Emotional Intelligence for Sales Success

Dr Mike Bagshaw
Trans4mation

Daniel Goleman, a pioneer of the concept of emotional intelligence (EI or sometimes known as EQ), defines EI as "the capacity for recognising our own feelings and those of others, for motivating ourselves, and for managing emotions well, in ourselves and in our relationships."

This is a critical skill in selling, along with the particular competences of optimism and recovering from setback. The salesperson who knows the product inside out will not succeed without the additional ability to forge strong relationships, win trust, assess how the client is feeling, and cope with their own feelings, including disappointment.

Are You Emotionally Intelligent?

Answer the following questions with 'Yes' or 'No'.

Are you aware of the subtleties of your own feelings?
Do you usually know what other people are feeling, even if they don't say so?
Does your awareness of what others are going through give you feelings of compassion for them?
Can you carry on doing the things you want to do under distressing circumstances, so they don't control your life?
When you're angry, can you still make your needs known in a way that resolves rather than exacerbates the situation?
Can you hang on to long-term goals, and avoid being too impulsive?
Do you keep trying to achieve what you want, even when it seems impossible and it's tempting to give up?
Can you use your feelings to help you to reach decisions in your life?

The Soft Stuff With Hard Results

Cognitive skills have traditionally been given a higher value. They are called hard skills, while those associated with emotional intelligence are called soft. This idea has been enshrined through the ages, with Descartes going so far as to say "I think, therefore I am." In his view, you needed your hard skills to override your soft side in order to make a rational decision.

Antonio Damasio, Professor of Neurology at Iowa University, disagrees. His theory is complex, and in his book, Descartes Error, takes 267 pages to explain. Very briefly, he says that the physical processes of logic and emotion are closely tied in the brain. It doesn't make sense to separate the two. In practice, we use emotional information as well as logical analysis when we decide what to do. Damasio talks of 'somatic markers' in the brain. These are signals that tell us the likely effects of our intended action. These somatic markers remind us when something is likely to cause more upset than the value of the action warrants.

Damasio has worked with patients in whom these cerebral connections have been lost. They are often capable of solving complex logical problems in the clinic, but cannot function well in the real world, because their decisions take no account of emotional factors. The extreme example of this predates Damasio.

In 1848, a young man called Phineas Gage was in an explosives accident that resulted in him having an iron bolt in his head. Astonishingly, this had little effect on his logic, but ruined his ability to do any job at all. He could no longer relate to people. The bolt had destroyed his emotional intelligence.

There is plenty of anecdotal evidence that high emotional intelligence helps to make sales. If you get on well with customers, they are more likely to buy. There is sound research evidence as well. As just one example, L'Oreal changed its salespeople recruitment policy to allow for the emotional competencies of the applicants. The result was a dramatic increase in sales and reduction in turnover. Another example comes from Hay/McBer Research and Innovation Group. They compared a group of insurance salespeople who were weak in emotional intelligence with another group who were strong in at least five out of eight EI competences. Using the cold hard measure of value of sales, the group with better soft skills performed twice as well.

Emotional intelligence begins with self-awareness. The more the person's self-image concurs with the impression that other people get, the better that person will be able to communicate. This also involves an awareness of how the other person is reacting. The same demeanour might be regarded as aloof or respectful, friendly or over familiar, witty or flippant, depending on that person's views and expectations. The emotionally intelligent can perceive this, and adapt accordingly.

Standing in the Others Shoes

Empathy is another EI competency that is fundamental. Understanding how the client feels and what is important to them gives vital information. Does this person want the product at all? If not, it is better to look elsewhere. If they do, do they want this particular brand? What could be done to make it more attractive? The sales person who starts at customer needs, then looks for ways to accommodate those needs, is more likely to sell than one who starts with the product, and attempts to mould the customer to fit.

Empathy is also a factor in building relationships of trust quickly. This is particularly important in sales, as it is becoming more and more difficult to differentiate between products in a particular sector for any length of time. This means that the quality of the relationship with the sales person can make the difference.

Our society is growing more and more diverse. Salespeople are likely to meet people from a wide range of backgrounds, and form good relationships with them. This means being sensitive to different viewpoints, and especially, being able to challenge your own assumptions when you meet difference. This takes high self-confidence, self-awareness, and empathy, all EI competences.

Are you a Glass Half Empty or a Glass Half Full?

Selling can be gruelling. It is likely to involve followed by disappointment, when there is a lot at stake. Those who quickly sink into despair are not suited to this pressure. Optimism is one of the EI competences. Martin Seligman has done a lot of work in this area. He has measured insurance salespeople in terms their optimism, and this showed increased sales to the tune of 37%. The topic of learned optimism will be covered in depth in a later article.

The Marshmallow Test

Self-motivation is a self-fuelling reward system. Those who have the will inside themselves to succeed will persevere, monitor their performance for themselves, and find ways to improve. Those who have to be cajoled with incentives are unlikely to succeed as salespeople. It is a job that requires unsupervised pressing forward, with accurate self-assessment, and bouncing back from disappointment. Walter Mischel did an interesting experiment with young children. He offered them a marshmallow immediately, or two marshmallows if they could leave the one on the plate alone while he went away for twenty minutes. Those who were able to resist immediate temptation showed higher social adaptability, as well as greater academic success than the rapid scoffers. Their ability to regulate their emotional responses was the foundation stone for behaving in an emotionally intelligent way in later life.

Were you were one of those children who found it difficult to defer immediate gratification? The good news is that EI is far more amenable to improvement in later life than IQ.

Goleman, D. (1998). Working with emotional intelligence. New York: Bantam.
Damasio, A. (1994). Descartes' Error. Picador
Seligman, M. E. P. (1990). Learned optimism. New York: Knopf.

About the author

Dr. Mike Bagshaw is a Chartered Psychologist, has a PhD in Human Learning and Motivation and has been extensively published in business and academic literature. He has been an International Business Consultant for the last 10 years and is currently a Director at Trans4mation®.

Trans4mation® employs a combination of psychological know-how and commercial reality to create programmes that are effective, useful and relevant. Programmes are developed to provide a real impetus for people to change their attitudes and behaviours, whilst giving them the practical tools to achieve organisational objectives.

Clients include: GlaxoSmithKline, Pfizer, Johnson & Johnson, Guys & St Thomas' NHS Trust and Natwest Bank.

For further information on training and coaching in the field of Emotional Intelligence, visit: Trans4mation

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