinforcing these concepts.
Incorporating practical exercises into training helps sales professionals develop and hone their emotional intelligence skills.
Techniques such as mindfulness practices for self-regulation, empathy-building exercises, and active listening drills can significantly enhance a salesperson’s ability to connect with clients.
Regular feedback and reflection sessions also help in continuous improvement.
To gauge the effectiveness of emotional intelligence training, it is important to establish clear metrics. Choose KPIs that reflect the importance of emotional intelligence and demonstrate how it can affect conversion rates.
These can include improved sales performance, higher client satisfaction scores, and increased retention rates.
Regular assessments and feedback from both clients and sales teams can provide valuable insights into the training’s impact, guiding further refinements.
You can use automated pop-up feedback boxes in software, or follow-up emails with links to online questionnaires. You can also ask for paper surveys (similarly anonymised) or ask for honest feedback in a group setting.
Developing emotional intelligence is not without its challenges.
Identifying common barriers and implementing strategies to address them is vital to success.
Next, let’s turn to some barriers to the improvement of emotional intelligence, plus some strategies to combat these blockers.
Common barriers include:
To overcome these, organisations can provide ongoing support and coaching, create a culture that values emotional intelligence, and offer personalised development plans.
Encouraging a growth mindset and fostering an environment where feedback is welcomed can also help sales professionals overcome these obstacles.
Emotional intelligence is a lifelong journey. We’re all on the path, and nobody has a perfectly accurate map.
Key to sustaining high levels of emotional intelligence is encouraging continuous learning and improvement.
Sales professionals should be provided with opportunities for ongoing training, access to resources such as books and seminars, and regular performance reviews that include emotional intelligence assessments.
By building a culture of continuous improvement, organisations can ensure their sales teams remain emotionally intelligent and effective.
“Leadership is not just about algorithms and data; it is about understanding and engaging with people. Emotional intelligence is what sets exceptional leaders apart in the age of AI.” – Angela Ahrendts, former SVP of Apple.
As the sales landscape changes, the importance of emotional intelligence will become ever more vital.
Many sales are now conducted over videoconferencing or phone calls. This requires a different kind of empathic presentation than in-person meetings that conclude with a handshake.
Emerging trends and technologies will shape how emotional intelligence is leveraged in sales strategies.
Remember too, that different cultures have different expectations for how a salesperson should present themselves and brave. Learning and appreciating cultural differences can be a boon to any global sales team.
Technological advancements such as artificial intelligence and data analytics are transforming the sales process.
These tools can enhance emotional intelligence by providing insights into client behaviour and preferences. They automate many of the rote administrative tasks, freeing up reps for more face-to-face time and human to human interaction.
Sales professionals can use the data derived from analytics to tailor their approach, creating more personalised and emotionally resonant interactions. For instance, sentiment analysis can reveal how customers really feel about a product or service when they’re talking to one another.
This can be invaluable, both in tweaking a sales approach, and in making potential alterations to the product itself.
Additionally, virtual and augmented reality can offer immersive training experiences, further enhancing emotional intelligence skills.
In an increasingly competitive and fast-paced sales environment, emotional intelligence is a key differentiator. It shrinks lost conversions, builds customer trust and loyalty, and reduces revenue lost through product returns.
As clients become more discerning and expect higher levels of personalisation and empathy, sales professionals with strong emotional intelligence will be better positioned to meet these demands.
Organisations that prioritise emotional intelligence in their sales training and strategies gain a competitive edge. They foster stronger client relationships and achieve greater success.
Emotional intelligence is a powerful tool that can transform sales performance.
By developing and honing skills such as self-awareness, self-regulation, motivation, empathy, and social skills, sales professionals can build stronger client relationships, communicate more effectively, handle objections gracefully, and close deals with confidence.
To fully realise the power of emotional intelligence, organisations should invest in comprehensive sales training programs, practical exercises, and continuous improvement initiatives.
Emotional intelligence will remain a crucial factor in achieving sales success in the years to come.
For those looking to enhance their sales skills, explore our Sales Training Courses, Sales Management Training or take our sales assessment course or Sales Personality Testing to boost your performance and build stronger client relationships.
Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Sales Training
Updated on: 19 August, 2024
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